How to Import into the U.S. Through Miami: The Complete 2026 Guide

Miami is one of the busiest gateways into the United States for Latin American, Caribbean, and European trade, and for a first-time importer the amount of paperwork, deadlines, and government agencies involved can feel overwhelming. This guide walks through the full process — from choosing a transportation mode to picking up your cargo — in the order decisions actually need to be made, so you can plan a shipment with confidence instead of guesswork.

Ocean vs. Air: Choosing the Right Mode

The first decision on any import is how the goods will travel, and it shapes almost every requirement that follows.

Ocean freight

Ocean is the default for anything bulky, heavy, or not time-sensitive — furniture, machinery, building materials, apparel in volume. It is dramatically cheaper per kilogram than air, but transit times from most origins run two to six weeks, and ocean cargo carries an extra compliance requirement air cargo does not: the Importer Security Filing.

Air freight

Air is faster (often 1–5 days port-to-port) and simpler on the security-filing side, but freight costs and per-kilogram rates are substantially higher, so it tends to make sense for high-value, urgent, or time-perishable goods — electronics, pharmaceuticals, perishable foods, or replacement parts.

Truck and rail

For goods arriving from Canada or Mexico, or moving from Miami inland after ocean/air arrival, over-the-road trucking (drayage) is the connecting link. One A Trucks (OAT), our Port of Miami-area affiliate, handles drayage moves for GLCHB clients so cargo goes straight from the terminal to the warehouse without a second broker relationship to manage.

The Documents You Need Before Cargo Ever Moves

Regardless of mode, four documents form the backbone of every entry:

• Bill of Lading (B/L) or Air Waybill (AWB) — the transportation contract and receipt for the goods, issued by the ocean carrier or airline.
• Commercial Invoice — states the transaction value, seller, buyer, and goods description; this is the backbone of duty calculation, so accuracy matters far more than most first-timers realize.
• Packing List — itemizes what's in each carton or pallet, used by CBP and partner agencies to verify contents match the invoice during examination.
• Importer Security Filing (ISF/"10+2") — required for ocean shipments only. Ten data elements from the importer (seller, buyer, importer of record number, consignee, manufacturer, ship-to party, country of origin, HTS number at the 6-digit level, container stuffing location, consolidator) plus two from the carrier (vessel stow plan, container status messages) must reach CBP at least 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel at the foreign port. Late or inaccurate ISF filings can trigger monetary penalties and increased inspection holds. Full requirements are published by CBP on its Importer Security Filing '10+2' page.

Depending on the commodity, you may also need a certificate of origin, FDA prior notice confirmation, USDA permits, or an FCC/EPA declaration — more on partner agencies below.

Customs Bonds: Single Entry vs. Continuous

Almost every formal entry valued over $2,500 requires a CBP customs bond — a financial guarantee that duties, taxes, and fees will be paid and that the importer will comply with CBP regulations. You have two choices:

Single entry bond (SEB)

Covers exactly one shipment through one port. CBP typically sets the bond amount at the value of the goods plus estimated duties, taxes, and fees — and up to three times that amount for goods subject to other government agency requirements or antidumping/countervailing duties. It makes sense if you import only occasionally.

Continuous bond

Covers unlimited shipments through any U.S. port for a 12-month period, automatically renewing unless terminated. The minimum bond amount is the greater of $50,000 or 10% of the duties, taxes, and fees you paid in the prior year. If you're shipping more than a handful of times a year, a continuous bond is almost always the more economical choice — you stop paying a new bond premium on every single shipment. Bonds must be on file in CBP's ACE eBond system before any activity occurs under them.

