Customs Clearance Services That Don't Hold Up Your Freight
A missed ISF deadline costs $5,000 per violation. A wrong HTS code means overpaid duties or a CBP exam that holds your container for weeks. Platton's customs clearance services prevent both by coordinating document prep, classification review, ISF submission, and entry filing through licensed customs brokers, before your cargo arrives at the US port.
Customs Holds and ISF Penalties, Prevented Before They Hit
Documents Prepared and Validated Before Your Cargo Arrives
Platton's automated clearance workflow pre-checks commercial invoices, packing lists, and the HTS codes you provide for completeness and consistency before your vessel reaches the US port. When the ship docks, entry documents are already staged, so CBP release happens in hours, not days.
ISF Filed 24 Hours Before Vessel Loading, Every Time
The ISF must be submitted at least 24 hours before vessel loading at origin. Miss it, and CBP issues a $5,000 penalty per violation, plus a possible container hold. Platton pulls supplier data right after booking and files through licensed brokers days ahead, while there is still room to fix a gap.
FDA, EPA, and CPSC Coordination Built Into the Entry
Regulated goods like food, supplements, electronics, and children's products need agency clearance before CBP will release them. We file the prior notices, product listings, and agency paperwork through customs broker, so an FDA hold gets worked while the box is still on the water instead of sitting while demurrage builds.
Live Clearance Status in Your Platton Dashboard
See exactly where each shipment stands: document prep, ISF submitted, entry filed, CBP review, released. No calling your broker for status, no wondering whether the paperwork was sent. Every status update is logged and visible in your Platton dashboard.
From ISF Filing to CBP Release, Every Step Coordinated
Pre-Departure ISF and 10+2 Data Filing
We collect the 10+2 data points from your supplier and submit through licensed brokers well before the 24-hour loading deadline. If supplier data is missing, you hear about it the same day, while there is still time to chase it down.
Ocean FCL, LCL, and Air Freight Clearance
Each freight type has different documentation timing. FCL entries are filed pre-arrival, LCL requires CFS coordination, and air freight needs same-day entry filing after arrival. Platton matches the filing workflow to the freight type, so nothing sits waiting for paperwork.
Customs Bond and Entry Coordination
Need a single-entry bond for a one-time import or a continuous bond for regular shipments? Platton arranges bond procurement and entry filing through your broker, so the right bond is in place before your cargo arrives and the entry is never held up waiting for one.
How the US Customs Clearance Process Works, Step by Step
Most clearance delays trace to three sources: documents that are wrong, documents that arrive late, and data that is incomplete. Platton's customs clearance process catches these before they reach CBP, not after your container is flagged for exam.
Pre-Submission Document Review
Before the entry is filed, we check that the documents are complete and consistent and flag an HTS code that looks at odds with the product description. The final classification is yours to declare; we make sure a mismatch does not reach CBP unnoticed. A wrong code means a wrong duty rate and a possible exam, so catching it before submission costs nothing. For a deeper HTS and tariff review, that runs through customs compliance.
The Right Rate on Each Entry
A wrong tariff rate on the entry means an overpayment or a penalty. Platton makes sure the rate on each entry matches the current schedule and your own classification. Ongoing tariff, Section 301, and AD/CVD monitoring across your product categories runs through customs compliance, and the clearance side applies what that review sets.
Pre-Arrival Filing for Faster CBP Release
Entries filed before vessel arrival get reviewed by CBP while the ship is still in transit. By the time the container is discharged, it is already cleared, or at worst flagged for exam early enough to plan around it.
Entry Status From Submission to CBP Release in One View
Document prep, filing status, entry filed, CBP review, agency holds, released. Each clearance stage updates in the same view your team already uses for the shipment, so the entry status sits next to the booking and the tracking instead of in a separate broker inbox.
Your Shipment's Customs Clearance Timeline
Step 1: Upload Shipping Documents Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and any certificates (origin, FDA prior notice) are uploaded to the Platton platform. Anything missing surfaces on upload, while you can still get it from the supplier.
Step 2: Document and Data Consistency Check The HTS codes you provide are checked for consistency with the descriptions, invoice values are checked against the documents, and ISF data points are confirmed with the supplier. Everything is checked for completeness before it reaches the broker.
