This part sets forth general regulations governing the authority of Customs officers, and the location of Customs ports of entry, service ports and Customs stations. It further sets forth regulations concerning the entry and clearance of vessels at Customs stations and a listing of Customs preclearance offices in foreign countries. In addition, this part contains provisions concerning the hours of business of Customs offices, the Customs seal, and the identification cards issued to Customs officers and employees.

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated unless either the context in which they are used requires a different meaning or a different definition is prescribed for a particular part or portion thereof:

Business day. A “business day” means a weekday (Monday through Friday), excluding national holidays as specified in § 101.6(a).

Customs station. A “Customs station” is any place, other than a port of entry, at which Customs officers or employees are stationed, under the authority contained in article IX of the President's Message of March 3, 1913 (T.D. 33249), to enter and clear vessels, accept entries of merchandise, collect duties, and enforce the various provisions of the Customs and navigation laws of the United States.

Customs territory of the United States. “Customs territory of the United States” includes only the States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Date of entry. The “date of entry” or “time of entry” of imported merchandise shall be the effective time of entry of such merchandise, as defined in § 141.68 of this chapter.

Date of exportation. “Date of exportation” or “time of exportation” shall be as defined in § 152.1(c) of this chapter.

Date of importation. “Date of importation” means, in the case of merchandise imported otherwise than by vessel, the date on which the merchandise arrives within the Customs territory of the United States. In the case of merchandise imported by vessel, “date of importation” means the date on which the vessel arrives within the limits of a port in the United States with intent then and there to unlade such merchandise.

Duties. “Duties” means Customs duties and any internal revenue taxes which attach upon importation.

Entry or withdrawal for consumption. “Entry or withdrawal for consumption” means entry for consumption or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption.

Exportation. “Exportation” means a severance of goods from the mass of things belonging to this country with the intention of uniting them to the mass of things belonging to some foreign country. The shipment of merchandise abroad with the intention of returning it to the United States with a design to circumvent provisions of restriction or limitation in the tariff laws or to secure a benefit accruing to imported merchandise is not an exportation. Merchandise of foreign origin returned from abroad under these circumstances is dutiable according to its nature, weight, and value at the time of its original arrival in this country.

Importer. “Importer” means the person primarily liable for the payment of any duties on the merchandise, or an authorized agent acting on his behalf. The importer may be:

(1) The consignee, or

(2) The importer of record, or

(3) The actual owner of the merchandise, if an actual owner's declaration and superseding bond has been filed in accordance with § 141.20 of this chapter, or

(4) The transferee of the merchandise, if the right to withdraw merchandise in a bonded warehouse has been transferred in accordance with subpart C of part 144 of this chapter.

Port and port of entry. The terms “port” and “port of entry” refer to any place designated by Executive Order of the President, by order of the Secretary of the Treasury, or by Act of Congress, at which a Customs officer is authorized to accept entries of merchandise to collect duties, and to enforce the various provisions of the Customs and navigation laws. The terms “port” and “port of entry” incorporate the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a port director. (The Customs ports in the Virgin Islands, although under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury, have their own Customs laws (48 U.S.C. 1406(i)). These ports, therefore, are outside the Customs territory of the United States and the ports thereof are not “ports of entry” within the meaning of these regulations).

Principal field officer. A “principal field officer” is an officer in the field service whose immediate supervisor is located at Customs Service Headquarters.

Service port. The term “service port” refers to a Customs location having a full range of cargo processing functions, including inspections, entry, collections, and verification.

Shipment. “Shipment” means the merchandise described on the bill of lading or other document used to file or support entry, or in the oral declaration when applicable.

(a) Supremacy of delegated authority. Action taken by any person pursuant to authority delegated to him by the Secretary of the Treasury, whether directly or by subdelegation, shall be valid despite the existence of any statute or regulation, including any provision of this chapter, which provides that such action shall be taken by some other person. Any person acting under such delegated authority shall be deemed to have complied with any statute or regulation which provides or indicates that it shall be the duty of some other person to perform such action.

(b) Consolidation of functions. Any reorganization of the Customs Service or consolidation of the functions of two or more persons into one office which results in the failure of a designated Customs officer to perform an action required by statute or regulation, shall not invalidate the performance of that action by any other Customs officer.

