Power of Attorney Form – U.S. Customs

Information updated on March 29, 2012, to reflect changes in regulations.

Requirements (pdf)

U.S. Customs has noted that the power of attorney form being used by many moving companies and overseas agents is out of date and not in compliance with current regulations. It is very important that we correct this – since U.S. Customs sometimes issues fines and penalties for inadequate powers of attorney. Fortunately, the solution is very simple.

Please discard all older versions of your power of attorney (POA) forms and in their place use a POA form that includes the importer notifications required by part 111.29(b) and 111.36 of the Customs regulations (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 19).

Here is a current version of the short-form POA (pdf), appropriate for individual shipments to the U.S. A long-form POA form and other forms (including one for ISF) can be found at Customs Clearance International’s website – www.cciusa.net. Also, note that the current version of Customs’ Form 3299, Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, can be found here – http://forms.cbp.gov/pdf/CBP_Form_3299.pdf (pdf).

Here is a summary of the U.S. Customs regulations (pdf) pertaining to the power of attorney requirements. For powers of attorney to be valid for clearing shipments:

1. They must be signed by the owner of the household goods and/or personal effects,
2. The person’s name should also be printed on the top line of the form,
3. They must include the date,
4. They must include the complete name of the clearing customs broker (if not already pre-printed), and
5. All information must be legible.