Importer identity data is becoming a direct freight-entry control. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in an August 19 notice that enhanced Form 5106 enforcement begins September 18. If the agency determines that an importer of record or its broker supplied incomplete or inaccurate information, CBP says it will immediately void the associated importer number.
Once voided, CBP says the number cannot be used for customs purposes or to enter imported goods. The notice does not say every data mismatch will seize cargo or automatically create a penalty, but it does make an invalid importer record capable of stopping the normal entry path until the number is reestablished. That distinction matters for shipment planning.
CBP identified the fields it expects importers and brokers to verify: the importer name, tax or CBP-assigned identification number, mailing address, physical location, phone number and email address. Each contact point must belong to the importer. The physical address cannot be a registered agent, customs broker, freight forwarder, post-office box, business service center or another person's address.
Broker authority receives the same attention. A customs broker submitting Form 5106 must hold a valid power of attorney executed directly with the importer of record, not through a freight forwarder or another third party. CBP also reminded brokers that due diligence applies and that they should not transmit information they know or should know is false, misleading or unverified.
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When CBP voids a number, the agency says it will send written notice to the importer's most recently submitted email address and, when applicable, copy the broker that last filed an entry. The notice will state the basis and describe the corroborating information needed to request reestablishment. An outdated email can therefore complicate the recovery path as well as trigger the underlying accuracy concern.
The freight inference is that importer master data now belongs in the pre-arrival control tower beside classification, valuation, bond and document readiness. A forwarder or carrier does not own the importer's Form 5106 record, but it can identify shipments whose entry plan depends on an unverified importer number and escalate the risk before pickup, consolidation or port arrival.
Importers should compare the current Form 5106 record with tax records, the actual operating location and importer-controlled contact details, then document who verified each field. Brokers should confirm the direct power of attorney and the evidence supporting changes. Logistics teams should record the owner and completion date of that review for freight expected on or after September 18.
This is not a new license for every shipment; it is stronger enforcement around the identity record that supports customs business. The practical move is a narrow data audit now, not a broad rewrite of the entry process. Accurate importer identity keeps the existing gate usable, while an unresolved mismatch can turn an administrative field into an avoidable freight delay.