ISF (10+2) filing for ocean shipments from China: the 24-hour rule

What ISF (10+2) is

ISF is an advance security filing CBP uses to screen ocean cargo before it heads to the US. The name 10+2 means 10 data elements that you, the importer, are responsible for, plus 2 that the ocean carrier files (the vessel stow plan and container status messages).

The filing is electronic, submitted through CBP's systems (ABI or ACE). In practice a licensed customs broker or your forwarder files it for you, but the data and the responsibility are yours as the importer of record.

The 24-hour deadline

Your ISF must be on file no later than 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto the vessel at the origin port in China. That means the data has to be ready while the goods are still at the port in China, not when they arrive in the US.

This is the single most common way small importers get caught: they treat the ISF as a US-arrival task, but the clock runs against the loading date in China. If your supplier or forwarder is slow to send shipment details, you can blow the deadline before the box even leaves.

The 10 data elements you provide

• Seller (the party selling the goods)
• Buyer (the party buying them)
• Importer of record number / FTZ applicant ID
• Consignee number(s)
• Manufacturer or supplier
• Ship-to party
• Country of origin
• Commodity HTSUS (HS) number
• Container stuffing location
• Consolidator (the party who stuffed the container)

Eight of these must be filed at least 24 hours before loading. The last two, container stuffing location and consolidator, have slightly more flexible timing but still need to be filed before arrival. The carrier separately files the remaining 2 elements.

How a small importer stays compliant

• Collect the 10+2 data with your purchase order, not at the last minute. Most elements come straight from your supplier and commercial invoice.
• Get your HS code confirmed early. It feeds both the ISF and your customs entry.
• Have one party file the ISF and the customs entry, so the same accurate data flows through both and nothing is missed.
• Build the 24-hour-before-loading deadline into your shipping timeline, so a late detail from the supplier does not turn into a penalty.

We handle the ISF as part of an all-in ocean shipment: we collect the data before your goods are loaded in China and file on time, so the 24-hour rule never becomes a $5,000 surprise.