A letter arrives from CBP, and the language is dense, the deadline is buried or unclear, and the stakes feel enormous. The first problem is usually just figuring out what kind of notice you are holding, because each one means something different, demands a different response, and starts a different clock. Mistaking one for another — treating a request for information like junk mail, or a penalty notice like a routine bill — is how people lose rights they did not know they had. Here is a plain-English guide to the notices CBP sends and what each one is actually telling you.
Custody Receipt and Notice of Seizure
If CBP has taken cash or goods, you will typically first receive a custody receipt at the port, and later a formal notice of seizure by mail. The seizure notice is the important document: it describes the property, cites the legal basis for the seizure, and lays out your options for responding — along with the deadline to do so. This is not a bill you can pay to make disappear; it is the opening of a process designed to keep your property permanently unless you act within the window. Because the notice arrives by mail, delays are common, and the clock may already be running by the time it reaches you. See our overview of cash seizures and how to respond.
CF-28: Request for Information
A CF-28, Request for Information, means CBP has questions about an entry — the value you declared, the tariff classification, the country of origin, or the documentation behind them. It is not yet an accusation, and it is not a penalty, but it is rarely idle. A CF-28 is often the first visible sign that CBP is looking closely at your imports. How you answer can quietly resolve the concern or, if handled carelessly or incompletely, escalate it. Treat a CF-28 as the early-warning signal it usually is, and answer it with care rather than relief that “it’s only a request.”
CF-29: Notice of Action
A CF-29, Notice of Action, is the next step up. Here CBP is telling you it intends to take action, or already has — reclassifying your goods, increasing the duties owed, or rate-advancing an entry. There are two flavors: a proposed action, which still gives you a window to respond and contest before it becomes final, and a taken action, which may push you toward filing a protest. Either way, a CF-29 signals that CBP has moved from asking questions to making decisions about your money, and the time to influence the outcome is short.
Pre-Penalty and Penalty Notices
A penalty notice demands money for an alleged violation, most often under 19 U.S.C. 1592 for a false statement or omission on an entry. In many cases CBP first issues a pre-penalty notice, which states the claim and the proposed amount and gives you an opportunity to respond before the penalty is finalized. This pre-penalty stage is valuable: it is a chance to contest the alleged level of culpability — negligence, gross negligence, or fraud — before the number hardens. Because that culpability level drives the size of the penalty, the response here can change the outcome substantially. Our page on fraud and negligence penalties explains how these are calculated.
Notice of Liquidated Damages
A notice of liquidated damages means CBP is claiming you breached a condition of a customs bond — a late filing, a missed redelivery of goods, an Importer Security Filing problem. These demands can look alarmingly large relative to the underlying slip, but they are frequently reduced through a petition for relief filed within the response window. The key is not to ignore it: an unanswered liquidated-damages notice can leave the full amount due and payable. Learn how to respond to a notice of liquidated damages.
Bills and Notices of Liquidation
Sometimes the document is simply a bill — a demand for additional duties, often following a liquidation or reliquidation of your entry. Liquidation is CBP’s final calculation of the duties owed on an entry, and it is significant because it starts the clock for a protest. If you disagree with how an entry was liquidated, the protest is generally your avenue, but only within a set period. A bill is not always the end of the road; it is sometimes the beginning of a protest window that you do not want to miss.
The One Thing They Have in Common
Every one of these notices carries a deadline, and the date printed on your specific letter is the one that controls. General timeframes are only a guide; your actual window is on the page in front of you. Missing it can forfeit your property, finalize a penalty at its highest tier, make a full liquidated-damages amount due, or waive an appeal you would have won. If you are not certain what you are holding, what it means, or how long you have, that is the moment to have a customs attorney read it — before the clock runs out and the choice is made for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a CF-28 or CF-29 something to worry about?
They are not penalties, but they are not nothing. A CF-28 means CBP is asking questions about an entry, and a CF-29 means it intends to take or has taken action. Both are best answered carefully, because a weak response can turn into a penalty or a higher duty bill.
What is the difference between a pre-penalty notice and a penalty notice?
A pre-penalty notice proposes a penalty and gives you a chance to respond before it is finalized; a penalty notice is the finalized demand. The pre-penalty stage is an important opportunity to contest the alleged culpability level before the amount hardens.
How do I know my deadline to respond?
The date is stated on the notice itself, and it controls. General timeframes are only a guide — always go by the specific date on your letter, and have it reviewed promptly if the deadline is close.
Got a CBP notice you can’t decode?
Send us a copy. A customs attorney will tell you exactly what it is, what it means, and how long you have to respond.