Service commitments
The commitments Borderless publishes
Every window below applies to every account, on every plan. These are the standard we file to, and no plan buys a faster one.
What we commit to
Each commitment, with the window attached
Windows are counted in business days. A business day is a weekday that is not a U.S. federal holiday. Cutoff times are Pacific.
| Commitment | Window | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Broker review before transmission | Every entry | No entry or ISF leaves for CBP without a licensed customs broker reviewing the classification, valuation and origin on it. The review is the filing standard, not an upgrade on a plan. |
| Draft entry returned | Same business day | Complete documents received before 14:00 Pacific on a business day come back as a draft entry the same day, ready for you to check before it files. |
| ISF filed ahead of loading | No later than 24 hours before lading | Ocean shipments are filed to the statutory deadline, so the ISF is never the reason a container waits. |
| Operational reply | Within one business day | Anything sent to entries@ gets a substantive answer, not an acknowledgement, within one business day. |
| Written classification | Two business days | A paid determination returns the 10-digit code, the reasoning, the rulings it rests on and the duty by origin, in writing, within two business days of a complete product description. |
| Rates held | 12 to 36 months | Per-entry rates and every adder are locked for the term of your agreement. Government charges are set by CBP and pass through at cost, and no broker can honestly lock those. |
Each row has its own link. Point at a single commitment in an email or a contract annexe and it opens on that row.
Hours and routing
When we are working, and where to send things
Cargo does not wait for office hours, so the coverage window and the after-hours route are both published here.
Coverage
Monday to Friday, 08:00-18:00 Pacific
Cargo held or an exam issued outside those hours: entries@borderlesschb.us, monitored daily.
Where to send it
Mail reaches the desk that owns the work. Sending to the right address is the fastest thing you can do to a shipment.
- New business
- hello@borderlesschb.usRates, onboarding and plan questions.
- Entries and operations
- entries@borderlesschb.usLive shipments, documents, status and releases.
What is not covered
The parts no broker can commit to
Borderless commits to the work it controls. Government-side timing belongs to CBP and the partner agencies, and a promise about it would be worth nothing. Here is where the line sits.
- CBP examinations and holds
- A container picked for a VACIS, tailgate or intensive exam moves on CBP's schedule and on the exam site's queue. Borderless files, monitors the status and pushes for movement. The release still belongs to CBP.
- Partner government agency review
- FDA, USDA, EPA, CPSC and the other agencies run their own review clocks. A hold, a request for samples or a May Proceed decision arrives when the agency issues it.
- Port, terminal and carrier timing
- Vessel schedules, terminal appointments, chassis supply, congestion and last free day are set by the carrier and the terminal. We work to the dates they publish.
- Liquidation and post-entry cycles
- CBP liquidates entries on its own cycle, generally around a year after entry and longer where it extends. Refunds, post-summary corrections and protests run at CBP's pace once filed.
- Duty, taxes and government fees
- Rates are set by law and by the trade programmes in force on the date of entry. Those charges pass through at cost. No broker can hold them, and any broker who offers to should be asked how.
- Windows that depend on documents we do not have
- A window that starts with your paperwork starts when the paperwork is complete. If a packing list or a commercial invoice is missing, we tell you what is missing and the clock starts on arrival of the last piece.
What we do commit to on all of the above is the reporting. You get the status, the reason for it where CBP or the agency gives one, and the next step, without having to ask twice.
How to raise something
Escalating an entry
If something has passed the window published above, or it is time-critical and has not moved, send it to the escalation address.
It is monitored daily, including outside the coverage hours above.
Put this in the first message
An escalation carrying all of this can be worked on the first read. One missing half of it costs a round trip.
- 01The entry or ISF number, or your own reference, and the importer of record.
- 02The container number, or the master and house bill.
- 03The port of entry, plus the last free day or the vessel or flight date.
- 04Which commitment window you are raising, and when the clock started.
- 05What has already been sent, and which address it went to.
Last reviewed . Borderless updates this page whenever a window changes, and the date above moves with it.
Windows you can hold us to
Published rates and published commitments, on every account. Start with a fit check and a power of attorney.