CBP Form 7512: In-Bond Transportation Entry Explained

Key Points

• CBP Form 7512, Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit, is the in-bond application for moving unentered merchandise under bond, and as of September 2026 it is transmitted electronically under 19 CFR 18.1(d), with paper used only when EDI is unavailable.
• The bonded carrier or filer at the arrival port prepares CBP Form 7512 with the 6-digit HTS number, quantities, container and seal numbers, and destination, secured by a custodial bond on CBP Form 301, Customs Bond.
• Core in-bond deadlines to track: delivery within 30 days (60 days by barge), arrival reported within 2 business days, and Transportation and Exportation goods exported within 15 calendar days.
• Electronic in-bond requirements were established by CBP Dec. 17-13, 82 FR 45366 (September 28, 2017); confirm the current text of 19 CFR part 18 before relying on any deadline.
• In-bond movements map to entry types 61, 62, and 63, and the later consumption entry summary reports the IT number and date in Blocks 16 and 17 of the CBP Form 7501.

On this page

1. What CBP Form 7512 is and where it comes from
2. At a glance
3. Who prepares CBP Form 7512 and when in the lifecycle
4. How CBP Form 7512 is filed and transmitted
5. What information CBP Form 7512 must carry
6. Deadlines and reporting duties on an in-bond movement
7. Common CBP Form 7512 errors and what they cost
8. How CBP Form 7512 relates to other CBP forms
9. Frequently asked questions
10. What importers and brokers should do
11. Key references

CBP Form 7512 is the Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit, the in-bond application used to move unentered merchandise under bond within the United States or through it for export, in the three classic in-bond flavors: immediate transportation (IT), transportation and exportation (T&E), and immediate exportation (IE). It is prepared by the bonded carrier or its filer at the port of arrival and secured by a custodial bond, and it sits before the consumption entry in the lifecycle: goods travel on CBP Form 7512 first, then are entered, exported, or admitted elsewhere. As of September 2026 the in-bond application is normally an electronic transmission rather than a paper form.

The links in this article go to the primary documents: the regulations, Federal Register notices, and official CBP form and tariff schedule pages themselves. Read the source.

At a glance

• Full name: CBP Form 7512, Transportation Entry and Manifest of Goods Subject to CBP Inspection and Permit (rev 2025-06-17).
• Who prepares or uses it: the bonded carrier or its filer at the arrival port; reviewed by CBP at origin and destination ports.
• When in the lifecycle: after arrival and manifest, before entry for consumption, export, or FTZ admission.
• System or channel: electronic transmission per 19 CFR 18.1(d); paper only when EDI is unavailable.
• Governing authority: 19 CFR part 18, including 19 CFR 18.1, 18.7, 18.20, and 18.25; electronic filing requirements from CBP Dec. 17-13, 82 FR 45366 (September 28, 2017).
• Entry types: 61, 62, and 63 for in-bond movements.
• Related terms: CBP Form 301 (custodial bond), CBP Form 214 (FTZ admission), CBP Form 7553 (notice of intent to export for drawback).

Who prepares CBP Form 7512 and when in the lifecycle

CBP Form 7512 is prepared by the bonded carrier that will take custody of the merchandise, or by a filer acting for that carrier, at the port where the goods arrive. The bonded party accepts a custodial obligation: it must carry the goods to the destination port, deliver them intact, and account for them. That obligation is secured by a custodial bond on CBP Form 301, Customs Bond, the surety bond, single transaction or continuous, securing duties, taxes, fees and compliance obligations to CBP under 19 CFR part 113. If the merchandise goes missing, is diverted, or arrives short, CBP looks to that bond.

In lifecycle terms, CBP Form 7512 comes early. The carrier files its inward manifest on arrival; CBP Form 7512 is a separate step that authorizes movement of goods that have not yet been entered. Only when the goods reach the destination port does the importer or broker file the entry and, later, the entry summary. CBP Form 7512 is not the entry summary and not the inward manifest, and treating it as either is a recurring source of error.

How CBP Form 7512 is filed and transmitted

CBP Form 7512 is now filed electronically: 19 CFR 18.1(d) requires electronic transmission of the in-bond application, with a paper form used only when EDI is unavailable. That shift came out of CBP Dec. 17-13, 82 FR 45366 (September 28, 2017), which modernized part 18 and moved in-bond reporting into the electronic environment. Because the exact message set and data element requirements live in the ACE CATAIR rather than in the regulation, confirm the current in-bond record layout in the CATAIR or with your software provider before changing a filing routine.

In-bond movements are identified by entry types 61, 62, and 63. Which of those applies depends on whether the movement is an IT, a T&E, or an IE; confirm the current mapping with CBP if your system defaults are in doubt.

What information CBP Form 7512 must carry

CBP Form 7512 must describe the shipment well enough for CBP to identify and control it in transit. The application carries the 6-digit HTS number for the merchandise, quantities, container and seal numbers, and the destination. The 6-digit requirement is one of the practical consequences of electronic in-bond filing: the carrier or filer needs a classification good to the subheading level, which often means getting the number from the importer or broker rather than guessing from the commercial description. If you need to check a subheading, work from the official schedule at hts.usitc.gov and see our 2026 tariff code overview.

Deadlines and reporting duties on an in-bond movement

CBP Form 7512 starts a clock, and several of them run at once. Merchandise must be delivered to the destination port within 30 days, or within 60 days when the movement is by barge. Arrival must be reported to CBP within 2 business days of arrival at the destination or exportation port. Goods moving under a T&E must be exported within 15 calendar days. Those duties, together with the rules on diversion, reporting, and sealing, sit in 19 CFR 18.1, 18.7, 18.20, and 18.25; read the current text, because part 18 has been amended and only the eCFR shows today's version.

