FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We are glad you found us! We service both small and large companies as well as 3PLs. Below are some FAQs that might help, which relate to importation shipments coming into the United States.
1. WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU NEED FROM ME IN ORDER TO PROVIDE YOUR QUOTE?
Generally we require the following:
- Through what U.S. port of entry will your shipment be moving through? i.e Laredo, Texas?
- What is the commodity(ies) you intend to import into the United States?
- What is the country of origin of the commodity (ies)? Is a NAFTA certificate of origin available (when applicable)?
- Will this be a definite importation into the United States? Inbond? Or other form of entry?
- Do you need a quote for both Mexican & U.S. Customs clearance? (some companies may already have a Mexican Customs Broker and only need a U.S. Customs Broker)
- Any other services you require (such as warehousing, transloading)?
- Does the importer of record have a bond on file with U.S. Customs?
- Is this a one-time shipment? Or a continuous operation? If continuous, what is the anticipated volume?
2. ONCE I PROVIDE YOU WITH THE INFORMATION YOU NEED FOR THE QUOTE, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE YOU TO PROVIDE ME THE QUOTE FOR YOUR SERVICES?
- Normally we provide the quote via email within 1- 2 hours.
3. I’VE NEVER IMPORTED INTO THE UNITES STATES, AND I’M NOT EXACTLY FAMILIAR WITH THE BORDER CROSSING PROCESS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT?
- Yes, we can most definitely navigate you through the protocol. We have created a brief presentation for customers who are new to importing, and we can schedule a conference call with you to go through it.
4. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR MY SHIPMENT TO CLEAR THE BORDER?
The actual border crossing of your cargo depends on the following principal factors:
- The time and day of crossing
- The specific international bridge used for the border crossing
- Selectivity for Mexican and/or U.S. Customs examination
- Selectivity for FDA and/or Agriculture inspections, when applicable
Note that we process the Customs clearance before a shipment arrives to the border, provided the documentation has been sent to us in anticipation.
5. WHAT PAPERWORK DO YOU NEED FROM ME IN ORDER TO PROVIDE YOUR SERVICES AND GET ME SET UP TO WORK WITH TQ CUSTOMS BROKERAGE?
We are required by law to obtain a signed Power of Attorney from the Importer of Record. Additionally, when providing our Mexican Customs clearance services, we will require a Power of Attorney from the foreign shipper as well as some other legal documents from them. If you accept our services we can forward the list of requirements to you.
In addition, we will require the following documents to expedite the Customs clearance of your shipment
- Commercial Invoice
- Packing slip, when available
- Letter of Instructions, when available
- Certificate of Origin, when applicable
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