Have you ever received a package from overseas? If so, then you might have seen the “Inbound Out Of Customs” on your tracking status. What does Inbound Out of Customs mean? Do you need to do anything to sort it out?
In this article, we have covered all the things that you really need to know about the Inbound Custom. Here, you will find everything from the meaning of ‘Inbound Out of Customs’ to the expected date of your package’s arrival.
What’s the Meaning of “Inbound Out of Customs?”
The Tracking Status “Inbound Out of Customs” means that the package has been successfully processed by the customs officials and now the package has been handed over to the USPS for delivery.
As soon as the Customs Official hand over the packages to USPS, the Tracking status changes to “Your Item cleared United States Customs.”
In some cases, the packages remain stuck at the International Service Centers (ISC) for weeks, even months if something is wrong with the taxes or the inbox content.
Also Read – Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
Why do Packages go through Customs?
Any package coming into the United States of America from any other nation goes through customs before making its way to the final recipient. These are some reasons why a package needs to go through customs
- Tax Collection: Customs authorities collect import duties and taxes on goods entering the United States and these taxes generate revenue for the government which can be used to fund public services, infrastructure, and social programs for the public welfare. The Import tax charges depend on the type of goods, their value, and the country’s tariff policies(vary from country to country).
- Safety and Security: Going through customs inspections helps the government to ensure that prohibited and restricted goods don’t enter the country. These can include items that pose a threat to public health, safety, or national security, such as illegal dr*gs, weapons, dangerous chemicals, counterfeit products, and invasive species.
- Trade Regulation: Customs regulation helps enforce trade agreements between countries to make things transparent and get processed quickly.
- Intellectual Property Protection: Customs inspections/regulations also help to stop the flow of counterfeit goods and products that infringe on intellectual property rights, such as trademarks and copyrights of some other organization. This protects consumers from buying fake or inferior products and safeguards the interests of legitimate businesses.
Why does a Package delay in Customs?
Every package coming from another nation has to go through customs before making its way to the final destination. During the Inspection, the package may get held up for a number of reasons. These are the possible reasons why a package is delayed in customs.
- Incomplete Paperwork – If any important custom document is missing or incorrect then customs officials will hold up your package until you provide the required documentation. In this situation, you either have to visit the customs official office or provide the necessary documentation through a suitable mode of communication.
- Prohibited contents – If a restricted item has been found in your package then it will be seized immediately and you might have to face legal consequences. So, if you are expecting an overseas package from your friends or family then make sure it doesn’t have anything prohibited or illegal.
- Questionable valuation – An unusually low declared of your package than the actual value may trigger closer inspection to check for duty evasion. If you are found guilty then customs officials will impose hefty fines and take legal action against you.
- Non-compliance issues – Goods that don’t meet import regulations like safety standards get held until compliant or in the worst case scenario they return the item to the sender’s address.
- Special permits needed – Some products require licenses/permits before allowed entry in the country, if that is missing then this will cause a delay in the release of the package.
- Traffic congestion – This usually happens at the peak time, when the USPS facility floods with tons of packages which in turn creates backlogs and ultimately slows customs processing.
- Inaccurate HS codes – If you (or the one who is sending the package) have put the wrong tariff classification numbers on the package then the customs officials may have to reassess the customs duties and import taxes on the package.
Why My Tracking Status is Stuck On, “Inbound Out Of Customs?”
Scanning Issue
Sometimes the tracking status remains stuck on the “Inbound Out Of Customs” and the package will be delivered to you within a few weeks. This usually happens when they have some sort of scanning or server-side issue.
It can be quite frustrating that you don’t receive any update for days or even weeks and one day you directly receive the package while the tracking status remains stuck at the ‘Inbound Out Of Customs’.
Mostly all of this happens due to a lack of scanning and the tracking status gets updated after two or three days, when you have already received your package.
Package is Returned
This happens very rarely when a package is returned to the sender by customs. If the shipper is sending you something that is not allowed in the country then there are chances that the customs will either seize the package or return to the original sender.
But the worst part is that the USPS still shows that the package is out of customs and they didn’t even bother to let the recipient know that the package has been sent back to the original sender by customs.
Lastly, there is no way to track where your package is when it is being returned to the sender.
Backlog at ISC
Once the package gets clearance from customs, it goes to a USPS International Service Center (ISC) to be scheduled for delivery to the final recipient. Usually, package scheduling at an ISC takes just minutes up to an hour on normal working days. Since this happens very quickly, the USPS doesn’t usually scan the packages when they pass through the ISC.
However, during the peak time when the ISC experiences a high volume of packages, the scheduling of the packages can be delayed for several days and as a result, the tracking status remains stuck on “Inbound Out of Customs” as the package waits at the ISC.
In worst-case scenarios, a package may get misrouted and skip ISC scheduling altogether. Then the USPS will return these packages to the ISC to get scheduled, and all that increases the delivery time of a package while the tracking status remains stuck at the ‘Inbound Out of Customs’.
Also Read – Departed Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item
What does a Customs Official do in Inspection and Clearance?
As you know every package coming out of the country has to go through Customs and get a clearance. When the package first arrives at the customs facility, officials do a complete X-ray of the package to know what’s inside (content) the package. If they find anything suspicious, they will open the package and do a closer inspection of the content.
If everything goes right, they will process and give the clearance to the package unless all the important import papers are attached to the package. Basically, custom checks are there to prevent illegal things from entering the country.
Lastly, they will sort and calculate any remaining duties and taxes that are required to be paid before the package is released. If everything is in order then they will release the package to USPS and it will delivered to you in a few weeks.
How much time does Custom Clearance Take?
In most of the cases, the customs clearance can be completed in less than 24 hours. However, if the customs facility is already piled up with the package or experiencing a high volume of packages then the customs clearance time can be extended to 2-5 business working days.
If the official finds anything suspicious or wrong paperwork then they will hold up the package until all the issues are sorted and proper documentation is provided to them.
Unfortunately, you can’t do much about it, you just have to patiently wait and keep checking the tracking status of the package for any update.
What To Do When Your Package is ‘Inbound Out of Customs?’
Contact the Local Post Office
The best possible thing that you can do is contact the local post office if the tracking status remains stuck at the ‘Inbound Out of Customs’ for more than a week. In some cases, it is noted that the package sits in the local post office as the staff is busy processing the more time-sensitive packages.
This usually happens because the package might missed a scan during the shipment and the tracking status remains stuck showing the same issue.
File a Missing Package Request
If the tracking status remains stuck for a week without any update then you should file a missing package request at the USPS. In most cases, it takes not more than 1 business day before the tracking status gets updated to “In Transit” after arriving at the regional facility of USPS.
You can easily file a missing package request by visiting here.
If possible try to contact the sender and request them to send a missing package mail on your behalf as the USPS prioritizes senders’ missing mail requests over the recipient’s. So there are great chances that you will hear from USPS within 2-4 working days.