A CBP container exam is an inspection U.S. Customs and Border Protection orders on an imported ocean container before it is released. Exams range from a non-intrusive drive-through X-ray that takes hours to a full devanning that takes days. Every exam costs the importer money in exam fees, extra drayage moves, per diem and demurrage — and none of it is billed by CBP itself.
Why containers get flagged
CBP uses the Automated Targeting System to score every entry against the manifest, the ISF, the importer’s history, the commodity, the origin country and the shipper. High scores get holds. Some holds are random. Others are triggered by a partner government agency such as the FDA, USDA or Consumer Product Safety Commission, which places its own hold on the same container.
You will typically learn about the hold when your customs broker sees the entry status or when the terminal refuses to release the container for pickup.
The three main exam types
1. VACIS / NII (non-intrusive inspection)
The container is moved to a gamma-ray or X-ray array and imaged without opening the doors. This is the fastest and cheapest exam. If the image looks consistent with the manifest, the container is released. Typical delay is one to three business days depending on the queue at the port.
2. Tailgate exam
An officer breaks the seal, opens the doors and inspects the cargo visible at the back of the container. Nothing is unloaded. If the officer is satisfied, the container is resealed with a CBP seal and released. Expect two to five business days.
3. Intensive exam (devanning)
The container is trucked to a CBP-approved Centralized Examination Station, fully unloaded, sampled and reloaded. This is the most disruptive and expensive option and commonly runs five to fifteen business days. Cargo that needs an intensive exam usually goes to a bonded facility, which is why a CFS in Miami matters so much for LCL importers.
What a container exam actually costs
CBP does not charge for the inspection. The costs come from everyone else in the chain:
- Exam site fees — the CES charges for the move, the strip and the restuff. Intensive exams are billed by the hour or by the pallet.
- Extra drayage — the container has to be pulled to the exam site and returned to the terminal, which is two additional moves on top of your normal delivery.
- Demurrage — free time at the terminal keeps running during the hold in many cases. Ask your carrier whether exam days are excluded.
- Per diem on chassis and equipment — if the box sits, the clock runs.
Because the drayage leg is where most of the avoidable cost sits, importers who use an asset-based carrier for Miami drayage generally recover faster than those relying on a broker to find a truck twice.
How to shorten an exam
File a clean and early ISF, make sure the commodity description on the manifest matches the entry, and give your broker complete documents the first time. Importers enrolled in CTPAT statistically see fewer exams and get front-of-line treatment when they do. Finally, make sure whoever handles your container can get an appointment quickly once the hold lifts — a delay in booking a terminal appointment can add another day for no reason.
Frequently asked questions
Does CBP charge a fee for a container exam?
No. CBP does not bill the importer for the inspection itself. The importer pays the exam station, the drayage carrier, the ocean carrier for per diem and the terminal for demurrage.
How long does a CBP container exam take?
A VACIS X-ray exam usually takes one to three business days, a tailgate exam two to five business days, and an intensive devanning exam five to fifteen business days depending on the port and the volume of holds.
Can I avoid a container exam?
You cannot refuse an exam, but you can reduce your odds by filing accurate and timely ISF and entry data, using consistent commodity descriptions, and joining CTPAT.
Get your container moving
Go Freight is an asset-based Miami 3PL with 100+ owned trucks, our own chassis pool and a 104,000 sq ft bonded warehouse — so when a hold lifts, we already have the equipment to move your box. Request a quote or call (786) 445-0150.