(c) Customs supervision. Whenever anything is required by the regulations in this chapter or by any provision of the customs or navigation laws to be done or maintained under the supervision of Customs officers, such supervision shall be carried out as prescribed in the regulations of this chapter or by instructions from the Secretary of the Treasury or the Commissioner of Customs in particular cases. In the absence of a governing regulation or instruction, supervision shall be direct and continuous or by such occasional verification as the principal Customs field officer shall direct if such officer shall determine that less intensive supervision will ensure proper enforcement of the law and protection of the revenue. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to warrant any failure to direct and furnish required supervision or to excuse any failure of a party in interest to comply with prescribed procedures for obtaining any required supervision.

(a) Designation of Customs field organization. The Deputy Assistant Secretary (Regulatory, Tariff, and Trade Enforcement), pursuant to authority delegated by the Secretary of the Treasury, is authorized to establish, rearrange or consolidate, and to discontinue Customs ports of entry as the needs of the Customs Service may require.

(b) List of Ports of Entry and Service Ports. The following is a list of Customs Ports of Entry and Service Ports. Many of the ports listed were created by the President's message of March 3, 1913, concerning a reorganization of the Customs Service pursuant to the Act of August 24, 1912 (37 Stat. 434; 19 U.S.C. 1). Subsequent orders of the President or of the Secretary of the Treasury which affected these ports, or which created (or subsequently affected) additional ports, are cited following the name of the ports.

(1) Customs ports of entry. A list of Customs ports of entry by State and the limits of each port are set forth below:

(2) Customs service ports. A list of Customs service ports and the States in which they are located is set forth below:

(a) Entry at Customs station. A vessel shall not be entered or cleared at a Customs station, or any other place that is not a port of entry, unless entry or clearance is authorized by the director of the port under whose jurisdiction the station or place falls pursuant to the provisions of section 447, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1447).

(b) Authorization to enter. Authorization to enter or be cleared at a Customs station shall be granted by the director of the port under whose jurisdiction the station or place falls provided the port director is notified in advance of the arrival of the vessel concerned and the following conditions are met:

(1) Such Customs supervision as may be necessary can be provided.

(2) All applicable Customs and navigation laws and regulations are complied with.

(3) The owner, master or agent of a vessel sought to be entered at a Customs station reimburses the Government for the salary and expenses of the Customs officer or employee stationed at or sent to such Customs station or other place which is not a port of entry for services rendered in connection with the entry or clearance of such vessel, and

(4) Except as otherwise provided by these regulations, the Government is reimbursed by the interested parties for the expenses, including any per diem allowed in lieu of subsistence, but not the salary of a Customs officer or employee for services rendered in connection with the entry or delivery of merchandise.

(c) Customs stations designated. The Customs stations and the ports of entry having supervision thereof are listed below:

(d) Temporary Customs stations. Customs stations may be designated for a temporary time only, to provide Customs facilities where needed because of certain large-scale operations. Because these designations change from time to time they are not listed. However, current information as to the existence of such stations may be obtained from the local port director.

Listed below are the preclearance offices in foreign countries where U. S. Customs officers are located. A Director, Preclearance, located in the Office of Field Operations at Customs Headquarters, is the responsible Customs officer exercising supervisory control over all preclearance offices.

Except as specified in paragraphs (a) through (g) of this section, each Customs office shall be open for the transactions of general Customs business between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on all days of the year:

(a) Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. In addition to Saturdays, Sundays, and any other calendar day designated as a holiday by Federal statute or Executive Order, Customs offices shall be closed on the following national holidays:

(1) The first day of January.

(2) The third Monday of February.

(3) The last Monday of May.

(4) The fourth day of July.

(5) The first Monday of September.

(6) The second Monday of October.

(7) The eleventh day of November.

(8) The fourth Thursday of November.

(9) The twenty-fifth day of December.

(b) Local conditions requiring different hgurs. If, because of local conditions, different but equivalent hours are required to maintain adequate service, such hours shall be observed provided the Commissioner of Customs approves them and provided further that a notice of business hours is prominently displayed at the principal entrance and in each public room of the Customs office.

