Shipping Documents: Missing Textile Visa

ShippingTextile Visa is a certification of goods belonging to a specific product category – i.e. pillows, table cloth, blankets, etc. – as listed in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. It is a document that must be attached to your shipment in order for your goods to clear US Customs. The document is typically obtained by the seller, the company / supplier you bought from, or by the shipper / freight forwarder who may be in a position to obtain this necessary shipping document for you if you had bought from an unlicensed exporter. Both, your supplier or alternatively your shipper can get the document for you from the Trade Department of their country.

In the event your goods arrive into the United States without the necessary documentation, in this case without the appropriate textile visa, you won’t be able to clear US Customs and your broker will have to contact the seller or alternatively the necessary trade office in the country of origin in order to obtain the missing document. Needless to say, the process will take time, often even 2 to 4 weeks to accomplish all the while your merchandise will sit in a US Customs bonded warehouse of a carrier that brought it into the United States, a service for which you’ll pay storage charges at the time you had finally cleared the customs and you can pick up your shipment. Having to pay the storage charges will in turn diminish your anticipated profit as you will need to add the costs to your total landed costs of your product. To avoid such a problem, make sure your shipment will have the necessary textile visa attached with the rest of the documents.


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