---
title: "When Will My Shipment Clear U.S Customs?"
description: "Explains when ocean and air shipments clear US Customs relative to arrival, the in-app cleared message, and how customs exams affect release."
language: en
canonical: https://www.flex.thisisbrew.com/help/import-shipment-clear-customs/
lifecycle: live
---

# When Will My Shipment Clear U.S Customs?

For an **ocean** shipment, it depends -- the shipment will clear U.S. Customs between 5 days before arrival and the time of cargo recovery from port.

For an **air** shipment, U.S. Customs clearance will happen between uplift on the U.S.-bound plane and the time of cargo recovery from airport terminal.

So, no matter how your shipment is traveling, it's possible that you may see a "Customs cleared" message even before your shipment arrives in the United States.

Clearing your goods prior to arrival at the port helps to ensure any issues can be resolved and your freight is picked up as soon as it's made available by the carrier. 

Your shipment may still be pulled for a [customs exam](https://www.flexport.com/help/30-customs-exams-impact), and the [type of customs exam](https://www.flexport.com/help/299-customs-holds-and-exams) will determine when your shipment is released. 

***Disclaimer: U.S. Customs has the right to suspend customs release within 30 days.***

---

*This is a markdown version of [https://www.flex.thisisbrew.com/help/import-shipment-clear-customs/](https://www.flex.thisisbrew.com/help/import-shipment-clear-customs/) for AI/LLM consumption.*