Customs clearance
The broker's own service fee — distinct from the duties and taxes they advance.
What it is calculated on
Per document, usually per bill of lading.
What it appears as on real documents
Providers write the same charge many different ways. All of these mean this charge:
- customs clearance
- customs brokerage
- brokerage fee
- customs entry fee
- entry fee
- clearance fee
- import clearance
- customs entry
- broker fee
- single entry bond
- continuous bond
- b3 entry
- release fee
- pars fee
What settles it when you question it
The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis. If the basis changed, that is the thing to ask about rather than the total.
Ask for:
- Original rate quotation
- Customs entry / declaration
- Line-by-line calculation breakdown
Before you book
This is often missing from a quotation entirely — not excluded, just not mentioned. A charge a quotation is silent about is the one that arrives as a surprise.
Ask: Confirm whether customs clearance is included, how many lines the entry fee covers, and what bond arrangement applies.
Check a customs clearance on your own invoice
Free, and no account needed to start.
Upload your quotation and final invoice. ChargeBasis pairs every charge on its normalised type rather than its wording, reports which part of the difference your documents actually explain, and names the document that would settle the rest.
Charges that travel with this one
- Examination / inspectionCannot be quoted in advance, but must be evidenced: an exam notice plus the exam-site receipt.
- Duties and taxesGovernment money advanced on your behalf. Should reconcile to the customs entry to the cent.
- StorageDay-counted. Needs a start date, a free-time allowance, and an end date to be checkable.
- DemurrageContainer sitting inside the terminal past free time. Requires availability date, last free day, and gate-out …
Common questions
- What is a customs clearance on a freight invoice?
- The broker's own service fee — distinct from the duties and taxes they advance.
- What is a customs clearance calculated on?
- Per document, usually per bill of lading.
- What should I ask for if I question a customs clearance?
- Ask for original rate quotation, customs entry / declaration, line-by-line calculation breakdown. The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis.