A customs hold by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) usually takes a couple of days, but sometimes, it can take much longer. Meanwhile, demurrage and inspection fees can add up, trade operations hold back, and perishable cargo can go to waste. Understanding customs holds and customs exams helps you prepare for a smoother customs clearance process.
When importing your LCL or FCL shipment, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities might need to look closer at your cargo – either as part of a random selection process or because your shipment triggered further examination.
Customs holds and exams can also be prompted by PGAs (Partner Government Agencies) like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Quick Overview (TL;DR) – Customs Holds & Exams
| Term | What it means | What usually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Customs hold | Shipment is paused before release | CBP or another agency reviews the shipment |
| Document review | Customs checks paperwork | Broker may need to submit invoices, packing lists, HTS details, or origin documents |
| Non-intrusive exam | Shipment is scanned without opening | Container may go through X-ray or imaging equipment |
| Tailgate exam | Container is opened for a quick inspection | Officers inspect visible cargo near the doors |
| Intensive exam | Full physical inspection | Cargo may be moved to a CES and unloaded for inspection |
| PGA hold | Another government agency reviews the goods | FDA, USDA, EPA, CPSC, or another agency may request documents or samples |
| Detention | Formal hold after merchandise is not released | Importer may receive a notice explaining the reason and required information |
What Are Customs Holds and Exams?
- A customs hold happens when CBP or another government agency pauses a shipment before release. This usually means the shipment needs extra review before it can continue to the importer. A customs exam is one type of hold where the shipment is inspected more closely. The exam may be a document review, a non-intrusive scan, a tailgate exam, or a full intensive exam where the container is opened and inspected. See The Hold Codes You’ll Actually See below for what each code means and Why Holds Are Harder to Predict in 2026 for how CBP decides who gets flagged in the first place.In simple terms: a customs hold means your shipment is stopped for review. A customs exam means customs wants to inspect or verify the shipment before releasing it.
Why Do Customs Holds Occur?
- Shipments may be flagged for reasons such as missing or inaccurate documentation, security risks, undeclared items, or random inspections. High-risk cargo types like perishables, electronics, or restricted goods are more likely to be examined.
How Long Do Customs Exams Take?
- A simple document review may clear in a few days if the broker can provide the right information quickly. A non-intrusive scan may also be relatively fast, depending on port congestion and exam availability.Tailgate exams and intensive exams usually take longer because the cargo may need to be moved, opened, unloaded, inspected, and released again. Delays can also increase if a Partner Government Agency is involved or if CBP requests extra evidence from the importer.There is no guaranteed timeline. The final delay depends on the port, exam type, agency involved, cargo type, document quality, and how quickly the importer or broker responds.
What Can Importers Do to Minimize Delays?
- The best way to minimize delays is to provide accurate paperwork, proper product classification, and timely payment of duties. Working with an experienced freight forwarder helps ensure compliance and faster clearance.
Customs Hold vs Customs Exam: Quick Answer
- The main difference between a customs hold and a customs exam is that a customs hold is a temporary administrative pause on a shipment due to missing documentation or potential risks, whereas a customs exam is the actual physical or technological inspection of the cargo conducted by customs officers to verify its contents.
How Does Ship4wd Help Small and Mid-Sized Businesses?
Ship4wd manages the entire process digitally—from preparing compliant documents to handling customs clearance and coordinating logistics. With 24/7 expert support and real-time tracking, SMBs with lean teams avoid unnecessary delays and gain peace of mind during customs exams.
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What Is A Customs (CBP) Hold?
A Customs Hold is when CBP (U.S. Customs & Border Protection Agency) temporarily withholds the release of imported goods to ensure compliance with regulations, safety standards, and proper documentation. Once completed, shipments can be released or, if something goes terribly wrong, they can be detained or even confiscated.
The Hold Codes You’ll Actually See
CBP does not just say “your shipment is on hold.” It attaches a code, and the code tells you what kind of review you’re dealing with.
