CBP Form 28 Response Checklist

A Form 28 is a request for information, not a fine. But if it goes unanswered, CBP can make its decision on the information it already has.

A CBP Form 28 (Request for Information) means CBP has questions about one of your entries — for example classification, value, origin, or admissibility. The form asks for a reply within 30 days of the date of the request. If you can't meet that, contact the CBP officer named on the form as early as you can. This checklist is the order to work in.

Step 1 — Lock the deadline (Day 1)

• Find the date of the request, count 30 days, and calendar the reply date with a reminder 7 days before
• Note the entry number(s) and the CBP officer or office that sent it
• Bring in your customs broker the same day. Many importers reply through their broker, and involving yours early makes the response easier to organize

Step 2 — Pull the complete entry packet

• Entry summary (CBP Form 7501) and the entry documents as filed
• Commercial invoice and packing list for that shipment
• Purchase order and proof of payment to the supplier
• Bill of lading / air waybill
• Any certificates or test reports filed with the entry (e.g., CPC, FDA, FCC documents)

Step 3 — Check the packet against itself (before anyone drafts a reply)

• Do the invoice, packing list, and entry summary describe the goods the same way?
• Do the invoice value, the amount actually paid, and the entered value match? If not, can you document why?
• Does the claimed country of origin match the supplier's documents?
• Can you get product specs, photos, materials, and composition documents from the supplier if CBP asks for more?

Step 4 — Write down the questions for your broker or customs attorney

Don't guess your way through these — this is what a licensed customs broker or customs attorney is for:

• Which issue is CBP raising: classification, valuation, origin, or admissibility?
• Is the evidence we have enough, or should we get more before replying?
• If the entry has already liquidated, is a protest available to us, and by when? (Protests generally must be filed within 180 days of liquidation.)
• Would a prior disclosure make sense for us, and what has to be true for it to apply? (Timing matters: it depends on whether a formal investigation has already started.)
• If CBP takes further action after our reply, what is our exposure, and what new deadlines would start?

Step 5 — Respond once, completely, on time

• Send one organized response with an index of attachments, usually through your broker
• Keep exact copies of everything you submit
• Calendar a follow-up: if CBP takes further action, new deadlines may start — that's when counsel matters most