Step 3: Entry Filed Through a Licensed US Customs Broker Entry documents are transmitted to CBP through licensed customs brokers, and all filings comply with 19 CFR requirements. You receive confirmation the moment the filing is accepted.
Step 4: CBP Review and Cargo Release We watch CBP status in real time. If the entry clears, you see it immediately. If an exam is ordered, we coordinate container availability, exam scheduling, post-exam release, and drayage to your warehouse, so an exam costs you the exam time and nothing more.
What Platton Handles Before, During, and After Clearance
Round-the-Clock CBP Status Monitoring
Shipments do not clear on a 9-to-5 schedule. Platton monitors CBP status around the clock, including weekends and holidays when vessels arrive. If an exam is ordered or a hold appears at 2 AM, we are already coordinating the response before your office opens.
Document Review Before Broker Submission
Every commercial invoice, packing list, and certificate of origin is reviewed for completeness before it reaches the broker. We check that the product descriptions, the HTS codes you provide, and the declared values are consistent across the documents, and confirm consignee details, catching the mismatches that trigger CBP rejections and exam holds.
Duty and Landed Cost Estimation
Know your total landed cost before the shipment sails. Platton estimates duties, MPF, HMF, and any applicable AD/CVD based on current tariff schedules, so there is no surprise when the duty bill arrives after release.
How Platton Keeps Entries Clean Before They Reach CBP
Most entry problems show up as penalties and held containers, so Platton builds the checks in before filing, not after a problem surfaces.
Most entries are filed before the vessel arrives, which lets CBP review the entry in transit and release cargo sooner.
Pre-submission checks catch the document mismatches in HTS codes, values, and data that cause entry rejections and exams.
ISF is collected early and filed through licensed brokers ahead of the 24-hour loading deadline, keeping the $5,000-per-violation penalty off your account.
FDA, EPA, and CPSC holds are worked in parallel with CBP review, not one after the other.
Common Questions About Customs Clearance
Document preparation (commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading review), HTS code review, ISF filing for ocean shipments, customs entry filing, duty and tax calculation, agency coordination (FDA, EPA, CPSC), and monitoring CBP status through to cargo release. Platton coordinates all of these through licensed customs brokers, and the importer remains responsible for the final classification and declared value.
A late ISF means a $5,000 penalty per violation from CBP, and an inaccurate ISF can trigger a container hold or intensive exam. The filing must be submitted at least 24 hours before vessel loading at origin, not 24 hours before arrival. Platton collects the 10+2 data points from your supplier as soon as the booking is confirmed and files with time to spare.
Your customs entry is filed with CBP by a licensed customs broker. Platton runs the full clearance workflow around that filing: document preparation, HTS classification review, ISF coordination, and CBP status tracking through to release, then transmits everything to the broker for a compliant entry. You get one team managing the process and a licensed broker on the filing.
Yes. For FDA-regulated products (food, supplements, cosmetics, medical devices), Platton coordinates prior notice filing, product registration verification, and FDA hold resolution. If FDA issues a "may proceed" or a detention, we manage the response with your broker to resolve it as fast as possible.
Traditional clearance runs on email chains between importer, broker, and forwarder, so documents get lost, ISFs get filed late, and nobody knows the status until someone calls. Platton's process is centralized: documents are uploaded to one platform, validated automatically, filed through licensed customs brokers, and tracked from submission to CBP release, with every status change visible in real time.
Platton coordinates US import customs clearance for goods from any origin, because clearance happens at the US port of entry no matter where the cargo shipped from. The lanes we run most are China, Vietnam, India, and Europe, and entry is filed through licensed customs brokers for every origin.
For commercial shipments over $2,500, you generally do. You need either a single-entry bond for that one import or a continuous bond that covers all imports for a year. Most regular importers save money with a continuous bond. Platton handles bond procurement through your broker so it is in place before your cargo arrives, not a last-minute scramble at the port.
Customs Clearance in the Wider Import Move
Customs is one stage of getting cargo from origin to warehouse. Platton coordinates the others too.
The Real Cost of a Customs Hold
Demurrage, storage, and missed delivery windows usually trace back to clearance delays that were preventable. Platton's customs clearance services remove the document errors and filing delays that hold up your freight, and flag duty-saving opportunities like duty drawback on re-exported goods. Get a clearance timeline for your next shipment.