(c) Fixing of hours. At each port or station where there is no full-time Customs employee, the port director shall fix the hours during which the Customs office will be open for the transaction of general Customs business. Notice of such hours shall be prominently displayed at the principal entrance of the office.

(d) State and local holidays. Each Customs office shall be open for the transaction of business on all State and local holidays occurring on days other than Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays listed in paragraph (a) of this section. The appropriate principal field officer may excuse any employee(s) without charge to leave when a state or local holiday interferes with the performance of his work in a Customs office.

(e) Services performed outside a Customs office. Customs services required to be performed outside a Customs office shall be furnished between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (or between the corresponding hours at ports where different but equivalent hours are required for the maintenance of adequate service) on all days when the Customs office is open for the transaction of general Customs business.

(f) Customs services not within prescribed hours. Where there is a regularly recurring need for Customs services outside the hours prescribed in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section and the volume and duration of the required services are uniformly such as to require, of themselves or in immediately consecutive combination with other essential Customs activities of the port, the full time of one or more Customs employees, the necessary number of regular tours of duty to furnish such services on all days of the year except Sundays and national holidays may be established with the approval of the Commissioner of Customs.

(g) Customs services furnished private interests. Other than as specified in this section. Customs services shall be furnished private interests only in accordance with the provisions of § 24.16 of this chapter.

(a) Design. According to the design furnished by the Department of the Treasury, the Customs seal of the United States shall consist of the seal of the Department of the Treasury surrounded by an outer circle in which appear the words “Treasury” at the top and “U.S. Customs Service” at the bottom.

(b) Use of the Customs seal. The Customs seal currently in official use, including the dies, rolls, plates, and like devices now in the possession of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, shall continue to be equally effective as the official seal of the United States Customs Service and shall continue to be so used by each Customs officer and employee having possession of the seal until that particular device requires replacing and is replaced. Use of the United States Customs seal shall be restricted in the following manner:

(1) The Customs seal of the United States shall be impressed upon all official documents requiring the impress of a seal. It shall be impressed upon all marine documents and landing certificates, certificates of weight, gauge, or measure, and similar classes of documents for outside interests.

(2) The impress of the seal is not necessary on documents passing within the Customs Service nor shall the seal be used in the manner of a notary seal to indicate authority to administer oaths.

Each Customs employee shall be issued an appropriate identification card with that employee's photograph and signature, signed by the appropriate issuing officer.

(a) General testing. For purposes of conducting a test program or procedure designed to evaluate the effectiveness of new technology or operational procedures regarding the processing of passengers, vessels, or merchandise, the Commissioner of Customs may impose requirements different from those specified in the Customs Regulations, but only to the extent that such different requirements do not affect the collection of the revenue, public health, safety, or law enforcement. The imposition of any such different requirements shall be subject to the following conditions:

(1) Defined purpose. The test is limited in scope, time, and application to such relief as may be necessary to facilitate the conduct of a specified program or procedure;

(2) Prior publication requirement. Whenever a particular test allows for deviation from any regulatory requirements, notice shall be published in the Federal Register not less than thirty days prior to implementing such test, followed by publication in the Customs Bulletin. The notice shall invite public comments concerning the methodology of the test program or procedure, and inform interested members of the public of the eligibility criteria for voluntary participation in the test and the basis for selecting participants.

(b) NCAP testing. For purposes of conducting an approved test program or procedure designed to evaluate planned components of the National Customs Automation Program (NCAP), as described in section 411(a)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 411), the Commissioner of Customs may impose requirements different from those specified in the Customs Regulations, but only to the extent that such different requirements do not affect the collection of the revenue, public health, safety, or law enforcement. In addition to the requirement of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the imposition of any such different requirements shall be subject to the following conditions:

(1) Prior publication requirement. For tests affecting the NCAP, notice shall be published in the Federal Register not less than thirty days prior to implementing such test, followed by publication in the Customs Bulletin. The notice shall invite public comments concerning any aspect of the test program or procedure, and inform interested members of the public of the eligibility criteria for voluntary participation in the test and the basis for selecting participants; and,

(2) Post publication requirement. Within a reasonable time period following the completion of the test, a complete description of the results shall be published in both the Federal Register and the Customs Bulletin.