Fifteen days to enter, twenty to report
CBP expects entry documents within 15 calendar days of a shipment's arrival. Under 19 CFR 4.37, unentered merchandise may stay at the place of unlading until the fifteenth calendar day after landing, and the carrier must notify CBP and a general order warehouse no later than 20 calendar days after landing. The warehouse then arranges transport and storage. In-bond cargo follows a similar clock that starts when it arrives at its destination port.
Costs and the six-month limit in GO
General order adds cost quickly. The consignee bears the warehouse's transport and storage charges, and demurrage or detention from before the move may still be owed. The goods can still be entered or exported while they are in GO, but not indefinitely. Under 19 CFR Part 127, merchandise that remains in customs custody for six months from the date of importation without duties and charges paid is treated as unclaimed and abandoned, and it can then be sold.
Warning signs of an import headed to GO
GO cases often trace back to a commercial problem: a buyer who refuses the cargo, a missing importer, a payment dispute, or a broker who never received documents. Watch for imports that discharged with no entry activity as the deadline approaches, and ask the broker or consignee directly. Carriers often chase unentered cargo early because they carry the notification duty. If the goods will not be imported after all, ask a licensed customs broker about export or abandonment.
Example
No entry is filed for EGSU4312683 within 15 calendar days of arrival because the buyer is disputing the order, so the carrier reports it to CBP and a general order warehouse arranges to move the cargo into storage.
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Official sources
Questions
What does General Order (GO) mean?
General order is the status of imported goods not entered with customs in the time allowed. In the U.S., the carrier reports them to CBP and notifies a general order warehouse, which stores them at the consignee's risk and expense.
Can goods still be released from general order?
Yes. The importer can file an entry, pay the duties and the warehouse's charges, and take delivery, or arrange export, as long as the goods have not become unclaimed. Clearing from GO costs more than clearing on time.
Who pays for general order storage?
The consignee. U.S. regulations place the transport and storage of general order merchandise at the consignee's risk and expense, and those charges generally must be settled before the goods are released.