Sellers in the cross-border e-commerce industry have likely all heard the news—on June 3, Trump signed an executive order titled “Strengthening Customs Enforcement,” which comprehensively upgrades import regulations in six key areas.

This is not a minor adjustment aimed at “tightening management.”

The executive order makes its point very clear in black and white—it directly points out that the current customs system is “systematically inefficient and riddled with loopholes,” providing “opportunities for lawbreakers to undervalue imported goods, conceal key information, and evade customs duties.”

Translated into terms a seller can understand:Washington is determined to root out the gray market for "double clearance with tax included" once and for all.

You don’t have much of a transition period left. U.S. Customs has granted 180 days for full compliance—but do you think you’ll be in the clear within 180 days? Think again. The first round of penalties will be imposed as early as September.

01 Key Change: It’s Not That “Enforcement Has Tightened”—It’s That the Rules of the Game Have Changed

Here’s an analogy to help you understand: In the past, when you entered the United States, customs officials would check your passport and visa. Now, they don’t just check your passport—They'll also check whether you own any property, whether you've paid your taxes, and what your credit score is.

The Three Most Devastating Changes:

Change 1: A Shuffle in Importer Qualifications

All import record keepers must maintain a minimum level of domestic physical assets or a security deposit as determined by U.S. Customs; some foreign applicants are required to have CTPAT certification.

In the past, logistics companies could simply use a shell company as a front to act as importers, but that route has now been completely shut down—That importer you're using might not even exist 180 days from now.

💡 Not sure if your current importer can weather the executive order? Add the note “Importer Assessment” to help you verify your current importer’s compliance status.

Cell phone: 18676749275 ｜ WeChat: qcygscszk

Change 2: Credit Rating System + Joint Liability

It’s not just you who gets penalized. Customs maintains an “integrity record” for importers; once your importer is flagged or downgraded, all associated customs brokers and shippers are placed on the blacklist as well.

In the past, you only had to worry about your own compliance—but now, if something goes wrong while you’re helping someone else clear customs, you might get dragged down with them without even knowing how it happened.

Change No. 3: Fines Have Gone from Being “Painful” to “Devastating”

The minimum fine threshold has been raised to 50% of the goods’ value, with a focus on cracking down on forced labor, misclassification, undervaluation, and illegal transshipment. What used to be settled for a few tens of thousands of dollars will now result in fines high enough to strain your cash flow.

02 What Does This Mean for Your Business? Three Numbers Say It All

Let's cut to the chase and do the math:

Cost increase: 30%–50%.

 Under the "double clearance, tax-inclusive" model, your actual customs duties paid may be less than the 30% you are required to pay. Following the implementation of the executive order, the combined cost of customs duties, VAT, and IOR maintenance fees for compliant clearance has increased by an average of 30%–50% per shipment. What used to cost $3,000 per container will now cost $4,500.

Delivery may take an additional 3–5 days.

 In the past, containers that had already cleared customs were processed quickly through the gray lane. Under the new regulations, the inspection rate is expected to surge to over 30%, and the time from arrival to final clearance will increase from 5 days to 8 days, completely disrupting the supply chain rhythm.

The worst part: It’s not that you can’t clear the level—it’s that once you do, you’re still stuck on the cutting board.

 The Golden Tax Phase IV initiative, combined with the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and State Council Order No. 810, has already integrated data between the IRS and CBP. If there’s a discrepancy between your platform’s selling price, the declared customs value, and your U.S. company’s tax filing figures—it’s not just a matter of “possibly being audited”; the system will automatically trigger a pop-up alert.

03 Three Paths to Self-Help: Find the One That Fits You

Option 1: Register a U.S. company to establish independent importer status (★★★★★)

Highest recommendation rating. Use your own U.S. company as the IOR; this way, your import records won’t be tied to anyone else’s, and you’ll have full control over your customs clearance data—so if the IRS ever audits you, everything from customs clearance to sales to tax filing will be a seamless process, with the figures on all three forms matching.

The key point is that the cost is actually the lowest: The operating costs of maintaining an IOR in-house are significantly lower than the customs clearance surcharges incurred by relying on third parties over the long term.

However—it’s not enough to simply register a “U.S. company.” A physical address, business records, an EIN, a bank account, and quarterly tax filings—if even one of these five elements is missing, Customs may determine that you are not a “genuine entity.”

Fit: Brand sellers with stable sales on the U.S. marketplace and sellers who have already begun localizing their operations in the U.S.

