Continuous Bond vs. Single Entry Bond: Which Do You Need?

The quote is priced, the tariff line is confirmed, and the shipment is booked — then the customs broker mentions a bond, and it isn't clear whether that's a one-time cost or something billed every year. A customs bond is a guarantee, backed by a surety company, that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be paid the duties, taxes, and fees owed on an import. The two types — Single Entry Bond and Continuous Bond — are built for different import patterns, and picking the wrong one usually just means paying more than necessary.

Quick look

A commercial import needs a customs bond once it's worth more than $2,500, or right away if the goods fall under another federal agency's rules (such as firearms or food), regardless of value.
A Single Entry Bond covers one shipment. A Continuous Bond covers every import you make in a 12-month period under one bond.
The Continuous Bond minimum is $50,000, or 10% of the duties, taxes, and fees you paid over the past 12 months — whichever is higher.
CBP reviews bond amounts on an ongoing basis and can require additional security, including cash or a Single Entry Bond, if it decides an existing bond no longer covers the risk.

【待補圖：主視覺，公司自行拍攝，建議 alt：Orientwings import compliance review: checking shipment documents at a desk】

When a Customs Bond Is Required

CBP requires a bond for commercial imports worth more than $2,500. Below that threshold, most shipments clear as informal entries and a bond usually isn't needed. Whichever type applies, the premium is one more line item to fold into your landed cost alongside duties, MPF, and inland freight — not a cost that shows up only when the broker's invoice arrives. There's one exception worth knowing before you assume your shipment is too small to need one: goods regulated by another federal agency — CBP's own guidance names firearms and food as examples — need a bond regardless of value.

Single Entry Bond: One Shipment, One Bond

A Single Entry Bond (STB) covers a single import transaction. The bond amount must be at least the total entered value of that shipment plus the duties, taxes, and fees owed on it. The premium is typically a small percentage of that bond amount, paid once for that one shipment.

This is the type built for someone who imports occasionally — a one-off order, a sample shipment, or a buyer testing a new supplier before committing to a regular volume. Applying for a new bond every time is a real cost, but it beats paying a full year's premium for imports that may never happen again.

Continuous Bond: One Bond for a Full Year of Imports

A Continuous Bond covers every shipment an importer brings in over a 12-month period, so there's no separate bond application for each entry. The minimum amount is $50,000, or 10% of the duties, taxes, and fees paid over the prior 12 months, whichever is greater. CBP also allows only one continuous bond per importer for a given activity — it isn't something you stack or duplicate across shipments.

For an importer bringing in multiple shipments a year, this is usually the more cost-effective option: one bond, one annual premium, instead of a new Single Entry Bond — and a new premium — for every entry.

How to Get a Bond, and What CBP Asks For

A bond is typically arranged through one of three channels: a licensed customs broker (the most common route, since brokers usually act as an agent for a surety company), a surety company licensed directly by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or in some cases an international freight forwarder. The application generally requires a completed bond application, a signed Power of Attorney authorizing the bond issuer to act on the importer's behalf, and CBP Form 301, the official bond form. A surety may also ask for financial statements before underwriting the bond.

For a Continuous Bond specifically, CBP typically takes one to two weeks to process and approve the filing. Once approved, CBP issues a bond number tied to the importer's own Importer Number — worth planning around if a shipment is on a tight timeline.

CBP Can Require More Security Later

A bond isn't a one-time box to check. CBP periodically reviews whether an importer's bond is still adequate, based on factors including the importer's payment history and the value and nature of what it's importing. If CBP decides a bond is no longer sufficient, it notifies the importer in writing, and the importer generally has 15 days to fix the shortfall. In cases where CBP believes a shipment secured only by a Continuous Bond puts revenue collection or compliance at risk, it can require additional security — cash or a Single Entry Bond — for that shipment on top of the existing bond.

Which One Fits Your Shipments

A simple way to think about it: if you're importing less than once a year, a Single Entry Bond is usually the cheaper path. If you're bringing in multiple shipments a year, a Continuous Bond's flat annual premium is usually cheaper than paying for a new bond on every entry — and it removes a step from every shipment after the first.

Common questions from importers

How do I know if my shipment even needs a bond?
Check two things: the entered value, and whether the goods are regulated by another federal agency. If the value is over $2,500, or the goods fall under another agency's rules regardless of value, a bond is required.

We only import once or twice a year. Is a Continuous Bond still worth it?
Usually not. At that frequency, the annual premium on a Continuous Bond, sized to a $50,000 minimum, tends to cost more than filing a Single Entry Bond for each individual shipment.

What actually sets the size of a Continuous Bond?
It's 10% of the duties, taxes, and fees paid over the prior 12 months, or $50,000, whichever is higher. A first-time importer with no import history is typically bonded at the $50,000 minimum.

If we already have a Continuous Bond, can CBP still ask for more?
Yes. If CBP determines the existing bond no longer adequately covers the risk on a shipment, it can require additional security — cash or a Single Entry Bond — for that shipment, separate from the standing Continuous Bond.

Can we apply for a bond ourselves, or do we need a broker?
A licensed customs broker is the most common path and usually the simplest, since brokers typically act as an agent for a surety company. Working directly with a Treasury-licensed surety company is also an option.

How long does it take to get a Continuous Bond approved?
CBP typically takes one to two weeks to process and approve a Continuous Bond filing once it's submitted, which is worth building into the timeline for a first shipment.

Talk to us about how your shipment is bonded

This page is part of Orientwings International's buyer and seller resources. If you're weighing which bond fits an upcoming shipment, or want a second set of eyes on how a quote itemizes it, tell us what you're importing.