Importer setup for first-time importers
Most first-time importers discover what they needed after the container has landed. Setup takes a few days in advance and rescues weeks afterwards.
Licensed U.S. customs brokerage. Customs broker of record; movement coordinated through vetted partners.
Importer setup is the process of establishing a business as an Importer of Record with U.S. Customs and Border Protection before its first shipment arrives. It involves obtaining an importer number, arranging a customs bond, granting a power of attorney to a licensed customs broker, and establishing the record-keeping the importer is legally required to maintain.
Key takeaways
- You cannot file an entry without an importer number, a bond, and a power of attorney in place.
- Setup is straightforward in advance and disruptive once cargo is already on the water.
- Importers must retain entry records for five years — the obligation starts with the first entry.
- Where goods are regulated, additional registrations may be required before arrival, not after.
- Getting the structure right at the start avoids amendments and corrections later.
What you need before the first shipment
An importer number, usually your IRS-issued EIN. A customs bond sized to your expected activity. A signed power of attorney authorising your broker to act on your behalf. And a clear decision on who the Importer of Record actually is, which is not always as obvious as it sounds when a supplier, an agent and a buyer are all involved.
Record-keeping from day one
Importers are required to keep entry records for five years and to produce them if CBP asks. That is a genuine obligation, not a formality, and it is far easier to establish a filing routine before the first entry than to reconstruct one during an audit.
How it works
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01
Structure confirmed
Who is the Importer of Record, and does the arrangement match how the goods are actually being bought and sold.
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02
Importer number established
Usually the EIN. Foreign entities without one have a different route, which we handle.
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03
Bond arranged
Sized against projected annual duty exposure, not the first shipment alone.
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04
Power of attorney executed
Authorises us to file on your behalf. Straightforward, and required before any entry.
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05
Records structure agreed
What to keep, for how long, and where — set up before it matters.
Common mistakes
- Leaving setup until the cargo ships. Bonds and powers of attorney take days, and containers do not wait.
- Letting the supplier nominate the Importer of Record. That decision carries the legal liability; make it deliberately.
- Using a personal name rather than the business entity. Fixable, but tedious, and it complicates the records.
- No record-keeping plan. Five years of entry documents assembled retroactively is a bad week.
- Assuming registrations can follow arrival. Where goods are regulated, some must be in place beforehand.
Questions
How long does importer setup take?
Typically a few business days once we have the information, with the bond usually the longest step. Starting before the goods ship removes the pressure entirely.
Can a foreign company be the Importer of Record?
Yes, though the requirements differ — including a customs bond from a U.S. surety and, in some circumstances, a resident agent. We work through the structure with you.
What is a power of attorney in this context?
A document authorising a licensed customs broker to transact customs business on your behalf. It does not give the broker control of your business; it allows entries to be filed in your name.
Do I need to be set up before I place the order?
Not strictly, but it is the sensible point. Knowing your duty exposure and confirming any regulatory requirement before committing to a purchase is worth more than doing it afterwards.
Related
Tell us what you're importing.
Commodity, origin, port and arrival date is enough to start.