GRI
1 through 6, in order.
The heading and the legal notes decide the chapter. Essential character is a last resort, not a shortcut. We write the GRI path on the file before ACE.
Tariff classification
A 10-digit HTS is a legal claim.
Heading and notes first. Then the statistical suffix. A watch is movement, case, and strap. Technical apparel is the fiber blend. An e-bike is battery, motor, and frame. We split the article before we draft the 7501.
Book a consultation Free Entry AuditGRI 1–6. An unnamed fact is a pause, not a suffix.
One SKU dumped over a movement, a case, and a strap is how CF-28s start. Fiber % is the heading on apparel. An e-bike is three articles until the invoice proves otherwise. Houses that file a single catch-all pay for it after ACE — not at the showroom.
We split the line while the aircraft is still over the water. If the composition is missing, we pause. We do not invent a suffix to look fast.
01 · The method
Heading and notes first. Then the suffix.
The split
Watch. Fiber. E-bike.
A gold watch is still three facts. A blended hoodie is the percentages. An e-bike is battery, motor, and frame. We split the article before we draft the 7501.
OCR
The 100-line invoice.
The machine reads. A licensed broker still owns the heading. Repeating SKUs stay mapped. A new fabric is a new line.
The pause
Unnamed is not classified.
Vague composition. Unnamed species. A kit with no essential character. That is a pause. We will not invent a statistical suffix to look fast.
02 · The real cost
A CF-28 is not a slow suffix.
The expensive heading is the one you cannot defend. CBP Form 28 is a Request for Information. 19 U.S.C. § 1592 is a penalty statute. Civil penalties attach to the importer of record. We will not transmit a 10-digit claim we cannot stand behind.
The GRI rationale sits in the vault with the invoice. A protest package is not reconstructed from memory. CROSS is cited when the merchandise is novel — not as decoration on a settled line.
03 · On the file
The heading sits in the vault before ACE.
Classification is desk work. It is done before the 3461 and before ACE. The 3461 releases the cargo. The 7501 liquidates the file. Neither transmits a heading we cannot defend. The dashboard shows the yellow line before the crate moves — not in a Friday email.
04 · What we need
Send the invoice. We will say if the file holds.
- Commercial description What it is, not the marketing name. “Watch” and a SKU are not enough.
- Composition, named Fiber % that adds to 100. Metal fineness. Plastic vs metal. The photo is not the proof.
- Function What the article does. A kit needs essential character. We will not guess it from the carton.
- Country of origin Where it was made — on each line. A mixed carton is still mixed facts.
- Values that can split A single lump sum cannot defend three headings. Allocate before we draft the 7501.
On the same file
The desk around the heading.
PGA
Partner government agencies
The flag sits in the vault before transmission. We will not send a 7501 that still owes a PGA fact.
Entry
3461 / 7501
The entry is built as the invoice is read. A licensed broker still signs.
Defense
CF-28 / 29 & CROSS
The GRI path was captured when we classified the line. A CF-28 is not a status email.
Questions we actually get
The file before the appointment.
Can one HTS line cover a watch?
Usually not. Movement, case, and strap are separate facts. We allocate value and split the lines before ACE. A single 9101 dump is how CF-28s start.
Does OCR classify the invoice?
OCR reads the 100-line invoice. A licensed broker still owns the heading. Vague composition or an unnamed species is a pause. We will not invent a suffix to look fast.
What belongs on the commercial invoice?
Description, composition with percentages, function, origin on each line, values that can split. A SKU and a photo are not the proof.
Is a slow heading the expensive part?
No. A CF-28 and 19 U.S.C. § 1592 are. We would rather pause on an unnamed fact than transmit a suffix we cannot defend.
The desk
Bring one messy invoice.
A consultation returns classification notes, PGA flags, and a flat fee. If the file is not one we can defend, we will say so in the memo.