Customs Bond: Types, Costs, and How to Get One (2026 Guide)

What Is a Customs Bond?

A customs bond is a three-party contract between you (the importer), a surety company (the insurer), and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It guarantees that if you don't pay your duties, taxes, and fees, the surety will.

Think of it like a security deposit on an apartment — except the landlord is the federal government, and failing to pay has real legal consequences under 19 CFR Part 113.

When do you need one? Any formal entry — that's goods valued over $2,500, or any shipment regulated by the FDA (food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices) regardless of value. Without a bond, CBP won't release your cargo. It sits at the port, racking up storage fees while you scramble.

Types of Customs Bonds

Single Entry Bond (SEB)

A single entry bond covers one shipment at one port of entry. You buy one, use it, done.

Best for: Importers who ship once or twice a year, or one-off purchases. If you're buying a piece of industrial equipment from Germany and don't plan to import again for 18 months, a single entry bond makes sense.

The catch most people miss: Single entry bonds don't cover Importer Security Filing (ISF) requirements. If your goods arrive by ocean, you're required to file ISF — and the ISF bond is separate from the entry bond. Many first-time importers discover this at the worst possible time: after their container is already on the water. You'll need a continuous bond or a separate ISF bond to avoid the $5,000–$10,000 penalty.

Bond amount: Must equal the total entered value of the goods plus all duties, taxes, and fees. So if you're importing $30,000 worth of electronics with 3.9% duty, your single entry bond needs to cover at least $31,170.

Continuous Bond (Activity Code 1)

A continuous bond covers all your imports across every US port of entry for 12 months. One bond, unlimited entries.

Best for: Anyone importing more than 3–4 times per year. Also anyone importing by ocean (because it automatically covers ISF).

Bond amount: The minimum is $50,000. CBP calculates the required amount as 10% of total duties, taxes, and fees from the previous 12 months, rounded up to the nearest $10,000. If your annual DTF (duties, taxes, fees) exceeds $1 million, CBP rounds up in $100,000 increments.

Here's the formula:

| Annual Duties, Taxes & Fees | Required Bond Amount | |---|---| | Under $500,000 | $50,000 (minimum) | | $500,001 – $1,000,000 | $100,000 | | $1,000,001 – $2,000,000 | $200,000 | | $5,000,000+ | Round up to nearest $100,000 (10% of DTF) |

Other Bond Types

Most importers only deal with the two above, but CBP recognizes several others under 19 CFR 113:

Custodial bonds (Activity Code 2) — for operators of bonded warehouses, container freight stations, or duty-free shops
International carrier bonds (Activity Code 3) — for airlines and shipping lines entering US ports
Foreign trade zone bonds (Activity Code 4) — for FTZ operators
Instrument of International Traffic (IIT) bonds — for containers and other reusable transport equipment

What a Customs Bond Actually Costs

The bond amount isn't what you pay. You pay a premium to a surety company, and they guarantee the full bond amount to CBP.

Single Entry Bond Premiums

Typically $50–$150 per entry for standard commercial shipments. For high-value or high-duty shipments, premiums can run higher because the bond amount is larger.

Continuous Bond Premiums

For a standard $50,000 continuous bond, expect to pay $400–$600 per year. That's roughly 1% of the bond amount. Factors that push premiums higher:

Import history — new importers pay more (no track record)
Product type — goods subject to antidumping or countervailing duties carry higher premiums because the duty exposure is larger and less predictable
Compliance history — past liquidated damages or bond sufficiency reviews increase your premium
Bond amount — if CBP requires more than the $50,000 minimum, your premium scales proportionally

The Break-Even Math

This is straightforward. A continuous bond at $500/year versus single entry bonds at roughly $75–$100 each:

5 shipments/year: $375–$500 in SEBs vs. $500 continuous. About even.
8 shipments/year: $600–$800 in SEBs vs. $500 continuous. Continuous saves money.
12+ shipments/year: $900–$1,200 in SEBs vs. $500 continuous. No contest.

But cost isn't the only factor. If even one shipment arrives by ocean, you need ISF coverage — and that alone tips the math toward continuous. I'd say the real break-even is 3–4 shipments per year once you factor in ISF bonds, per-shipment paperwork, and the risk of a gap in coverage.

How to Get a Customs Bond

Step 1: Decide which type

If you're importing more than a few times per year, or importing by ocean at all, get a continuous bond. The cost difference is minor and the coverage gap risk isn't worth it.

Step 2: Choose a surety or broker

You have two paths:

Through a customs broker (most common): Your customs broker partners with surety companies and can issue a bond as part of their service. This is the path most importers take because you need a broker for formal entries anyway. Roanoke Insurance Group, Trade Risk Guaranty (TRG), and Tokio Marine HCC are among the largest surety underwriters, but your broker handles the relationship.

Direct from a surety: If you want to shop around, the Treasury Department's Circular 570 lists every company authorized to issue customs bonds. You can contact them directly. This makes sense for high-volume importers negotiating lower premiums.

