ISF deadline calculator
Enter the vessel’s departure and its arrival in the United States. The calculator gives both ISF cut-offs, for an ISF-10 or an ISF-5, in each port’s local time and in yours.
An ISF-10 has two cut-offs. Eight elements are due 24 hours before the cargo is loaded on the vessel bound for the United States, and the container stuffing location and the consolidator are due 24 hours before arrival at the first US port. CBP measures the first from the vessel’s departure date and time, in the departure port’s local time, minus 24 hours. Enter the sailing below and the calculator gives you both, with the time left.
The calculator
Use the vessel that brings the cargo to the United States, not a feeder. Times are clock times at each port.
The port where the cargo is loaded on the vessel bound for the US, in that port’s local time.
Set it to see the time left and the deadline in your own time. Allow for daylight saving time.
Local time at that port. Needed for the two flexible elements and for exempt break bulk.
Enter the vessel’s departure date and time.
The rules by filing type
| Filing | Elements | Deadline | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISF-10, goods imported into the US | Seller, buyer, importer of record number, consignee number, manufacturer or supplier, ship-to party, country of origin, HTSUS number | 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel | 19 CFR 149.2(b)(1) and (2) |
| ISF-10, the two flexible elements | Container stuffing location, consolidator (stuffer) | As early as possible, and no later than 24 hours before arrival in a US port, or on loading when the foreign port is less than a 24-hour voyage from the closest US port | 19 CFR 149.2(b)(3) |
| ISF-5, freight remaining on board | The five carrier elements | Before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel; no 24-hour interval | 19 CFR 149.2(b)(4) |
| ISF-5, IE or T&E in bond | The five carrier elements | 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard the vessel | 19 CFR 149.2(b)(5) |
| Break bulk with a carrier exemption | The whole filing | 24 hours before the cargo arrives in the United States | 19 CFR 149.4(b) |
| Bulk cargo exempt from the 24-hour rule | None | No ISF | 19 CFR 149.4(a) |
Four of the eight elements, the manufacturer, the ship-to party, the country of origin and the HTSUS number, may be filed on the best information available and updated later. The update is due by the same time as the two flexible elements (19 CFR 149.2(f)). Any filing must be updated if the information changes before the goods arrive, and withdrawn if they will no longer be imported.
Which sailing counts
- Feeders and transshipment. CBP’s FAQ says the 24 hours run to the moment the cargo is laden aboard a vessel destined to the United States, not the feeder that takes it to the hub. The same applies to freight remaining on board.
- Departure, in local time. CBP measures timeliness from the vessel departure date minus 24 hours, in the local time of the port the vessel departs from. Its FAQ says this also settles the international date line.
- The same day is too late. CBP’s FAQ is blunt: a filing completed the same day the vessel sails is a violation, and CBP can be expected to issue a claim.
- Early is allowed. Filing a week ahead is fine, and CBP encourages it because it leaves time for updates and for securing a bond.
If it is late or wrong
| What went wrong | Liquidated damages CBP may claim |
|---|---|
| A late ISF | $5,000 |
| An inaccurate ISF | $5,000 |
| The first inaccurate update | $5,000 |
These are the amounts in CBP’s FAQ, assessed under the mitigation guidelines published on 17 July 2009. The bond conditions in 19 CFR 113.62, 113.63, 113.64 and 113.73 provide for $5,000 per violation. CBP also warns that non-compliant cargo can be held or examined on arrival.
If the deadline has passed, file anyway. CBP’s FAQ describes late submission types for an importer who cannot get a bond after the deadline, and says they are subject to change. Ask your broker before you use one.
Where ISF applies
- Cargo arriving by vessel. Air, truck and rail cargo have their own advance rules.
- Any size. An ISF is required for all non-bulk cargo, including a few pallets in a shared container.
- Puerto Rico is covered. It is inside the customs territory of the United States.
- Guam, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa are not. Ocean shipments into them need no ISF. Goods shipped from them into the United States do.
How software handles it
A calculator answers one sailing. In Linbis the ISF deadline is computed on every US-bound ocean file from how the cargo actually moves, the file shows the time left, and alerts fire at 72, 48 and 24 hours before the cut-off and again once it has passed. Linbis is a CBP-approved software provider: you build the ISF from the shipment, preview every element, and file it directly from Linbis under your own SCAC. See ISF and AMS filing.
| Linbis plan | Published price | Users included |
|---|---|---|
| Startup | $150 per month | 1 |
| Premium | $299 per month | 3 |
| Enterprise | Custom | By quote |
The trial is free and does not ask for a card. Figures from linbis.com/pricing on 6 October 2026.
What this page is not. It applies the rule to the dates you type. It does not know your carrier’s schedule or whether your cargo holds an exemption, and it is not a ruling. When the stakes are $5,000 a filing, file early and ask your broker about anything unusual.
Questions people ask
When is an ISF due?
For an ISF-10, eight elements are due 24 hours before the cargo is loaded on the vessel bound for the United States, and the container stuffing location and the consolidator are due 24 hours before arrival at the first US port (19 CFR 149.2(b)). CBP measures the first cut-off from the vessel’s departure date minus 24 hours, in the local time of the departure port.
Is it 24 hours before loading or before departure?
The regulation says before the cargo is laden. CBP’s FAQ says it measures timeliness from the vessel departure date minus 24 hours, and that a filing completed the same day the vessel sails is a violation. File earlier than either: an update is allowed later, a late first filing is not.
My container goes on a feeder first. Which sailing counts?
The vessel bound for the United States. CBP’s FAQ answers this directly: the elements are due 24 hours before the cargo is laden aboard a vessel destined to the United States, and the same applies to freight remaining on board.
What happens if an ISF is late?
CBP can claim liquidated damages under the bond: $5,000 per late ISF, $5,000 per inaccurate ISF, and $5,000 for the first inaccurate update, assessed under its mitigation guidelines of 17 July 2009. Late filings can also bring holds and exams.
Do bulk and break bulk cargo need an ISF?
Bulk cargo that is exempt from the carrier’s 24-hour manifest rule is exempt from the ISF. Break bulk needs an ISF. When the carrier holds a CBP exemption for that break bulk cargo, the ISF is due 24 hours before arrival in the United States instead (19 CFR 149.4).
Does a small LCL shipment need an ISF?
Yes. CBP’s FAQ says an ISF is required for all non-bulk cargo arriving by vessel, whatever the size of the shipment.
Does ISF apply to Puerto Rico and Guam?
Puerto Rico, yes: it is inside the customs territory of the United States. Ocean shipments into Guam, the US Virgin Islands or American Samoa, no. Goods shipped from those islands into the United States, yes.
Related
- ISF filing online: who files it and when
- ISF and AMS filing for freight forwarders
- Port code lookup
- US import duty and fee calculator
Sources. 19 CFR 149.2 and 149.4 (eCFR, part 149); U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Frequently Asked Questions: Importer Security Filing, November 2018, sections on timing requirements, late ISFs, liquidated damages and bulk and break bulk. Read on 9 October 2026. The FAQ says its answers are informational and non-binding. Corrections: contact us.