📌 Want to learn about the complete process and costs of registering a U.S. company and holding an IOR yourself?Cell phone: 18676749275 ｜ WeChat: qcygscszk, text “U.S. Company” to receive a personalized plan.

Option 2: Partner with a licensed U.S. importer (★★★★)

Quick compliance and no need to maintain a team—it seems like a hassle-free solution. The trade-off isSet aside a portion of the profit——When another company’s IOR handles your customs clearance for you, they’re taking on the risk, so naturally they’ll take a cut of your profits.

Plus, your data is in someone else’s hands. If they go out of business or have their operations downgraded one day, your cargo will be stuck at the port, and you won’t even be able to prove who the owner of the cargo is.

Fit: Sellers in the trial period, sellers with low monthly shipment volumes, and sellers who do not currently plan to establish a physical presence in the U.S.

Option 3: Single-Invoice Clearance for Non-U.S. Importers (★★★)

The most flexible—and the most expensive. Apply for temporary IOR status through an overseas importer (non-U.S.), with separate guarantees for each shipment. Suitable for shipping samples and small-batch testing—butDon't Take This Approach for Large-Scale Distribution...the cost per ticket can eat up your profits until there's nothing left.

Fit: Small sellers in the market validation phase with daily order volumes of less than 50.

04 The Truth About the 180-Day Period: It’s Not a Grace Period—It’s a Period for Clearing Obstacles

The executive order allows 180 days for full implementation. But don’t be fooled by that number—

Legislative proposals will be issued within the first 45 days, and enforcement regulations and penalty standards will be released within 90 days; the first round of penalties will be imposed as early as September. You may think you’re walking in a buffer zone, but in reality, you’re already clearing a minefield.

Here's what you can do right now—the sooner, the better:

• Check your importer status right away. Ask the logistics provider: In which state is this company’s IOR registered? Does it have a physical address? Has it ever been flagged by customs? If they can’t answer these questions—find another provider.
• Choose one of the three options. For companies with high shipment volumes, start applying now to register a U.S. company as your own IOR; for those with lower volumes, partner with a compliant, licensed importer for a long-term collaboration.
• Settle all accounts. U.S. companies’ tax filing records with the IRS, e-commerce platform sales data, and declared customs values—a three-pronged verification process. Interagency data sharing under the executive order isn’t something that will happen overnight; it’s already underway.
• Recalculate the cost table. Customs clearance costs have risen by 30%-50%. This isn’t something you can just “be aware of” and expect to get through. If you don’t adjust your pricing or SKU structure, your income statement will make that clear.

The era of unchecked growth is over.

For sellers who play by the rules, this isn’t actually a bad thing. In the past, your compliance costs were high and your prices were fixed, so you could never compete on price with those operating in the gray market. Now the playing field has been leveled—Those who comply stay. Those who engage in gray-market activities are out.

🔍 Compliance Assessment for U.S. Importers

I'm not sure if your current customs clearance process can withstand the executive order.

Cell phone: 18676749275 ｜ WeChat: qcygscszk

Notes: “Importer Assessment” ① Verify the compliance status of your current importer qualifications; ② Calculate and compare the actual costs of the three options; ③ Explain your optimal choice clearly in 10 minutes.

Qicaiying Can Do More Than Just Incorporate Companies

Compliance in the U.S. market isn’t just a matter of “getting a license and opening an account.” Qicaiying has been specializing in U.S. compliance for cross-border sellers for 10 years, and here’s what we do for you:

• ✅ U.S. Company Registration + Physical Address + EIN Application —The First Step Toward Obtaining IOR Status
• ✅ U.S. Tax Compliance — Quarterly bookkeeping, annual tax filing, 1099-K reconciliation, and communication with the IRS to ensure that customs clearance data matches tax filing data
• ✅ Fast Track for Opening a Bank Account —Separation of collection and operating accounts, ensuring a clear and traceable flow of funds
• ✅ Importer Compliance Audit —Risk Assessment of Current IOR Status Under the Executive Order: Should You Renew It Within 180 Days, and How?

About Enterprise Caiying Group

Established in 2015 and headquartered in Shenzhen, Qicaiying Group specializes in providing one-stop financial, tax, and corporate compliance services to cross-border e-commerce companies and businesses expanding overseas. Its services include Hong Kong and overseas company registration, bank account opening, cross-border financial and tax compliance, ODI filing, VAT/EPR registration, bookkeeping services, and corporate identity planning. Having served over 50,000 companies to date, it is a trusted financial and tax compliance partner for cross-border sellers.