Step 3: Complete CBP Form 301

The Customs Bond (CBP Form 301) is the actual bond instrument. You'll provide:

Your importer number (EIN, SSN, or CBP-assigned number)
Type of bond and activity codes
Bond amount
Surety company information and code

Your broker typically handles this paperwork. Processing takes 2–5 business days for straightforward applications.

Step 4: Submit to CBP electronically

Since February 2026, CBP accepts bonds through the eBond system — electronic transmission is now the primary submission method. Paper bonds are still accepted but take longer to process. Your surety or broker handles the electronic filing.

Bond Sufficiency: The 2026 Problem

Here's where things have gotten complicated. CBP reviews bond sufficiency on a rolling basis — they look at the last 12 months of duties, taxes, and fees you've paid and check whether your bond covers 10% of that total.

Since early 2025, bond sufficiency notices have surged 526%. The reasons:

Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods (25–100% on many categories) dramatically increased duty payments, which pushed required bond amounts higher
Section 122 baseline surcharge (15% on nearly all imports) added even more to the DTF total
Section 321 de minimis suspension (since August 2025) forced millions of previously exempt shipments into formal entry, requiring bonds for the first time

If you're importing from China, your bond amount may need to be 2–3x what it was two years ago. CBP's Director of Revenue performs monthly reviews, and an insufficiency notice means you have 15 days to increase your bond or risk cargo holds and liquidated damages.

What "bond saturation" means

When tariffs spike suddenly — like the Section 301 increases — surety companies face a wave of bond increase requests simultaneously. This creates backlogs. During peak saturation periods in 2025, some importers waited weeks for bond increases while their cargo sat at port. If you're anticipating a tariff change that affects your products, get ahead of it. Increase your bond before CBP tells you to.

How to check your bond status

Log into the ACE Secure Data Portal and check your bond information under your importer account. Your broker can also pull this for you. If your duty payments have increased significantly in the past year — especially if you added new product lines from China — run the 10% calculation yourself and increase proactively.

What Happens Without a Bond

No bond = no release. CBP will hold your goods at the port of entry. Meanwhile:

Storage fees accumulate. At major ports like LA/Long Beach, demurrage and detention fees can run $150–$300/day per container after the free time expires (typically 4–5 days).
Liquidated damages — CBP can assess damages against you for failing to have a bond, typically equal to the bond amount that should have been in place.
Shipment seizure — in extreme cases, CBP can seize and sell your goods to recover unpaid duties.

The emergency fix: a single entry bond can often be arranged within 24–48 hours through your customs broker, but you'll pay a rush premium and your goods will have been sitting at port the entire time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a customs bond cost?

A continuous bond (the most common type) costs $400–$600 per year in premium for a standard $50,000 bond. Single entry bonds run $50–$150 per shipment. The bond amount itself (what CBP is guaranteed) and the premium (what you pay) are different numbers — you pay roughly 1% of the bond amount annually.

Do I need a customs bond for every shipment?

No — a continuous bond covers all your shipments for 12 months at every US port. That's the whole point of continuous over single entry. If you have a continuous bond, you don't need separate bonds for individual shipments.

What is the minimum customs bond amount?

$50,000 for a continuous bond. For single entry bonds, the amount must equal the entered value plus duties, taxes, and fees — there's no fixed minimum, but it's based on your specific shipment.

Can I cancel my customs bond?

Yes, but there are restrictions. A continuous bond has a one-year term and auto-renews. You can cancel it by providing written notice to your surety. However, the cancellation doesn't take effect until CBP processes it, and you remain liable for any entries filed while the bond was active — that liability can extend years due to liquidation timelines.

How long does it take to get a customs bond?

Standard processing: 2–5 business days. Rush processing through a broker: 24–48 hours. Electronic bond transmission (eBond) has made this faster than it used to be. Plan ahead — don't wait until your container is on the water.

Does a customs bond cover ISF filing?

A continuous bond does. A single entry bond does not. This is one of the most common gotchas for importers using single entry bonds for ocean shipments. If your goods arrive by sea, you need ISF coverage — either through a continuous bond or a separate ISF-only bond.

What's the difference between bond amount and bond premium?

The bond amount is the face value — the maximum CBP can claim from your surety if you don't pay duties. A $50,000 bond means CBP can claim up to $50,000. The premium is what you pay the surety for this guarantee — typically about 1% of the bond amount per year ($500 on a $50,000 bond).

Next Steps

Estimate your duties with our tariff calculator — knowing your annual duty total tells you what bond amount you need
Understand your IOR responsibilities — as the importer of record, you're personally liable for the duties your bond guarantees
Look up your HTS codes in our HTS search tool — accurate classification determines your duty rate and bond requirements
Learn about temporary imports — a TIB uses a different bond structure and can eliminate duties entirely for qualifying goods
Review all import fees in our US import duties guide to calculate your total landed cost