Customs is one of the least visible parts of an international delivery. Your tracking may show that the package has reached the U.S. Customs stage, but it usually does not show each step happening behind the scenes.
For most packages, this moves rather quickly. Most packages clear U.S. Customs in about one to three days. A small number are selected for routine inspection and take longer.
What happens when your package reaches U.S. Customs?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) receives the incoming shipment information.
A large part of the process happens electronically. CBP and FDA use risk-based screening systems to review shipment information, identify entries, and decide whether they want to take a closer look at a package.
The majority of packages with complete information are released without manual review. Other shipments may be selected for routine inspection. A package being selected for routine inspection does not mean there is something wrong with the package.
This is why two similar packages can arrive at Customs at the same time but leave at different times.
What happens if the system selects a package for additional review?
If the electronic process does not result in an automatic release, the package may be held for an officer or FDA reviewer to examine more closely.
The review typically starts without opening the box. The reviewer can look at the shipping information and may also examine the contents using X-ray before deciding whether they need to look inside the package.
If they need to look inside the package, they can open the box and physically examine the contents.
A package does not automatically go through every step. The reviewer uses the level of examination needed to make a decision.
Would I receive a notification that my package is being inspected?
No. For a routine inspection, CBP or FDA typically does not notify the courier that the package has been selected for inspection, and they do not provide an expected date for when the review will be completed.
If a package is selected for routine inspection, it may simply be set aside until an officer or reviewer gets to it. There is no guaranteed review time because the timing depends on agency capacity and availability.
Based on our experience, if a package stays at Customs for about five days, we generally consider it likely that the package has been selected for routine inspection. For those packages, we commonly see them begin moving again within about one to two weeks, although in more extreme cases the review can take longer than two weeks.
Express shipping does not make this part faster. Standard and Express packages go through the same Customs and FDA review process.
Can I contact Customs to ask about my package?
For a routine inspection, no. There is not a channel for CBP or FDA to provide package-by-package information about a specific shipment, its place in the review process, or when the review will be completed.
That is why the practical approach during a routine inspection is usually to continue monitoring the tracking until the package is released.
How do I know when Customs review is finished?
The tracking may explicitly indicate that the package has been released from or has left the Customs process.
Sometimes that particular scan is missing. If the package begins moving through regular U.S. facilities or through multiple U.S. cities, that is also a strong indication that the Customs stage is complete and the package has entered the domestic delivery network.
For more help interpreting those locations, see Understanding your tracking.
We continue watching the shipment while it is in Customs
SimplePills actively monitors our shipments every day.
If a package remains in Customs longer than we normally expect, we continue tracking it. If we see something unusual or believe that you need to take action, we may reach out to you.
You are also welcome to contact us at any time if you want us to review the tracking with you.
Where to go from here
Most Customs reviews finish without the patient needing to do anything. If the package later appears delayed, misrouted, missing, or marked delivered when you cannot find it, the next article explains what to do.
Next, see What to do if something goes wrong with your delivery.
Continue reading
Pharmacy guide
References
- U.S. FDA — Entry Screening Systems and Tools (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. FDA — Entry Review (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. FDA — Examination & Sample Collection (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. FDA — Shipment Admissibility (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Mail: Lost / Missing Package (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Processing International Mail (opens in a new tab)