Notice of Detention

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may detain merchandise when it has reasonable suspicion that the subject merchandise may be inadmissible but requires more information to make a positive determination. If CBP decides to detain merchandise, a Notice of Detention is sent to the importer or to the importer’s broker/agent no later than 5 business days after the decision to detain the merchandise is made. The Notice must state that merchandise has been detained, the specific reason for the detention, the anticipated length of the detention, the nature of the tests or inquires to be conducted, and the nature of any information that could be supplied to CBP that may accelerate the disposition of the detention. The recipient of this notice may respond by providing information to CBP in order to facilitate the determination for admissibility or may ask for an extension of time to bring the merchandise into compliance. Notice of Detention is authorized by 19 U.S.C. 1499 and provided for in 19 CFR 151.16, 133.21, 133.25, and 133.43.

The latest form for Notice of Detention expires 2028-04-30 and can be found here.