If you’re wondering why customs is holding your package, the short answer is that something about the shipment needs closer review before it can enter the country: missing paperwork, unpaid duties, a restricted item without the right permit, a suspected counterfeit, or a routine inspection. Since the $800 duty-free threshold was suspended in August 2025, ordinary online orders from overseas sellers now get flagged far more often than they used to, because virtually every international package requires some form of duty payment or entry filing.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment A February 2026 executive order confirmed the suspension remains in effect.2The White House. Continuing the Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries
The Reasons Behind Most Customs Holds
Knowing which category your shipment falls into determines what you have to do next.
Missing or Incorrect Paperwork
Every international shipment needs a commercial invoice describing what’s inside, its value, and where it came from. If the invoice is missing, the declared value looks wrong, or a required permit number isn’t included, the package sits until the gap is fixed. Vague product descriptions like “gift” or “samples” instead of the actual contents can trigger a hold on their own.
Unpaid Duties, Taxes, or Fees
If a shipment owes duties, taxes, or processing fees and nobody has paid them, it doesn’t move. With the de minimis exemption gone, this is now the most common reason ordinary consumer packages get stuck. The carrier usually handles the duty filing and passes the charges on to you, and payment is generally required before release.
Restricted or Prohibited Items
CBP separates prohibited goods (illegal to import at all, seized outright) from restricted goods (allowed only with the right permits or licenses). Firearms, certain fruits and vegetables, and animal products fall into the restricted category. Without the proper authorization attached to the shipment, customs holds it until the importer produces it.3U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Prohibited and Restricted Items
Suspected Counterfeits
CBP actively targets counterfeit and trademark-infringing goods, and small packages are a heavy focus. In fiscal year 2023, 85% of shipments seized for health and safety violations were small packages.4U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Buyer Beware: Bad Actors Exploit De Minimis Shipments If you ordered a suspiciously cheap designer item from an overseas marketplace, this is a likely reason for the hold. Counterfeit goods are usually seized and destroyed rather than released.
Food and Agricultural Products
Food imports carry extra requirements. The FDA requires prior notice before any food (including animal feed) arrives in the United States.5U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prior Notice of Imported Foods Shipments containing wood packaging (pallets, crates, dunnage) must carry an ISPM 15 mark showing the wood was heat-treated or fumigated, and non-compliant shipments will not be allowed into the country.6United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Import ISPM 15-Compliant Wood Packaging Material into the United States
Random Inspection
Sometimes there’s nothing wrong. CBP conducts routine inspections for security and compliance, and these holds are typically short and resolve on their own.
How to Find Out the Specific Reason
Start with your tracking number. Carrier websites often display messages like “held by customs” or “clearance delay,” and some give more detail about what’s needed. If the status is vague, call the carrier directly. Carriers act as intermediaries with customs on most personal shipments and can usually tell you exactly what action you need to take.
If CBP is formally detaining your package, they’re required to send you a Notice of Detention within five business days of the decision to detain. The notice must state the specific reason, the anticipated length, the nature of any tests being conducted, and what information you could provide to speed things up.7eCFR. 19 CFR 151.16 – Detention of Merchandise This notice is the most useful document you can get, because it tells you exactly what CBP wants.
One thing that surprises people: CBP cannot track or locate your package the way a carrier can. They don’t have a system for tracking general mail into or out of their facilities. Unless you’ve received a Notice of Detention, they usually can’t find your package even if they’re the ones holding it. If the package has been with CBP for at least 45 business days with no notice, you can contact CBP with the consignee name and address, the sender’s name and address, a specific description of the contents (quantity, manufacturer, value), and the carrier tracking number.8U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Why Is Customs Holding My Package? And What to Do CBP will not open an inquiry before that 45-business-day mark.
How Long a Customs Hold Lasts
Routine clearance takes 24 to 72 hours when documentation and duties are in order. If your package is flagged for closer review, the hold can stretch to weeks or longer depending on what’s missing, whether CBP needs test results, and how quickly you respond. A Notice of Detention will include an estimated timeline for your specific package.
The clock that matters most is the 15-day entry deadline. Entry documents must be filed within 15 calendar days of the shipment’s arrival at a U.S. port of entry.9eCFR. 19 CFR Part 142 – Entry Process Miss that deadline and the merchandise moves into what CBP calls “general order” status, gets transferred to a bonded warehouse at your expense, and storage charges start accruing that must be paid before delivery.10eCFR. 19 CFR 19.7 – Expenses of Labor and Storage If nobody claims the goods within six months of importation, they’re considered abandoned and can be sold at auction or destroyed.11eCFR. 19 CFR Part 127 – General Order, Unclaimed, and Abandoned Merchandise
Steps to Get Your Package Released
Respond to whatever CBP or the carrier is asking for. That might mean uploading a commercial invoice through the carrier’s portal, supplying a corrected customs declaration, or producing a permit number. Required entry documents include an entry manifest or release form, evidence of the right to make entry, a commercial invoice, packing lists where appropriate, and any documents needed to determine admissibility.12Department of Homeland Security. Find Import/Export Forms Respond fast. Every day of delay pushes you closer to the 15-day general order deadline.
Pay any duties and processing fees. The carrier usually handles the filing in the Automated Commercial Environment and bills you for what’s owed.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment Payment is typically required before the package moves.
Give clear, specific answers. If CBP asks what an item is, what it’s for, or where it was made, a precise reply resolves the hold faster than a vague one. Vague answers generate follow-up questions and more delay.
Consider a customs broker for higher-value shipments. Shipments valued over $2,500 generally require formal entry, and some products (items subject to quotas or anti-dumping duties, for example) require formal entry regardless of value.13U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Filing an Informal Entry for Goods That Are Less Than $2500 in Value If your carrier tells you a formal entry is needed, a licensed customs broker can file on your behalf once you grant them a power of attorney.
When a Hold Becomes a Seizure
A hold and a seizure are different. A hold means CBP is reviewing your package and may release it once conditions are met. A seizure means CBP has taken possession because they believe a legal violation occurred. Counterfeit goods, narcotics, undeclared firearms, and false value declarations can all trigger seizures.14U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
When CBP seizes property, they must send written notice describing the legal provisions allegedly violated, the specific acts forming the basis of the violation, and the merchandise involved.15eCFR. 19 CFR 162.31 – Notice of Seizure The notice also tells you about your right to petition for relief.
You have 30 days from the date the seizure notice is mailed to file a petition asking CBP to return the goods or reduce any penalties.16eCFR. 19 CFR 171.2 – Filing a Petition The petition can be submitted on CBP Form 4609 or as a letter containing the seizure case number, a description of the property, the circumstances, and the facts you believe justify returning it.17U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Form 4609 – Petition for Remission or Mitigation of Forfeitures and Penalties CBP can grant relief if it finds the violation happened without willful negligence or intent to defraud, or if mitigating circumstances justify it.18Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 19 USC 1618 – Remission or Mitigation of Penalties If you bought what you believed was a legitimate product and had no reason to know it was counterfeit, say so clearly. You can also file a claim within 35 days to contest the seizure in federal court, though that route involves far more time and expense.
Watch Out for Customs Scams
If you got a phone call, text, or email claiming that CBP intercepted your package and demanding immediate payment, there’s a strong chance it’s a scam. CBP has issued repeated warnings about fraudsters posing as customs officers and pressuring people to send money or share personal information, sometimes using pre-recorded messages claiming a shipment of drugs was found with your name on it.19U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Warns Phone Scam Continues to Target Citizens
A few things to keep in mind:
- CBP does not call you demanding money, and DHS does not ask for financial information in unsolicited calls.
- CBP does not accept gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. Any request to pay by those methods is a scam.
- Caller ID can be spoofed to make calls look like they come from a government agency.
- Legitimate customs communication comes in writing, as a formal Notice of Detention or Seizure delivered by mail.
If you’re unsure whether a message is real, look up CBP’s contact information at cbp.gov rather than calling any number in the suspicious message.