HTS Classification: The Number That Drives Everything

Every product entering the U.S. must be classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) — a 10-digit code that determines your duty rate, eligibility for trade programs, and which trade remedy actions (Section 301, 232, 201, antidumping/countervailing duties) apply. As CBP puts it plainly on its own guidance page, the HTS "provides duty rates for virtually every item that exists," but CBP makes the final determination of what the correct rate of duty is — not the importer. Misclassification, even unintentional, can result in back duties, penalties, and delayed releases. See CBP's Determining Duty Rates guidance for the process, and consider requesting a binding classification ruling from CBP for high-value or ambiguous products before you commit to a purchase order.

Duties and Tariffs: The 2026 Landscape

Landed cost in 2026 is rarely just the HTS base duty rate. Depending on origin country and product, an entry can stack multiple layers of duty:

• Base HTS duty rate — the standard rate published in the tariff schedule for that classification.
• Section 301 tariffs — additional duties on goods from China stemming from USTR's investigation into China's technology-transfer and intellectual-property practices, first imposed in 2018 and expanded through subsequent reviews. Rates vary widely by product list; see the official USTR Section 301 — China Technology Transfer page for the current tariff actions and exclusion status.
• Section 232 and Section 201 actions — national-security and safeguard tariffs that have expanded in 2026 to cover additional product categories beyond the original steel and aluminum actions, sometimes as tariff-rate quotas that jump sharply once a quarterly volume is exhausted.
• IEEPA-related tariff actions and ongoing refund activity — the legal landscape here has shifted repeatedly in 2026, and importers with entries affected by since-invalidated IEEPA tariffs may be eligible for refunds through CBP's processing systems. We track these developments closely; see our rundown of what importers are actually paying right now and our update on the IEEPA refund pipeline for the latest.

Because these layers change frequently and depend on precise HTS classification and country of origin, we recommend running landed-cost estimates before finalizing purchase orders, not after cargo is already on the water.

Partner Government Agencies: FDA, USDA, and Fish & Wildlife

CBP doesn't clear every shipment on its own. A meaningful share of consumer goods importers deal with fall under a partner government agency (PGA) that has its own filing, inspection, or permit requirements layered on top of the CBP entry:

FDA

Any shipment of food, beverages, dietary supplements, drugs, medical devices, or cosmetics generally requires FDA Prior Notice — advance electronic notification submitted through the same ABI/ACE interface used for the CBP entry (or the FDA's own Prior Notice System Interface) before the goods arrive. This requirement, born out of the Bioterrorism Act, lets FDA target inspections before cargo reaches the border. Details are on FDA's Prior Notice of Imported Foods page.

USDA

Agricultural products, plants, seeds, wood packaging material, and many food products require USDA APHIS phytosanitary certificates or permits, and are subject to inspection at the port to prevent pest and disease introduction.

Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)

Products made from or containing wildlife — exotic leather goods, certain wood species, coral, ivory-adjacent materials, some seafood — may require an FWS declaration (Form 3-177) and can only be cleared at designated wildlife ports. Miami is one of the FWS-designated ports, which is one reason wildlife-adjacent goods often route through South Florida.

Missing a PGA requirement is one of the most common causes of cargo sitting in exam status for days or weeks after arrival — the entry itself can be technically correct and still get held because a different agency's paperwork wasn't filed.

The Entry Process Timeline

Putting it together, a typical formal ocean entry through Miami follows this sequence:

1. Booking and ISF (24+ hours before vessel loading) — ISF data must reach CBP before cargo is laden at the foreign port.
2. Transit — vessel or aircraft travels to the U.S. port of entry; carrier files manifest data with CBP.
3. Arrival and Cargo Release filing — the importer (or broker) declares entry and files for cargo release; this must happen within 15 calendar days of arrival.
4. CBP and PGA review — CBP's Automated Targeting System screens the entry; PGAs review their specific data if applicable; the shipment may be released immediately or flagged for exam.
5. Entry Summary (CBP Form 7501) and duty payment — must be filed and estimated duties deposited within 10 working days of the cargo's release from CBP custody.
6. Liquidation — CBP's final determination of duties owed, typically about a year after entry summary filing unless extended or suspended.