A Manifest Hold means the container details do not match what was filed. A Statistical Validation Hold means the declared value or weight looks off compared to historical data for that product, and you can usually clear it by showing proof of a genuine price change, like a new material cost or a bulk discount. A CET (Contraband Enforcement Team) hold, sometimes written A-TCET, means CBP is checking for drugs, weapons, or other contraband, and it always leads to a physical inspection. A PGA hold means a Partner Government Agency, the FDA, USDA, or CPSC among others, wants to verify the shipment meets their specific rules before CBP will release it.
Knowing which code you’ve been given tells you what to expect next, and whether a phone call to your broker or a full exam is coming.
What Triggers A Customs Exam?
While the U.S. customs authorities do not publicly disclose the specifics of their targeting system, there are some known factors involved. First comes improper documentation. Then, your importer status – new importers are inspected more frequently than those with an established record.
Moreover, certain types of commodities, like agricultural food or wooden items (including wooden packaging that must undergo fumigation), are more susceptible to an FDA-ordered hold.
Likewise, products such as ammunition, or those coming from specific countries of origin or transported with particular airlines, are more likely to be held for further examination.
Why Holds Are Harder to Predict in 2026
CBP has shifted from random spot checks to AI-driven targeting that scores every shipment before it even leaves the origin port.
The system pulls from your ISF data, your HTS classification history, and your track record as an importer. A business with years of clean, consistent filings gets scored as lower risk and sees fewer holds. A business with a spotty record, vague product descriptions, or high-risk country flags gets scored higher, even if this particular shipment has nothing wrong with it.
Two things move the needle most. File your ISF at least 24 hours before loading, since a mismatch between ISF and the final entry summary is one of the most common triggers CBP’s algorithm flags. And if your import volume justifies it, look into CTPAT certification. Membership signals to CBP that your supply chain meets a security standard, and members typically see fewer exams simply because the system already trusts them.
Factors To Consider With Customs Exams
The type of customs hold and customs exams define how long the entire procedure will take and how much it will cost.
How Long Can Customs Hold A Container?
Most types of customs holds take 1 or 2 days, but they can also scale up to a couple of months. It all depends on the level of examination and the potential need to move your container away from the discharge terminal, to a Customs Exam Site (CES) or to a US customs bonded warehouse where cargo might get ‘stuck’.
No matter what, the holds & exam procedure is time and cost-consuming.
Customs Holding Fees
As a consignee, you get charged for everything that CBP or other authorities need to do in order to examine and eventually release your shipment.
Fees can be incurred for transfer, chassis, demurrage, additional documentation, unload-reloading, staging for exam, and more. The actual costs depend, among other things, on the size of the container and the port where it’s held.
For LCL (Less-Than-Container Load) shipments, customs exam fees are proportionally divided between all shippers using the same container.
How To Get Around Customs Holds?
Though there’s no way to guarantee that CBP will not hold your shipment, you can try to do everything ‘by the book’ to speed up the process and save on customs fees, or avoid it altogether.
So, the first thing you need to take care of is submitting proper documentation promptly. Then, you’ll need to work with an experienced customs broker who is able to offer expert customs clearance services for smooth and fast processes.
Types Of Customs Holds
CBP can place various types of customs holds on your shipment. Here’s an overview of the most common ones:
Manifest Hold
A hold is placed on the entire container or shipment when shipping details and documentation are incorrect or when something is missing. In other words, when the manifest information and the actual shipment information do not match.
In such cases, shippers or customs brokers should correct errors, provide missing information, or comply with any other CBP requests.
Commercial Enforcement Hold
Any hold that occurs when another government agency needs to review the shipment, be it the FDA or the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). It is more common for regulated goods imports.
Such holds involve checks for undervalued declarations, trade agreements violations, special permits for restricted or prohibited goods, etc. Here, shippers need to provide all the documentation necessary to resolve the issue.
Statistical Validation Hold
These customs holds are triggered mainly by discrepancies between a shipment’s declared data and those of similar past shipments. For instance, when HS (Harmonized System) codes, weight, value, or quantity, of a particular commodity deviate from typical trade patterns, or there are serious mismatches.
As a shipper, you should make sure that product classifications, values, and codes accurately represent your goods.
