U.S. Customs Form: CBP Form 3173 – Application for Extension of Bond for Temporary Importation

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Form 3173 is the application to extend a bond for temporary importation. A bond for temporary important is typically used for goods that are in transit through the United States en route to a third country.  For example, to save money on shipping, many Canadian companies bring shipments from the Caribbean or South America through United States territory, rather than going around the United States to import them into Canadian ports directly.  Customs allows these companies to import the goods into U.S. territory without paying duties as long as they  file a “bond for temporary importation.” That bond will give the companies only a limited amount of time to then re-export those goods overseas.  Customs Form 3173 allows importers to extend this time limit should the shipment be delayed within U.S. territory for some reason.