This is an official website of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is provided as a public service. Information presented on the site is considered public information and may be distributed or copied for non-commercial purposes, except where third party copyright notification exists. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.
Information Collection and Use
CBP follows the privacy policy of the Department of Homeland Security. Accordingly, it is CBP’s policy to explain how the personally identifiable information (PII) that you provide to us when you visit us online to browse, obtain information, or conduct a transaction.
As a general rule, CBP does not collect PII about you when you visit our website, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Submitting PII through our website is voluntary. By doing so, you are giving the Department your permission to use the information for a specific, stated purpose.
If you choose to provide us with PII through such methods as completing a web form, we will use that information to help us provide you the information or service you have requested. The information we may receive from you varies based on what you do when visiting our site.
We only share the PII you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. We never create individual profiles or give your PII to any private organizations. CBP never collects information for commercial marketing.
If we store your PII in a record system designed to retrieve information about you by personal identifier (name, personal email address, home mailing address, personal or mobile phone number, etc.), so that we may contact you, we will safeguard the information you provide to us in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. § 552a). The Act requires all public-facing sites or forms that request PII to prominently and conspicuously display a privacy notice.
The notice must address the following criteria:
- Legal authorization to collect information about you;
- Purpose for which the information will be used;
- Routine uses for disclosure of information outside of the Department of Homeland Security;
- Whether your providing the information is voluntary or mandatory under law; and
- Effects if you choose to not provide the requested information.
For the general contact information that may be submitted through www.cbp.gov, we have completed a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and System of Records Notice (SORN) providing details about the privacy protections and redress options available for the contact information we collect from the public. This information may be used to distribute information to you and to perform various administrative tasks.
Security Notification
You are entering an Official United States Government System, which may be used only for authorized purposes. The U.S. Government may monitor and audit usage of this system, and all persons are hereby notified that use of this system constitutes consent to such monitoring and auditing. Unauthorized attempts to upload information and/or change information on this Web site are strictly prohibited and are subject to prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1001 and 1030.
Copyright Notice
Unless a copyright is indicated, information on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website is in the public domain and may be reproduced, published or otherwise used without the permission of the CBP. We request only that the CBP be cited as the source of the information and that any photo credits or bylines be similarly credited to the photographer, author, or CBP, as appropriate.
If a copyright is indicated on a photo, graphic, or any other material, permission to copy these materials must be obtained from the original source.
This copyright notice does not pertain to information at websites other than the CBP website.
Use of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Emblem, Name, or Seal
Federal law (31 U.S.C. § 333; 31 CFR Part 27) prohibits use of the words "U.S. Customs and Border Protection," "CBP," any symbol, emblem, seal, or badge of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (or any entity of the Department of Homeland Security) or any colorable imitation of such words, initials, symbols, emblems, or seals in connection with any advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product where such use could reasonably be interpreted as conveying the false impression that such advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product is in any manner approved, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by, or associated with, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, or any other entity of the Department of Homeland Security.
Disclaimer
Note: This website is provided for the convenience of the public, but due to the nature of this medium, only the latest printed version of a law, regulation or Federal Register notice should be considered official.
Links to Other Sites
Any links on CBP.gov have been provided for your convenience. Neither the U.S. government nor CBP controls or guarantees the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of hyperlinks to other websites is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture or otherwise. Once you link to another website, you are leaving cbp.gov and are subject to the disclaimers, security and privacy policies of the new site.