Understanding BOL Types and In-Bond Shipments
A Bill of Lading (BOL) is a transportation document that identifies the shipper, consignee, cargo, and transportation details. The sections below explain each BOL type and how In-Bond shipments work.
BOL Types
In our data, BOLs are categorized into different types based on whether they have a Master/House relationship, whether an in-bond type is present, and whether the consignee address is in the United States.
Regular Bill
A Regular Bill is a standalone BOL that:
- does not have a linked Master or House BOL,
- does not have an inbond_type value, and
- has a consignee address in the United States.
In-Bond Regular
An In-Bond Regular BOL is a Regular BOL that has an inbond_type value. In other words, it is a standalone BOL with a U.S. consignee that also contains in-bond information.
Master Bill
A Master Bill is a Master BOL that:
- does not have an inbond_type value, and
- has a consignee address in the United States.
A Master BOL generally represents the carrier's bill covering a consolidated shipment. A consolidated shipment can contain multiple individual shipments represented by House Bills. CBP describes a Master Bill as the bill generated by the incoming carrier for a consolidated shipment.
House Bill
A House Bill is a BOL that has a linked Master BOL and has a consignee address in the United States.
House Bills are typically used for individual shipments that are consolidated under a Master BOL.
Master FROB
FROB stands for Foreign Cargo Remaining On Board. A Master FROB is a Master BOL where the consignee address is outside the United States.
FROB cargo is foreign cargo that arrives within the United States but is not intended to be imported into the United States. CBP specifically distinguishes FROB from cargo that is entered into the United States, and for FROB the carrier is treated as the importer for ISF purposes.
House FROB
A House FROB is a House BOL where:
- the BOL is linked to a Master BOL, and
- the consignee address is outside the United States.
Simple BOL FROB
A Simple BOL FROB is a standalone BOL where:
- there is no Master/House relationship,
- there is no in-bond type, and
- the consignee address is outside the United States.
Master BOL w/ In-Bond
A Master BOL w/ In-Bond is a Master BOL where the inbond_type field contains an in-bond value.
Empty Equipment IIT
Empty Equipment IIT refers to empty containers or other equipment moving as Instruments of International Traffic (IIT).
These are reusable transportation items, such as empty shipping containers, that are moving internationally without cargo inside them.
In-Bond Shipments
An In-Bond shipment is cargo that moves through the United States under a customs bond without being entered for consumption and cleared at the first U.S. port where it arrives.
CBP describes the In-Bond Program as covering cargo that enters the United States and is transported to another U.S. location, transits the United States to another country, or is immediately exported.
There are three main In-Bond types: 61, 62, and 63.
Immediate Transportation (IT)
Type 61 – Immediate Transportation is used when cargo arrives at one U.S. port but is not cleared by customs there. Instead, it moves under bond to another U.S. port, where the customs entry and clearance take place.
CBP describes an IT entry as the movement of merchandise from an arrival port to another U.S. port where a subsequent entry must be filed.
Example: Cargo arrives from China at the Port of Los Angeles, but customs clearance will take place in Dallas.
- Los Angeles = first U.S. port
- Dallas = U.S. port where the shipment proceeds for entry/clearance
Transportation & Exportation (T&E)
Type 62 – Transportation and Exportation is used when cargo enters the United States but is not intended for the U.S. market. The cargo moves through the United States under bond and is then exported from another U.S. port to a foreign destination without being entered for consumption in the United States.
CBP defines T&E as transportation through the United States to another U.S. port, where the merchandise is exported without payment of duties.
Example: Cargo arrives at the Port of Los Angeles from China and is transported to the Port of Houston, where it is exported to Mexico.
- Los Angeles = first U.S. port
- Houston = U.S. port of exportation
- Mexico = foreign destination
Immediate Exportation (IE)
Type 63 – Immediate Exportation is used when cargo arrives at a U.S. port and is exported immediately from that same port without being transported to another U.S. port.
CBP defines IE as cargo that has arrived at a U.S. port and is directly exported without transportation to another port.
Example: Cargo arrives at the Port of Los Angeles from China and is immediately exported from Los Angeles to Canada.
- Los Angeles = U.S. port where the cargo arrives and is exported
- Canada = foreign destination
In-Bond Types at a Glance
| Type | Name | What happens to the cargo? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Immediate Transportation (IT) | Moves from one U.S. port to another U.S. port for entry/clearance | Los Angeles → Dallas |
| 62 | Transportation & Exportation (T&E) | Moves through the U.S. and is then exported from another U.S. port | Los Angeles → Houston → Mexico |
| 63 | Immediate Exportation (IE) | Is exported directly from the U.S. arrival port | Los Angeles → Canada |
CBP's ACE documentation also specifies that the U.S. port of destination field represents the port of termination for Type 61, port of exportation for Type 62, and port of arrival for Type 63. For Types 62 and 63, the data can also contain a foreign destination.
Final Clearing Destination Filter
When you select the In-Bond filter and choose Type 62 or Type 63, you may also see the Final Clearing Destination filter.
This filter is available for these two In-Bond types because they involve cargo that is ultimately moving outside the United States. In our data, the Final Clearing Destination represents the foreign destination associated with these shipments.
Type 62
→ Final Clearing Destination: Mexico
Type 63
→ Final Clearing Destination: Canada
CBP's in-bond data structure identifies a foreign destination for T&E (62) and IE (63), while Type 61 does not use a foreign destination field. The Final Clearing Destination information appears under the field final_clearing_destination.
Rail Ramp
There is also a Rail Ramp filter available for In-Bond shipments. A Rail Ramp represents the U.S. CBP port associated with the in-bond movement. Depending on the In-Bond type, it represents:
- Type 61 (IT): the CBP port where the in-bond movement terminates.
- Type 62 (T&E): the U.S. port of exportation.
- Type 63 (IE): the U.S. port of arrival.
This means that for an In-Bond shipment, the Rail Ramp can represent the U.S. port associated with the next stage of the shipment after the initial arrival port, depending on the In-Bond type. CBP's ACE documentation uses the U.S. Port of Destination field for these corresponding purposes.
us_clearing_district_name and us_clearing_district_code.A Simple Way to Think About the Different Types
The easiest way to distinguish the BOL types is to look at three things:
Is there a Master/House relationship?
This determines whether the BOL is a Master, House, or standalone BOL.
Is there an inbond_type value?
If there is, the shipment has an In-Bond designation: 61, 62, or 63.
Is the consignee in the U.S.?
If the consignee is outside the U.S., the shipment can fall into one of the FROB categories, depending on whether it is a Master, House, or standalone BOL.
In short
- 61 = moves to another U.S. port for entry/clearance
- 62 = moves through the U.S. and is exported from another U.S. port
- 63 = is exported directly from the arrival port