A general order bond is a custodial bond held by the bonded warehouse that stores cargo Customs and Border Protection has placed in General Order status. It is not something you buy to retrieve your goods. The bond runs between the warehouse operator and CBP, guaranteeing that the warehouse will safekeep, record, and properly dispose of the merchandise in its custody.1eCFR. 19 CFR 113.63 – Basic Custodial Bond Conditions To get your merchandise released, you need your own importation bond, a filed customs entry, and payment of every duty, tax, and warehouse charge that has accrued — all before the six-month abandonment clock runs out.
What the Warehouse’s Custodial Bond Actually Covers
Federal regulations require the general order bond to be written as a continuous bond, and it covers the warehouse’s obligations to CBP for every piece of bonded merchandise sitting in its facility.1eCFR. 19 CFR 113.63 – Basic Custodial Bond Conditions It guarantees the warehouse will receive goods properly, maintain required records, keep the cargo safe, and redeliver merchandise to CBP on demand.
Think of it as the warehouse’s promise to the government — not yours, and not a mechanism for you to reclaim your shipment. Importers who call their broker asking to “post a G.O. bond” are usually looking for the wrong instrument.
The Bond You Actually Need
Releasing cargo from General Order requires a basic importation and entry bond, sometimes called an Activity Code 1 bond. It can be a continuous bond covering all your imports for a set period, or a single-transaction bond covering just the shipment at issue. This bond guarantees that you will pay all duties, taxes, and charges on your imported goods and comply with all entry requirements.2eCFR. 19 CFR 113.62 – Basic Importation and Entry Bond Conditions
Without that bond backing a valid entry, CBP will not approve release, no matter how much the warehouse is charging you per day.
How Cargo Ends Up in General Order
CBP places merchandise into General Order when it has not been properly entered within 15 calendar days of arrival from a vessel, aircraft, or vehicle.3eCFR. 19 CFR 142.2 – Time for Filing Entry The 15-day miss is the most common trigger, but CBP can also invoke G.O. when estimated duties go unpaid, when required invoices or documents are missing, when the merchandise is not correctly or legally invoiced, or when the consignee or vessel master requests that CBP take possession.4eCFR. 19 CFR 127.1 – Merchandise Considered General Order Merchandise
Once any trigger is met, the carrier notifies a bonded warehouse and the cargo is transferred there at the consignee’s risk and expense.5GovInfo. 19 USC 1490 – General Orders You do not get to choose the warehouse. CBP designates it, the carrier arranges transport, and storage charges start accruing the moment your cargo arrives.
Steps to Get Your Goods Released
Speed matters, because storage fees climb every day. Five steps:
Locate your cargo. CBP issues a G.O. notice identifying the warehouse holding your goods. If you have not received one, contact the carrier or the port director’s office. You cannot start the release process without knowing where the merchandise is.
File a customs entry. Submit consumption entry documentation on CBP Form 7501 or its electronic equivalent to formally declare the goods for import.6eCFR. 19 CFR Part 142 Subpart B – Entry Summary Documentation The entry must be backed by a valid importation bond. CBP does not legally require you to hire a licensed customs broker, and you can file the entry yourself.7CBP. Do I Need a Customs Broker to Clear My Goods Through U.S. Customs If the paperwork problem that got you into G.O. is the kind a broker handles routinely, hiring one usually pays for itself in avoided storage days.
Pay all duties, taxes, and fees. Once CBP accepts your entry, you must deposit all estimated duties, taxes, and any penalties assessed. Nothing moves until this is settled.
Settle warehouse charges separately. These are owed directly to the warehouse proprietor, not CBP, and they cover drayage from the port, storage, and handling.8eCFR. 19 CFR 127.13 – Storage and Expenses The warehouse has no obligation to release your cargo until its own invoice is covered.
Collect the release. After CBP approves your entry and you have paid the warehouse, submit the CBP release authorization to the warehouse to physically pick up the merchandise.
The Storage Clock and the Six-Month Deadline
General Order storage rates are not set at a fixed national rate and tend to run considerably higher than standard commercial warehousing. Charges typically cover daily storage, the initial drayage from port to warehouse, handling fees, and sometimes insurance, all as the owner’s or consignee’s responsibility.8eCFR. 19 CFR 127.13 – Storage and Expenses The meter does not pause while you track down a missing invoice or arrange a surety bond. A full container sitting in G.O. for a few weeks can easily cost more than the original shipping charges, and for lower-value shipments, storage can exceed the merchandise value well before any statutory deadline arrives.
That deadline is firm. Merchandise that remains in G.O. for six months from the date of importation without all duties, taxes, fees, storage, and other charges having been paid is considered unclaimed and abandoned to the U.S. government.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 19 USC 1491 – Unclaimed Merchandise; Disposition Of CBP then appraises the goods and sells them at public auction. The statute mandates the sale; it is not a discretionary call.
Perishable and Hazardous Goods Face a Shorter Clock
If your shipment contains fruit, other perishable items, explosives, or hazardous materials, the six-month timeline does not apply. These goods can be sold after just three days of public notice.10eCFR. 19 CFR 127.28 – Special Merchandise The same accelerated rule covers merchandise likely to depreciate so much that auction proceeds would not cover the duties and charges owed.
The port director has limited discretion to hold perishables in a bonded cold-storage warehouse for a reasonable period if entry looks imminent, but “reasonable” is entirely the port director’s judgment. For time-sensitive cargo, a G.O. notice is a genuine emergency.
How to Avoid General Order in the First Place
Prevention is dramatically cheaper than retrieval. The most common reason goods land in G.O. is that entry documentation was not ready when the cargo arrived. You can file entry documentation before your merchandise reaches port, which eliminates the main risk.3eCFR. 19 CFR 142.2 – Time for Filing Entry
Beyond early filing, keep the fundamentals covered. Maintain a valid continuous importation bond so you are not scrambling for a single-transaction bond at the last minute. Make sure commercial invoices are accurate and complete before the shipment sails. Have estimated duties calculated and funds available before arrival. Respond immediately to any CBP hold or request for additional information. If you work with a customs broker, hand over all documentation well before the vessel’s estimated arrival. The 15-day window sounds generous until a missing document or a lapsed bond eats through it.