U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced January 21, that its new Forced Labor Portal is officially live.
This centralized portal is now the required platform for importers to submit review requests for shipments detained or excluded due to forced labor enforcement. Depending on the submission type, requests will be routed to the appropriate CBP personnel within the Forced Labor Division, Port of Entry, or the Center of Excellence and Expertise.
Effective January 21, CBP now requires all of the following reviews to be submitted through the Forced Labor Portal:
- Withhold Release Order (WRO) / Finding admissibility reviews
- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) applicability reviews
- UFLPA exception requests
- Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) exception requests
The portal can be accessed here. CBP has also published several helpful resources on the same webpage, including:
• A Quick Reference Guide
• An instructional video on how to submit requests
For additional guidance on how to respond when a detention notice is issued, see Appendix A of the Forced Labor Portal Quick Reference Guide.
Appendix A (pages 106–107) outlines the steps importers should take upon receiving a detention notice, including documentation expectations and recommended next actions. We encourage users to review this section to ensure they are fully prepared when submitting materials through the Forced Labor Portal.
For questions regarding the portal or submission process, CBP can be contacted at ForcedLabor@cbp.dhs.gov.
Due to the rapidly changing application and modifications of duty rates, please note that Deringer is not responsible for coordinating the timing of U.S. entry and imposed tariff rates.
