How to fill out an importer security filing
The ISF is ten data elements a US importer files with Customs and Border Protection at least 24 hours before ocean cargo is loaded at the foreign port. Not before arrival — before loading. That is what makes it hard: the data has to be gathered while the goods are still being packed on the other side of the world.
The 18 fields on a importer security filing
Taken from the document itself, in the order it prints them.
- Document No.
- Date
- B/L / AWB No.
The lowest-level bill of lading number — the house bill on a consolidated shipment, not the master. Filing against the master when a house exists is a common and rejected error.
- Vessel / Voyage
- Voyage No.
- Port of Loading
- Seller
The last entity that sold the goods, which on a triangular sale is not the manufacturer. Read it off the commercial invoice.
- Buyer
The last entity that bought them. Again the invoice, and again not necessarily the party receiving the container.
- Importer
The ISF Importer: the owner, purchaser, consignee, or an agent such as a licensed customs broker. This party carries the liability, and penalties run to $5,000 per violation.
- Consignee
The party in the United States to whom the goods are consigned, with an IRS, EIN or CBP-assigned number. Missing identifiers are a routine cause of rejected filings.
- Manufacturer
Who actually made the goods, with their address. Frequently the element nobody has, because the supplier is a trading house that does not want to name its factory. Ask for it in the purchase order, not when the filing is due.
- Ship To
The first delivery address in the United States. Not the ultimate customer if the goods go to a distribution centre first.
- Place of Receipt
The container stuffing location — where the box was actually packed. On FCL that is the factory or warehouse; on LCL it is the consolidator's container freight station, which is an address you do not have unless you ask.
- Freight Forwarder
The consolidator, meaning whoever stuffed the container or arranged for it. On a direct FCL shipment this is often the shipper themselves.
- Name
- Title
- Company
- Date
The line-item columns
One row per product. Columns can be hidden, renamed or added in the generator.
- Item #
- Description
- Origin
Where the goods were manufactured, per line, since a mixed consignment can have several origins. Not the country the vessel sailed from.
- HS Code
At least six digits, per line. It is what CBP screens against, and a wrong code on the ISF that disagrees with the entry invites a question about both.
- Container No.
Where known at filing time. On some shipments it is not yet assigned, which is permitted — it is updated later rather than guessed now.
- Qty
- Unit
A working importer security filing, prefilled with a sample shipment. Every field above is editable here, and it downloads as a PDF.
19 CFR 149 — to be filed no later than 24 hours before lading
| Line | Description | 7 Country of Origin | 8 HTSUS Number | Container No. | Quantity | Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The undersigned certifies that the information provided above is accurate and complete to the best of their knowledge, and acknowledges that failure to file complete and accurate ISF data may result in liquidated damages and cargo holds.
Your entries are kept as you move between documents: the parties, ports, container and line items all carry across.
Where each element actually comes from
This is the part guides skip. Seller, buyer and the goods description come off the commercial invoice. Manufacturer usually has to be requested from the supplier. Container stuffing location and consolidator come from whoever packed the box, which on LCL means the forwarder's CFS. Ship-to and consignee come from your own order. Nothing here is available from one document, which is why the filing is assembled rather than copied.
Twenty-four hours before loading, not arrival
Measured against the vessel loading at the foreign port. A shipment leaving Shenzhen for Long Beach needs the filing complete while the container is still in China. Working backwards from arrival is the single most common way to be late, and a late or missing ISF can get the container flagged for examination — days that come out of your free time and are billed as demurrage.
It is ocean only
The ISF applies to cargo arriving by vessel. Air, truck and rail shipments have their own advance filings with their own rules, and none of them is this one.
+Who can file the ISF?
The ISF Importer or an authorised agent, typically a licensed customs broker. A single transmission covering both ISF and entry has to come from the importer itself or a licensed broker.
+What is the penalty for a late filing?
Up to $5,000 per violation, and CBP can assess more than one violation on a single shipment — late, inaccurate and incomplete are separate failures.
+Can I update an ISF after filing?
Yes, and you are expected to. Elements not known at filing, such as a container number, are updated as soon as they are, and an amendment is far better than an incorrect filing left standing.
+Do I need one for an LCL shipment?
Yes, and it is harder: the container stuffing location is the consolidator's facility and the bill of lading number is the house bill. Both have to be requested.
Judge it by the document, not the feature list.
Everything above is already on the form. Fill it in and download the PDF — no account needed.
Open the importer security filing generator