PGA Hold
It occurs when cargo is placed on hold by a Partner Government Agency (PGA) and not directly by the Customs Authorities (like Commercial Enforcement Hold). Different government bodies, like EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the FDA, or the USDA, may need to run additional checks to ensure that your imported goods meet safety, health, or environmental regulations.
Reasons for a PGA Hold may occur due to missing or incorrect permits and certificates, or simply due to various approvals needed for commodities like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or electronics.
CET Hold
CET hold is an acronym for Contraband Enforcement Team hold, requiring more documented information on commodities that can threaten consumer safety or national security. It can apply to prohibited or restricted goods, shipments suspected of violating trade regulations, counterfeit or trademark-infringing products, as well as drugs, alcohol, narcotics, and weapons.
CET holds require a physical inspection of cargo.
Types Of Customs Exams
Extensive customs exams help verify the contents of shipments, ensure import compliance, uncover illegal activities, and protect public health and safety.
The X-Ray (NII or VACIS EXAM)
As the name suggests, X-Ray is a type of customs examination where the container is scanned via a gamma-imaging system, i.e., an X-ray machine, right at the cargo terminal. If everything looks correct, the shipment is released. If not, it undergoes a more detailed inspection.
This type of customs exam is also known as a Non-Intrusive (NII) exam or Vehicle And Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) exam, meaning that the container seal is not broken during the process. It takes a few hours up to a day to complete.
Tailgate Exam
If CBP is not satisfied with the X-ray results, the cargo moves to a Tailgate customs exam. During this inspection, CBP officers break the container seal, open the doors, and visually inspect the contents. If no issues are found, the cargo is released. But, if concerns remain, the shipment proceeds to the most thorough exam of all – the Intensive exam.
A Tailgate exam happens at the cargo terminal. It can take 2-3 days for ocean freight and between one and a few hours for air freight.
The Intensive Exam
This is a thorough, time-consuming, and expensive CBP exam. Here, the entire container is moved to a Customs Exam Site (CES) or a Customs Bonded Warehouse, where devanning takes place.
The appointed CES personnel is authorized by CBD to offload the entire cargo container, stack it properly, and open designated boxes so that Customs officers can easily inspect the actual goods and take samples if they need to.
The Intensive exam is the most detailed and labor-intensive inspection. If everything is found ok, the cargo is released. Alternatively, it can be detained or confiscated. Intensive customs exams can take 5 to 7 days, or longer.
How To Avoid Customs Holds & Exams?
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At Ship4wd, we communicate with CBP or other authorities, handle documentation, and provide advanced real-time tracking for optimal customs clearance. Get started today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions importers have concerning US customs hold codes (or CBP disposition codes.)
- 1H hold customs code indicates that a HOLD status has been placed by customs authorities, and cargo cannot be released until it’s examined and the 1H code is removed. A 1H hold usually indicates a standard inspection scenario, where CBP needs to verify the goods, their origin, or other paperwork before concluding clearance.
- A 2H hold denotes a HOLD status placed by CBP or another regulating authority. Cargo can only be released once the hold status is removed. H2 customs hold usually concerns a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) paperwork hold, related to agricultural commodities.
- A 7h hold informs the buyer that a Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) has been ordered and, as a result, that the cargo has been held. It encompasses a gamma (X-ray) scanning of the shipment for possible violations. If something suspicious is detected, the cargo has to undergo further documentation.
Reasons include documentation errors, undeclared or restricted items, suspicion of under-valuation, or random security screening. Some cargo types, such as chemicals or perishables, are more likely to be flagged.
Simple document reviews may clear in less than 24 hours, while intensive inspections can take days or weeks. Delays depend on port congestion, inspection type, and how quickly issues are resolved. You can read more how long customs clearance takes, here.
No, customs exams are mandatory when selected. However, accurate paperwork, correct HS/HTS codes, and full compliance with import regulations reduce the likelihood of unnecessary holds.
Stay in communication with your freight forwarder or customs broker, provide requested documents promptly, and ensure duties or fees are paid. Fast responses help shorten exam times.
Ship4wd offers end-to-end customs clearance services, including digital document filing, real-time shipment tracking, and 24/7 expert support. For SMBs without in-house logistics expertise, this ensures delays are minimized and cargo is released faster.