Holds · Detention · Seizure · General order
Your cargo is on hold, detained or seized by CBP
An exam hold, a detention and a seizure are three different steps with three different clocks. Find out which one you have, then act before the deadline.
The basics
What is the difference between a hold, a detention and a seizure?
An exam hold means that CBP wants to look at the goods before release. It can be an X-ray scan, a tailgate exam at the terminal, or an intensive exam at a Centralized Examination Station (CES). Terminals and carriers show holds with short codes such as CET, MET or "intensive exam".
A detention means that CBP keeps the goods while it decides if they can enter. Under 19 CFR 151.16, goods that CBP does not release within 5 business days after they are presented for exam are detained.
A seizure means that CBP takes the goods because it has reasonable cause to believe that a law was violated (19 CFR 162.21). Examples in 19 U.S.C. 1595a(c) are smuggled goods, goods without a required license or permit, counterfeit goods, and some country of origin marking violations.
General order is different again. It applies to goods with no entry. After 15 calendar days, they go to a general order warehouse at the risk and expense of the consignee.
Holds for other agencies follow their own rules.
The 5-day and 30-day detention rules do not apply when CBP holds goods for another agency that decides admissibility (19 CFR 151.16(a)). Examples are FDA and USDA. Forced labor detentions under a withhold release order or the UFLPA also follow separate rules (19 CFR 12.42 to 12.45).
Deadline
What are the deadlines for a hold, a detention and a seizure?
| Event | Time limit | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Goods presented for CBP exam | CBP decides to release or detain within 5 business days | 19 CFR 151.16(b) |
| CBP decides to detain | CBP sends a notice of detention within 5 business days after that decision | 19 CFR 151.16(c) |
| Final decision on detained goods | Within 30 days after the goods were presented for exam; if not, the goods are treated as excluded and you can protest | 19 CFR 151.16(e) and (f) |
| Protest of excluded goods | CBP must decide within 30 days, or the protest is treated as denied | 19 CFR 151.16(g); 19 CFR 174.21(b) |
| Notice of seizure mailed | Petition for relief within 30 days; or a claim to send the case to court within 35 days | 19 CFR 171.2(b)(1); 19 CFR 162.94(b) |
| No entry after landing | General order after 15 calendar days; unclaimed goods can be sold after 6 months | 19 CFR 4.37 and 122.50; 19 U.S.C. 1491 |
Goods count as presented for exam only when a CBP officer can view and examine them. A closed container at the terminal is not presented (19 CFR 151.16(b)).
Risk
What happens if I do nothing?
On an exam hold, storage and exam charges keep growing. The importer pays the cost to prepare the goods for exam and to close the packages (19 CFR 151.6).
On a detention, CBP can release the goods, refuse entry, allow export, or seize them (19 CFR 151.16(j)). If you do not give CBP the information that it asks for, the decision is made without it.
On a seizure, if you do not petition or file a claim in time, CBP can begin forfeiture proceedings, and you can lose the goods.
In general order, perishable goods can be sold after 3 days of public notice (19 CFR 127.28). Other unclaimed goods can be sold at public auction after 6 months (19 U.S.C. 1491).
Checklist
What do we need from you?
The hold message or notice
The carrier or terminal hold, the notice of detention, or the notice of seizure, with its date.
Bill of lading or air waybill
And the container or package numbers.
Commercial invoice and packing list
The documents that CBP will compare with the goods.
Permits, licenses and certificates
Any document that another agency requires for the goods, and trademark authorization for branded goods.
Product literature and photos
What the goods are, what they are made of, and how they are marked.
A power of attorney for Allied CHB
If we are not your broker on this shipment. Sign it online at alliedchb.com/poa.
Process
How do we handle it?
- YouSame day
Send us the hold message or notice
Forward what the carrier, the terminal or CBP sent. We read the hold type and the dates.
- Allied
We confirm the hold with CBP and the terminal
We check the cargo status in ACE and with the exam site. We tell you the type of hold and what CBP needs.
- Allied
We coordinate the exam
For an intensive exam, we arrange the move to the exam station with the trucker and send CBP the documents that it asks for.
- Allied
We answer a detention notice
We send CBP the information that the notice lists, and ask for test results in writing when there are tests (19 CFR 151.16(d)).
- You
You decide on a seizure
We explain the options on the notice, for example a petition for relief or a claim to go to court. For a petition, we collect the facts and file it within 30 days.
- Allied
We follow it to release or to a decision
We tell you when the goods are released, and the next deadline if CBP excludes or keeps them.
Price
What does it cost?
$200 flat fee per filing. The $200 flat fee covers one hold for one entry: exam coordination, a reply to a notice of detention, or a petition for one seizure. Terminal, exam station and trucking charges are separate.
For many entries or a large penalty, we quote the fee before we start. Duty, interest, fees and penalties owed to CBP are separate and are not part of our fee.
We confirm the fee and the scope in writing before we start.
Questions
What else should I know?
How long does a CBP exam take?
It depends on the type of exam, the port and the exam station. An intensive exam takes longer than a scan, because the container must move to the exam station and be unloaded. Under 19 CFR 151.16, CBP must decide to release or detain within 5 business days after the goods are presented for exam.
Who pays for a customs exam?
The importer pays the cost to move the goods to the exam and to prepare and close the packages (19 CFR 151.6). The exam station, the terminal and the trucker send their own bills. Allied's fee does not include these charges.
Can I choose to export the goods instead?
Sometimes. Where the law allows it, CBP can deny entry and let you export detained goods at your expense instead of a seizure (19 CFR 151.16(j)). For a seizure, the notice lists the options.
What must a seizure petition include?
It must describe the goods and give the date and place of the seizure. It must also give the facts that justify relief and prove your interest in the goods (19 CFR 171.1(c)). A customs broker or an attorney can sign a petition for a commercial violation.
Should I file a petition or send the case to court?
A petition asks CBP to return the goods or to reduce the penalty. A claim sends the case to a federal court, and the government must then file a complaint within 90 days (19 CFR 162.94). A court case needs a lawyer. We tell you when a case needs one.
My goods are in general order. Can I still enter them?
Yes, until they are sold. You file the entry and pay the duties and all general order storage and transfer charges. Act fast: unclaimed goods can be sold after 6 months, and perishable goods much sooner.
Request: Customs hold, detention or seizure
$200 flat fee
Another CBP notice or problem? See all post-entry problems and their deadlines.
Send us the notice. We check the deadline first.
Call (908) 291-8001 or email info@alliedchb.com
Last reviewed September 26, 2026. This page explains customs rules in general terms. It is not legal advice. Duty rates and CBP procedures change often, and we confirm the figures for your shipment in writing before you commit.