When the merchandise is finally entered for consumption, the entry summary ties back to the in-bond movement: the IT number and date appear in Blocks 16 and 17 of the CBP Form 7501. That linkage is what lets CBP reconcile the in-bond record against the entry, which is why a wrong IT date on CBP Form 7512 surfaces later as an entry summary problem.

Common CBP Form 7512 errors and what they cost

Most CBP Form 7512 problems are custody and timing problems rather than classification problems. The recurring failures are late arrival reporting, arrival never reported at all, diversion of the shipment to a port or party other than the one on the application, and an IT date that precedes the import date, which is internally impossible and flags the record. Each of these can expose the bonded party to liquidated damages under the custodial bond on CBP Form 301, so carriers and filers should treat the arrival report as a hard operational task with an owner, not a courtesy message.

Data errors matter too. A missing or mismatched seal number, a container number that does not match the manifest, or a 6-digit HTS number that does not correspond to the goods will slow release at destination and can trigger examination. For importers, the cheapest fix is giving the carrier the correct subheading up front.

How CBP Form 7512 relates to other CBP forms

CBP Form 7512 is the movement document; most other CBP forms in the cluster attach to the entry that follows it. The custodial bond behind CBP Form 7512 is documented on CBP Form 301, Customs Bond. Where the in-bond movement ends at a foreign-trade zone, admission is made on CBP Form 214, Application for Foreign-Trade Zone Admission and/or Status Designation, which admits merchandise into an FTZ and elects zone status (privileged foreign, nonprivileged foreign, domestic, or zone-restricted); activity inside the zone is permitted on CBP Form 216, Application for Foreign-Trade Zone Activity Permit, which requests CBP approval to manipulate, manufacture, exhibit or destroy merchandise inside a foreign-trade zone.

On the export side, an in-bond movement often precedes a drawback export, where CBP Form 7553, Notice of Intent to Export, Destroy or Return Merchandise for Purposes of Drawback, lets CBP examine the goods before export or destruction. The older drawback paperwork is gone: CBP Form 7551, Drawback Entry, was the paper drawback claim and was abolished with TFTEA drawback, with claims now filed electronically in ACE under 19 CFR part 190, and CBP Form 7552, Delivery Certificate for Purposes of Drawback, was likewise abolished and replaced by 19 CFR 190.10 transfer records.

After entry, CBP's follow-up paperwork lands on the importer, not the carrier. CBP Form 28, Request for Information, is CBP's written request for documents or facts needed to appraise or classify entered goods and is not an audit or penalty notice; CBP Form 29, Notice of Action, is CBP's notice that it proposes or has taken action on an entry, such as a rate advance, reclassification, or value change, and is not a bill, penalty notice, or protest decision. A resulting decision can be contested on CBP Form 19, Protest, on paper or through the ACE Protest module, under 19 U.S.C. 1514. And none of this works unless the importer of record identity is on file, which is the job of CBP Form 5106, Create/Update Importer Identity Form, registering or updating an importer of record or ultimate consignee identity (EIN, SSN, or CBP-assigned number) in ACE under 19 CFR 24.5.

Frequently asked questions

Is CBP Form 7512 still a paper form?

CBP Form 7512 exists as a printed form (rev 2025-06-17), but the in-bond application is normally transmitted electronically under 19 CFR 18.1(d), with paper used only when EDI is unavailable. Confirm the current electronic requirement in the eCFR before filing on paper.

Who is responsible for reporting arrival on CBP Form 7512?

The bonded carrier holding custody under CBP Form 7512 is responsible for reporting arrival within 2 business days at the destination or exportation port. Failure to report exposes the bonded party to liquidated damages under the custodial bond.

How long can goods stay in transit on CBP Form 7512?

Merchandise moving on CBP Form 7512 must be delivered within 30 days, or 60 days when moved by barge, and T&E merchandise must be exported within 15 calendar days. Check the current text of 19 CFR part 18 for any extension or exception that applies to your movement.

How does CBP Form 7512 show up on the entry summary?

When goods that moved on CBP Form 7512 are entered for consumption, the IT number and date appear in Blocks 16 and 17 of the CBP Form 7501. A mismatch there, such as an IT date before the import date, is a common reconciliation error.

What importers and brokers should do

• Give the bonded carrier the 6-digit HTS number, quantities, container numbers, and seal numbers before the in-bond application is transmitted, so CBP Form 7512 is right the first time.
• Put a named owner on each in-bond movement for the 2 business day arrival report and the 30 day (or 60 day barge) delivery window, and track T&E exports against the 15 calendar day limit.
• Reconcile the IT number and date on every in-bond movement against Blocks 16 and 17 of the CBP Form 7501 before filing the entry summary.
• Re-read the current text of 19 CFR 18.1, 18.7, 18.20, and 18.25 in the eCFR, and confirm in-bond message requirements in the ACE CATAIR, before changing any filing or reporting procedure.

Key references

• 19 CFR 18.1: general in-bond rules, including the electronic transmission requirement in paragraph (d).
• 19 CFR part 18 (including 18.7, 18.20, and 18.25): in-bond transportation, diversion, reporting, and exportation requirements.
• CBP Dec. 17-13, 82 FR 45366 (September 28, 2017): the Federal Register document establishing electronic in-bond filing and reporting.
• CBP forms library: official source for CBP Form 7512 (rev 2025-06-17), CBP Form 301, CBP Form 7501, and related forms.
• Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States: official schedule for the 6-digit subheading reported on CBP Form 7512.
• 19 U.S.C. 1514: statutory basis for protests of CBP decisions on entries that follow an in-bond movement.