The paperwork before your first entry.
Once your credit application is approved, these are the documents that let us file for you, bond your entries, and pay CBP on your behalf. Most take a few minutes to sign online. A licensed broker reviews every one before anything is transmitted to CBP.
Customs Power of Attorney
Authorizes Gravitas, a licensed customs broker, to transact customs business in your name: file entries, sign documents, and act on your behalf with CBP. Nothing is filed without it.
- Who signs: an officer with authority to bind the company (president, VP, treasurer, or an authorized member/manager).
- Have ready: exact legal name, EIN / importer number, and the signer’s title.
- Partnerships: a partnership POA is limited to two years by regulation; all others run until revoked.
- Foreign importers: supporting corporate-authority documents are required — see Business Documents below.
Importer Identity Record
Creates or updates your importer-of-record identity with CBP. Required if you have never imported, if your name or address changed, or if a new officer is signing.
- Who needs it: first-time importers, and any existing importer whose CBP record is out of date.
- Have ready: EIN, physical and mailing addresses, officer names, and business type.
- We file it in ACE once signed — your importer number activates before the first entry.
Customs Bond Application
A continuous customs bond guarantees CBP payment of duties, taxes, and fees, and it covers ISF. We size it, place it with a surety, and keep it in force — you sign the application and the surety’s indemnity agreement.
- Sizing: generally 10% of the duties, taxes, and fees paid in the prior 12 months, with a $50,000 minimum; we recalculate as tariffs move so you’re never under-bonded.
- Have ready: prior-12-month duty totals (we can pull these from ACE), commodity mix, and countries of origin.
- Alternatives: a single-transaction bond for one-off shipments; supplemental bonding for AD/CVD-heavy cargo.
- Foreign importers: sureties may require additional underwriting; we walk it through with you.
Refund & Notice Designation
Tells CBP where refunds, bills, and notices go. With IEEPA refunds now flowing through CAPE, this is the form that determines whether your refund reaches you without a stall.
- Why now: CBP holds refunds when it has no ACH details or designated party on file.
- Have ready: the party and address to receive refunds and notices; ACH details for refund deposit.
- Pairs with: your tariff-refund audit, so recoveries route correctly from day one.
- New since October 10, 2026: adding or changing ACH refund details in the ACE Portal now requires an emailed security token (CSMS #70162211) — update banking before a refund is due, not after.
How Duties Reach CBP
Choose how duties, taxes, and fees are paid: Gravitas advances them on our periodic monthly statement and invoices you, or you enroll directly with CBP for ACH debit against your own account.
- Option A — we advance: sign the payment authorization; your approved credit line covers the advance.
- Option B — your own ACH: we guide you through CBP’s ACH application and link it to your entries.
- Have ready: bank name, routing and account numbers, authorized signer.
Terms & Conditions of Service
Our standard terms for freight forwarding, NVOCC, and customs brokerage services — liability, payment terms, and responsibilities on both sides. Signed once; governs every shipment after.
- Covers: forwarding, brokerage, and handling services, with our FMC-published tariff for ocean carriage.
- Have ready: five minutes and an authorized signer.
Business Documents
Broker regulations require us to verify who we are filing for. US companies: a W-9 and proof of business registration. Foreign importers: registration certificate, a corporate resolution or equivalent establishing the signer’s authority, and government photo ID of the signer.
- US importers: W-9, state registration or articles.
- Nonresident importers: registration, authority document, signer ID. Regulation also requires your customs agent to be a US resident authorized to accept service of process — Gravitas serves in that capacity.
- Send securely: use the request button and we reply with a secure upload link. Never email account numbers in plain text.
UFLPA Supplier Attestation
For textile, electronics, solar, and other UFLPA-exposed cargo: supplier declarations and chain-of-custody attestations that we package for admissibility if CBP detains a shipment.
- Who needs it: importers sourcing from or through regions and sectors with UFLPA exposure.
- Have ready: tier-1 supplier list, and tier-2/3 where known.
Handling Agent Agreement
For freight forwarders outside the US appointing Gravitas as destination agent. Includes the mutual non-solicitation clause in writing: your client stays your client.
- Covers: non-solicit, settlement terms, EDI and document exchange, arrival-notice standards.
- Have ready: company registration, key operations contacts, preferred settlement currency.
Shipper’s Letter of Instruction & EEI Authorization
Authorizes us to file Electronic Export Information (EEI) through AES on your behalf and sets the standing instructions for your export shipments.
- Who needs it: US exporters and USPPIs using Gravitas as forwarding agent.
- Have ready: EIN, commodity descriptions, Schedule B or HTS, and any export license details.
US importer
- Credit application
- Customs POA (5291)
- Importer record (5106) if new
- Continuous bond
- Refund designation (4811)
- Duty payment authorization
- Terms of service
- W-9 & registration
Foreign importer
- Credit application
- Customs POA (5291) + corporate-authority document
- Importer record (5106)
- Continuous bond (surety underwriting)
- Refund designation (4811)
- Duty payment authorization
- Terms of service
- Registration & signer ID
Overseas forwarder
- Handling agent agreement
- Operations contacts & EDI setup