CBP publishes the authoritative version of this process on its Entry Summary and Post Release Processes page.

Common First-Timer Mistakes

• Filing ISF late or with wrong data — triggers CBP penalties and can delay vessel loading if caught early enough, or trigger exams after arrival if not.
• Guessing at HTS classification — using a competitor's or supplier's HTS code without verifying it against your specific product often leads to duty underpayment (penalties, back duties) or overpayment (money left on the table).
• Undervaluing the commercial invoice — a red flag for CBP audits and can constitute customs fraud even if unintentional.
• Not checking for partner agency requirements — assuming it's "just customs" and missing an FDA, USDA, or FWS filing that holds the shipment at the port.
• Underestimating bond sizing — a bond set too low for actual duty exposure can be rejected or require a supplemental bond mid-shipment.
• Not knowing about applicable trade remedy duties until the invoice arrives — Section 301, 232, and 201 duties change often and are easy to miss without dedicated tracking.

When and Why to Use a Licensed Customs Broker

None of the above is technically illegal to do yourself — CBP allows self-filing for many entries. In practice, most importers, especially first-timers and small-to-mid-size businesses, benefit from a licensed customs broker because a broker:

• Holds a federal license issued by CBP and is legally accountable for accurate filings.
• Tracks HTS classification, binding rulings, and trade remedy actions across an entire portfolio of clients, catching changes before they hit your bottom line.
• Manages ISF timing against your specific vessel schedule so filings are never late.
• Knows which partner agency requirements apply to your specific commodity before cargo ships, not after it's held at the port.
• Can advise on bond sizing so you're neither under-bonded (risking rejected entries) nor over-paying for continuous bond coverage you don't need.

Guy Lichtenstein CHB Corp has operated as a licensed customs broker in Miami (Filer Code 9UA) for decades, and we manage the full entry lifecycle — ISF, classification, bonding, PGA coordination, and entry filing — for importers moving cargo through South Florida. If you're planning your first shipment or want a second set of eyes on your current process, request a quote and we'll walk through your specific commodity and lane.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a customs bond for every shipment?

A bond is generally required for formal entries valued over $2,500, or for any shipment subject to other government agency requirements regardless of value. Informal entries under that threshold typically don't require a bond, though other rules may still apply depending on the commodity.

What happens if I miss the ISF filing deadline?

CBP can assess penalties for late, inaccurate, or missing ISF filings on ocean cargo, and vessels can in some cases refuse to load cargo without a confirmed ISF. Even when the vessel does load, a late or incomplete ISF increases the likelihood of an exam hold when cargo arrives, adding days or weeks to your timeline.

Can I classify my own goods, or do I need a broker to do it?

You can self-classify, but CBP — not the importer — makes the final, binding determination of the correct HTS classification and duty rate. If you're unsure, you can request a binding ruling from CBP directly, or work with a licensed broker who classifies similar goods regularly and can flag likely issues before filing.

How long does it take for cargo to clear customs in Miami?

Most compliant entries with no partner-agency hold and no exam clear within a day or two of arrival. If Customs or a partner agency selects the shipment for examination, clearance can take anywhere from a few extra days to a few weeks depending on the type of exam and current port volume.

Do I need an FDA, USDA, or Fish & Wildlife filing for my shipment?

It depends entirely on the commodity. Food, beverages, supplements, and cosmetics generally require FDA prior notice; agricultural products, plants, and wood packaging often need USDA/APHIS permits; and products made from or containing wildlife may require Fish & Wildlife clearance, which in Miami's case can only happen at a designated wildlife port. A broker familiar with your product category can confirm this before you book the shipment.

Is it cheaper to import by air or by ocean?

Ocean freight is almost always cheaper per unit of weight or volume, especially for bulky or heavy cargo, but the tradeoff is transit time (weeks vs. days) and the added ISF filing requirement. For low-volume, high-value, or time-sensitive goods, air freight's speed premium is often worth the extra cost.