Should I buy a Single Entry or Continuous Customs Bond?

A Single Entry bond costs around $50-$100 and only covers one shipment. A Continuous Bond costs $400-$600 annually and covers unlimited shipments for 12 months. If you plan to import more than 4 times a year, or if you are importing via ocean freight where ISF (Importer Security Filing) bonds are required, a Continuous Bond is vastly superior.

✅ Compliance & Regulations

Import Bond Size Calculator — Required Bond Amount

Use our import bond size calculator to calculate the required US customs bond size for your import volume. Continuous bond requirements are based on annual duty payments.

Updated: 2026-04-13

Planning Reference

Standards Last Reviewed April 2026

Reference Basis

Based on published CPSC, FCC, FDA, CE, and other regulatory agency fee schedules and compliance cost benchmarks.

Planning Note

Compliance requirements and testing costs vary by product, jurisdiction, and certifying body. Confirm with an accredited lab before ordering.

Primary opportunity

import bond size calculator
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Bond Type

Annual Duties + Taxes + Fees (estimate) USD CBP requires continuous bonds = 10% of annual duties/taxes/fees, minimum $50,000.

Single Entry Value (if single bond) USD

Sizing Your Continuous Customs Bond

A continuous customs bond is an insurance policy that guarantees CBP will collect all duties and penalties owed.

By default, CBP requires a minimum continuous bond size of $50,000 (which costs you ~$450 a year in premiums). However, the formula CBP uses is '10% of your total estimated duties and taxes paid in the previous calendar year.'
If your china imports trigger massive Section 301 tariffs (e.g. paying $800,000 in duties annually), CBP will force you to increase your bond limit to $80,000, raising your premium.

Tips for China Importers

Identify compliance requirements before sourcing, not after. Discovering that your product needs a $30,000 FDA clearance after you've ordered 5,000 units is a business-ending scenario. Research first.
Use only accredited labs. Test reports from SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, or TÜV are accepted by retailers, Amazon, and customs. Supplier-provided "test reports" from unknown labs are worthless for compliance purposes.
Verify CE/FCC was tested on production units, not prototypes. Certifications obtained on pre-production samples are technically valid only for that sample. If production materials differ, retesting is required.
Check for anti-dumping duties before importing. Anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders cover hundreds of Chinese product categories. These are separate from HTS duties and can be 20–200%+ of value.
Keep all compliance documents for at least 5 years. Amazon, major retailers, and CBP may request CPC certificates, test reports, or labeling documentation at any time. Losing records can cost you your account.