A customs detention notice means CBP (U.S. customs) is holding your shipment while it decides whether to let it in. It's a temporary hold, not a seizure. CBP has 30 days from the day the goods were presented for exam to decide, and the notice names the information that could speed things up.
Got the notice? Watch one read in a minute: the deadline, and the documents customs wants back.
Fictional example shipment — the tool’s behavior is real; the company and documents are invented. Watch on YouTube →
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Goods presented for exam | CBP has 5 business days to release them or detain them |
| Detention notice | Within 5 more business days. It says why, for how long, and what could speed things up |
| CBP's decision | Within 30 days of the exam presentation. It can be protested |
| No decision in 30 days | The goods are treated as excluded. That can be protested too |
| A protest | Within 180 days of the decision. A protest of an exclusion not decided in 30 days counts as denied |
These clocks are for CBP's own holds. For a UFLPA hold, more time can be asked for before the first 30 days end.
Source: 19 CFR 151.16; 19 U.S.C. 1499(c) and 1514; CBP, FAQs: UFLPA Enforcement
Not always. If a courier like DHL, FedEx or UPS shipped something you bought for your own use, the courier usually has a customs broker clear it. You won't get a formal notice, so ask the courier.
A formal detention notice goes to the importer of record on a formal entry, including for UFLPA (forced-labor) holds. That's the case this page covers.
For its own holds, CBP sends the notice within 5 business days of deciding to detain the goods. It has to say five things: when the hold started, including the day the goods were presented for exam; the reason; how long the hold should last; the tests or questions CBP plans; and any information that could speed things up.
Read it as your checklist: the reason tells you which documents matter, and the last item is where a response starts. A UFLPA notice adds a list of the information CBP wants.
If CBP tests the goods, you can ask in writing for the results. These rules don't cover a hold CBP makes for another agency that decides whether goods can enter. Then that agency sets the terms.
Check which one you got first, because each needs a different reply. A CF-28 (Request for Information) asks for documents. A CF-29 (Notice of Action) tells you about a change CBP is making or plans, like a new duty rate. A detention notice means the goods themselves are held.
The reason on the notice decides. A forced-labor (UFLPA) hold calls for tracing the supply chain, sometimes back to raw materials. A classification or value question calls for product specs. A missing-certificate hold calls for the CPSC or FCC document the product needs.
Whatever the set, the invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificates should describe the same goods the same way. The free document check flags where they don't.
The detention rule sets no reply-by date. The notice says how long the hold should last, and CBP has 30 days from the exam date to decide, so what you send inside that window is what can move the shipment toward release. Check the timing, and how to respond, with a licensed customs broker, or a customs attorney when the hold turns on a legal question like forced labor.
Need more time on a UFLPA hold? You can ask the Port Director or Center Director for an extension, through the contact on the notice, by email or phone, before the first 30-day detention period ends. It isn't automatic, and an email leaves a record.
CBP's decision on whether the goods can enter can be protested within 180 days. So can its silence. Say the goods were presented for exam on March 2. If CBP says nothing by April 1, the goods count as excluded. A protest of that exclusion not decided within 30 days counts as denied, which opens the way to the Court of International Trade.
Seizure is a separate action. A notice that mentions it is the point to bring in a customs attorney, not just a broker.
The free customs-hold check reads the CBP notice, identifies the type of hold and the response deadline deterministically, and assembles the cited document checklist for that type — a CPSC certificate issue, a partner-agency hold, a UFLPA detention, an exam, and more. Nothing is stored.
Read the CBP notice — free →The rules on this page do change — an eFiling date, a list, a threshold. Leave an email and a short note goes out if one does: a few a year at most, one click to stop, and the address is used for nothing else. A summary of the guide and a link arrive now, as confirmation.
Information current as of 2026-10-20.
This report is an automated, informational screening tool only. Tiana & Co. is not a licensed customs broker and does not conduct customs business. This report does not constitute legal advice, a compliance determination, or a certification of admissibility for any supplier, product, or shipment.
Verdicts in this report are produced by deterministic code, not by a language model. The explanatory paragraph accompanying each check is model-generated and checked against the cited sources before delivery. No part of this report is reviewed by a person before it is issued, so every material finding and citation should be confirmed against the underlying government source before it is relied on.
This report reflects data available as of the report date. The OFAC SDN and Consolidated lists, the other U.S. Consolidated Screening List constituents, the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders, CPSC's eFiling list, and regulatory guidance are updated frequently and without prior notice. Users should re-screen periodically and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.
Name-similarity results do not establish or rule out the identity of any company. Where multiple similarly named records exist, none should be treated as confirmed without independent verification against the primary government source.
This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or any other government agency. No warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any finding.
Use of this report for import, procurement, sanctions-compliance, or investment decisions is at the user's own risk. Anyone with compliance obligations under UFLPA, OFAC, or CPSC regulations should consult qualified legal counsel before making a transactional decision.
This report is an automated, informational screening tool only. Tiana & Co. is not a licensed customs broker and does not conduct customs business. This report does not constitute legal advice, a compliance determination, or a certification of admissibility for any supplier, product, or shipment.
Verdicts in this report are produced by deterministic code, not by a language model. The explanatory paragraph accompanying each check is model-generated and checked against the cited sources before delivery. No part of this report is reviewed by a person before it is issued, so every material finding and citation should be confirmed against the underlying government source before it is relied on.
This report reflects data available as of the report date. The OFAC SDN and Consolidated lists, the other U.S. Consolidated Screening List constituents, the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders, CPSC's eFiling list, and regulatory guidance are updated frequently and without prior notice. Users should re-screen periodically and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.
Name-similarity results do not establish or rule out the identity of any company. Where multiple similarly named records exist, none should be treated as confirmed without independent verification against the primary government source.
This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or any other government agency. No warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any finding.
Use of this report for import, procurement, sanctions-compliance, or investment decisions is at the user's own risk. Anyone with compliance obligations under UFLPA, OFAC, or CPSC regulations should consult qualified legal counsel before making a transactional decision.