§18.4. Sealing conveyances, compartments, and containers. — Inbound Citations

(v) The container number of the container in which the merchandise is being transported and the seal number of the seal that seals the container (see § 18.4) must be provided. If the seal number is not known when the in-bond application is filed, the in-bond application must be updated with the seal number within two business days from the date the initial carrier takes possession of the sealed merchandise.

(e) The port director may authorize a warehouse proprietor to: (1) Break CBP in bond seals affixed under § 18.4 of this chapter, or under any CBP order or directive, on any vehicle or container of goods entered for warehouse upon arrival of the vehicle or container at the warehouse: or (2) affix CBP in bond seals to any vehicle or container of goods for which a withdrawal document has been approved for movement in bond. The affixing or breaking of seals so authorized, will be deemed to have been done under CBP supervision. The proprietor must report to the port director any seal found, upon arrival of the vehicle or container at the warehouse, to be broken, missing, or improperly affixed, and hold the vehicle or container and its contents intact pending instructions from the port director.

(2) Trucks transiting the United States will be sealed with red in-bond seals at the United States port of arrival unless sealing is waived in accordance with § 18.4 of this chapter. If a truck cannot be sealed effectively and sealing is deemed necessary to protect the revenue or to prevent violation of the Customs laws or regulations, the truck will not be permitted to transit the United States under bond.

(f) The merchandise must be forwarded in accordance with the general provisions for transportation in bond (§§ 18.1 through 18.9 of this chapter). However, when the alternate procedures for transfers between integrated bonded warehouses under § 144.34(c) are employed, the merchandise need not be delivered to a bonded carrier for transportation, and an entry for transportation and a rewarehouse entry will not be required.

The port director may authorize an operator to break a Customs in-bond seal affixed under § 18.4 of this chapter, or under any Customs order or directive, on any vehicle or intermodal container containing merchandise approved for admission to the zone upon its arrival at the zone; or to affix a Customs in-bond seal to any vehicle or intermodal container of merchandise for which an entry, withdrawal, or other approval document has been obtained for movement in-bond from the zone. The authorized affixing or breaking of that seal will be considered to have been done under Customs supervision. The operator shall report to the port director, upon arrival of the vehicle or container at the zone, any seal found to be broken, missing, or improperly affixed, and hold the vehicle or container and its contents intact pending instructions from the port director. If the operator does not obtain the written concurrence of the carrier as to the condition of the seal or delivering conveyance, the port director shall deem the seal or delivering conveyance to be intact.

(g) The carrier shall supply and attach the warning label, as described in § 18.4(b)(3) of this chapter, to each bonded package.

(a) If in-bond merchandise must be transferred to another conveyance at the port of exportation, the procedure will be as prescribed in §§ 18.3 and 18.4(c).

(c) If the merchandise is to be transferred to another conveyance after arrival at the port selected for exportation pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the procedure prescribed in § 18.4(c) will be followed. The provisions of §§ 18.23 and 18.24 will also be followed in applicable cases.

At the port of exportation, the container or road vehicle, the merchandise, and the TIR carnet shall be made available to the port director. Any required Electronic Export Information (EEI) shall be filed in accordance with the applicable regulations of the Bureau of the Census (15 CFR part 30). The port director shall examine the merchandise to the extent he believes necessary to determine that the carnet has been properly completed and shall verify that the container or road vehicle has the necessary certificate of approval or approval plate intact and is in satisfactory condition. After completion of any required examination and supervision of loading, the port director will seal the container or road vehicle with customs seals and ascertain that the TIR plates are properly affixed and sealed. See § 18.4(d). In the case of heavy or bulky goods moving under cover of a TIR carnet, the port director shall cause a customs seal or label, as appropriate, to be affixed. He shall also remove two vouchers from the carnet, execute the appropriate counterfoils, and return the carnet to the carrier or agent to accompany the merchandise.

A warning label, as required by § 18.4(e) of this chapter, shall be attached to all transit air cargo not directly exported from the port of arrival before the cargo leaves the port of arrival.