CBP (U.S. Customs) bond conditions appear in the CBP Regulations at title 19, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Subpart G of Part 113. The CBP Form 301 employs a check-off that incorporates the bond text by reference. Bond conditions impose obligations that are otherwise required by statute or regulation.

CBP are intended to reflect the obligations associated with the types of transactions engaged in by the bond principal. An importer of merchandise has different legal obligations to the Government than does a custodian such as a carrier, a cartage operator, or a warehouse proprietor who does not own the merchandise that it stores or transports. A person who makes a claim for drawback under the exporter’s summary procedure or who requests accelerated payment of drawback has a different set of obligations to the Government than does a master of a vessel that arrives in the United States from a foreign country.

For example, an importer’s bond obligations require him, among other things, to pay duties and submit entry summary documentation at the times required by law, and to redeliver merchandise to CBP upon a lawful demand. The basic custodial bond requires that the custodian of bonded merchandise (which would include bonded carriers, bonded warehouse proprietors, duty-free store operators, container freight station operators, and other custodians of merchandise) comply with regulations relating to the receipt, carriage, safekeeping and disposition of bonded merchandise, maintain all records required by regulations relating to such merchandise and produce the records upon demand by a CBP officer.