19 CFR 149
A hard gate.
Importer Security Filing is a regulatory clock, not a courtesy email. Liquidated damages attach when the packet is late or wrong.
Importer Security Filing (ISF 10+2)
Ocean files before the vessel sails.
19 CFR 149 is a liquidated-damages exposure, not a courtesy. We treat the ISF as a hard gate on the same file as the 7501. Bill of lading, IOR, manufacturer, and HTS aligned before sail. We will not reconstruct that packet at the pier.
Book a consultation Free Entry AuditOcean only. Air does not file an ISF.
An ISF reconstructed from a scrambled packing list after the vessel sails is how liquidated damages start. Bill of lading, importer of record, manufacturer, and HTS have to align before the ship leaves. Ocean only — air does not file an ISF.
We treat the ISF as a hard gate on the same licensed file as the 7501. If the elements are incomplete, we pause. We will not invent a manufacturer to look on time.
01 · The method
Elements first. Then the vessel.
Elements
BOL, IOR, manufacturer, HTS.
The ISF elements have to agree with the entry that will follow. A different manufacturer at the pier is a different filing.
Timing
Before the vessel sails.
We file while there is still time to correct. Reconstructing the packet dockside is how damages start.
Ocean
Not air.
ISF 10+2 is an ocean requirement. Air freight clears on a different clock. We will not bolt an ISF onto an AWB to look thorough.
02 · The real cost
Liquidated damages are not a late email.
19 CFR 149 exposure attaches when the ISF is late, incomplete, or inconsistent with the entry. The expensive filing is the one rebuilt at the pier from memory.
We keep the ISF on the same file as the 7501 so the manufacturer and the HTS do not drift between sail and arrival.
03 · On the file
The ISF sits on the same file before sail.
ISF is desk work timed to the vessel. Elements aligned. Ocean only. Then the entry follows on the same licensed file. A broker still owns both.
04 · What we need
Send the ocean packet. We will say if it holds.
- Bill of lading The ocean document that will match the ISF — not a draft that changes at sail.
- IOR identity Same legal importer that will appear on the entry.
- Manufacturer / supplier Named and consistent with the commercial invoice.
- HTS lines Headings that will survive the 7501 — not placeholders.
- Vessel / sail timing Enough clock to file and correct before departure.
On the same file
The desk around the ISF.
Entry
3461 / 7501
The ISF and the entry tell the same story.
Bonds
Customs bonds
Coverage sized to the duty on the same IOR.
Forwarder
Forwarder coordination
Your forwarder moves the crate after we have cleared the file.
Questions we actually get
The file before the appointment.
Does air freight need an ISF?
No. ISF 10+2 is an ocean requirement under 19 CFR 149. Air clears on a different clock. We will not bolt an ISF onto an AWB.
When do you file?
Before the vessel sails, with enough clock to correct incomplete elements. We will not reconstruct the packet at the pier.
What has to match the entry?
IOR, manufacturer, and HTS have to align with the 7501 that follows. Drift between sail and arrival is how damages and CF-28s start.
Is 19 CFR 149 optional?
No. It is a liquidated-damages exposure. We treat the ISF as a hard gate on the licensed file.
The desk
Bring one ocean bill and one manufacturer list.
A consultation returns ISF readiness notes and a flat fee. If the elements are not ones we can file before sail, we will say so in the memo.