[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 19, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 19CFR4.37]

[Page 34-35]
 
                        TITLE 19--CUSTOMS DUTIES
 
  CHAPTER I--UNITED STATES CUSTOMS SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
 
PART 4--VESSELS IN FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC TRADES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 4.37  General order.

    (a) Any merchandise or baggage regularly landed but not covered by a 
permit for its release shall be allowed to remain at the place of 
unlading until the fifteenth calendar day after landing. No later than 
20 calendar days after landing, the master or owner of the vessel or the 
agent thereof shall notify Customs of any such merchandise or baggage 
for which entry has not been made. Such notification shall be provided 
in writing or by any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data 
interchange system. Failure to provide such notification may result in 
assessment of a monetary penalty of up to $1,000 per bill of lading 
against the master or owner of the vessel or the agent thereof. If the 
value of the merchandise on the bill is less than $1,000, the penalty 
shall be equal to the value of such merchandise.
    (b) Any merchandise or baggage that is taken into custody from an 
arriving carrier by any party under a Customs-authorized permit to 
transfer or in-bond entry may remain in the custody of that party for 15 
calendar days after receipt under such permit to transfer or 15 calendar 
days after arrival at the port of destination. No later than 20 calendar 
days after receipt under the permit to transfer or 20 calendar days 
after arrival under bond at the port of destination, the party shall 
notify Customs of any such merchandise or baggage for which entry has 
not been made. Such notification shall be provided in writing or by any 
appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. If 
the party fails to notify Customs of the unentered merchandise or 
baggage in the allotted time, he may be liable for the payment of 
liquidated damages under the terms and conditions of his custodial bond 
(see Sec. 113.63(c)(4) of this chapter).
    (c) In addition to the notification to Customs required under 
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the carrier (or any other party 
to whom custody of the unentered merchandise has been transferred by a 
Customs authorized permit to transfer or in-bond entry) shall provide 
notification of the presence of such unreleased and unentered 
merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port 
director as qualified to receive general order merchandise. Such 
notification shall be provided in writing or by any appropriate Customs-
authorized electronic data interchange system and shall be provided 
within the applicable 20-day period specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of 
this section. It shall then be the responsibility of the bonded 
warehouse proprietor to arrange for the transportation and storage of 
the merchandise or baggage at the risk and expense of the consignee. Any 
unentered merchandise or baggage shall remain the responsibility of the 
carrier, master, or person in charge of the importing vessel or the 
agent thereof or party to whom the merchandise has been transferred 
under a Customs authorized permit to transfer or in-bond entry, until it 
is properly transferred from his control in accordance with this 
paragraph. If the party to whom custody of the unentered merchandise or 
baggage has been transferred by a Customs-authorized permit to transfer 
or in-bond entry fails to notify a Customs-approved bonded warehouse of 
such merchandise or baggage within the applicable 20-calendar-day 
period, he may be liable for the payment of liquidated damages of $1,000 
per bill of lading under the terms and conditions of his international 
carrier or custodial bond (see Secs. 113.63(b), 113.63(c) and 113.64(b) 
of this chapter).
    (d) If the bonded warehouse operator fails to take possession of 
unentered

[[Page 35]]

and unreleased merchandise or baggage within five calendar days after 
receipt of notification of the presence of such merchandise or baggage 
under this section, he may be liable for the payment of liquidated 
damages under the terms and conditions of his custodial bond (see 
Sec. 113.63(a)(1) of this chapter).
    (e) In ports where there is no bonded warehouse authorized to accept 
general order merchandise or if merchandise requires specialized storage 
facilities which are unavailable in a bonded facility, the port 
director, after having received notice of the presence of unentered 
merchandise or baggage in accordance with the provisions of this 
section, shall direct the storage of the merchandise by the carrier or 
by any other appropriate means.
    (f) Whenever merchandise remains on board any vessel from a foreign 
port more than 25 days after the date on which report of arrival of such 
vessel was made, the port director, as prescribed in section 457, Tariff 
Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1457), may take possession of such 
merchandise and cause it to be unladen at the expense and risk of the 
owners of the merchandise. Any merchandise so unladen shall be sent 
forthwith by the port director to a general order warehouse and stored 
at the risk and expense of the owners of the merchandise.
    (g) Merchandise taken into the custody of the port director pursuant 
to section 490(b), Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1490(b)), 
shall be sent to a general order warehouse after 1 day after the day the 
vessel was entered, to be held there at the risk and expense of the 
consignee.

[T.D. 98-74, 63 FR 51287, Sept. 25, 1998]