CBP holds ocean cargo for two broad reasons: it wants to look at the cargo, or it cannot trust the data describing it. You cannot control the first, but you can control the second, and the second is where most avoidable delays come from. This guide explains the hold and exam codes CBP sends, the data problems behind them, and a practical checklist for carriers and NVOCCs.
When CBP acts on a bill of lading, ACE sends the carrier or NVOCC a status message with a disposition code. CAMIR Ocean Appendix D lists them. These are the ones operations teams see most often when cargo stops moving:
| Code | Name in CBP's list | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | Entered: intensive examination required | An entry has been filed and CBP will examine the cargo before release. |
| 7H / 7I | NII exam ordered / removed | A non-intrusive inspection (for example, an X-ray scan) has been ordered and the cargo is held until it is removed. |
| 1H | CBP hold placed at port of discharge | Release is denied until CBP removes the hold. |
| 3H | Other Government Agency hold placed at port of discharge | Another agency, posted through CBP, must clear the cargo first. |
| 2O / 2Q | ISF hold, no ISF on file / Do Not Load, no ISF on file | The bill arrived without a matching Importer Security Filing. |
| 6H / 6I | Do Not Load / Okay to Load | Invalid cargo description, shipper or consignee; the cargo should not be loaded until the hold is removed. |
| 1S | Ordered to General Order | The lay order expired with the cargo still not fully entered or released. |
Notice that the codes come in pairs: a hold placed and a hold removed. Cargo is only clear when every hold on the bill has its matching removal and a release has been posted.
CBP describes its approach to cargo examination as risk-based: it uses intelligence from a number of sources to identify high-risk shipments and focus inspection resources on them, and it uses non-intrusive inspection technology to examine cargo without slowing trade. Its work with members of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) is meant to let it examine cargo more selectively.
Targeting runs on data. The manifest and the Importer Security Filing are the first information CBP sees about a shipment, long before the vessel arrives. Under 19 CFR 4.7, the carrier's cargo declaration is due 24 hours before lading at the foreign port, and under 19 CFR 149.2, most ISF elements are due by the same point. When that data is vague or inconsistent, the shipment is harder to assess, and harder-to-assess shipments get a closer look.
Some exams are random or intelligence-driven, and no amount of good paperwork prevents them. But a large share of the holds operations teams deal with trace back to data the carrier or NVOCC controls:
Our companion articles on ISF 10+2 for NVOCCs and correcting a rejected ACE manifest go deeper on the first three.
CBP's guidance for importers is direct: under 19 U.S.C. 1467, CBP has the right to examine any shipment imported into the United States, and under 19 CFR 151.6 the importer bears any expense involved in preparing the merchandise for examination. CBP says it does not charge for the exam itself, but a selected shipment is generally moved to a Centralized Examination Station (CES), a privately operated facility that bills for its services. Transport to and from the exam site and storage add to the cost, and household effects are not exempt.
An NII exam (code 7H) is a scan; an intensive exam (code 1A) means the cargo is physically examined. Either way the container is not going anywhere until the exam is finished and every hold is removed. For an NVOCC, the practical job is communication: tell the consignee quickly, coordinate with the customs broker, and keep the bill record up to date so nobody releases cargo early.
Not every hold is a CBP decision. Code 3H marks a hold for another government agency, posted through CBP. The cargo cannot be released until that agency is satisfied and the hold is removed, so the customs broker and the importer usually need to work directly with the agency involved.
General Order is the other trap. CBP's disposition list includes an advisory two days before a lay order expires (pending eligible General Order) and an "Ordered to General Order" advisory when the discrepancy between the manifested and entered quantities has not been resolved by the end of the lay order. Cargo sent to a General Order warehouse costs more and takes longer to recover. Watching those advisories, and chasing the consignee or broker before they turn into an order, is cheap insurance.
Holds become expensive when nobody notices them. A disposition code sitting in an EDI mailbox does not help the person answering the consignee's call. The status should appear on the shipment itself, next to the bill of lading, the container and the invoice.
That is the design behind the ACE module in GDZ-ISIS: it uploads the manifest from the bills of lading already in the system and tracks CBP approvals, holds and inspections, along with in-bond cargo, General Order and Customs releases. If your team is still checking cargo status across several screens, schedule a demo and see it on one record.
It is a disposition code telling the carrier the cargo should not be loaded for the U.S. CAMIR Ocean Appendix D includes Do Not Load codes for no ISF on file (2Q), an ISF compliance issue (2R), and an invalid cargo description, shipper or consignee (6H). Each has a matching removal code.
CBP says it does not charge for cargo examinations, but under 19 CFR 151.6 the importer bears the expense of preparing the merchandise for examination. That typically includes Centralized Examination Station fees, drayage and storage.
Not always. CBP may examine any shipment, and some exams are random or intelligence-driven. Accurate descriptions, correct parties and a timely ISF do prevent the data-related holds and rejections that are within your control.
A non-intrusive inspection, such as a scan, that lets CBP examine cargo without unloading it. In ACE ocean status messages, code 7H means an NII exam has been ordered and the cargo is held; 7I means it has been removed.
It means cargo that was not entered and released in time can be moved to a General Order warehouse. CBP sends an advisory two days before the lay order expires and another when the cargo is ordered to General Order, so watch for both.