22/01/2026

Customs & ISF/ACI Reminders Before CNY: Don’t Let Paperwork Stop Your Cargo

Table of Contents

Introduction: When the Calendar, Cargo and Customs Collide

When Chinese New Year (CNY) is coming up, the logistics sector falls into a type of controlled anarchy every year. Before the holiday, factories work quickly to satisfy last-minute orders, carriers limit their capacity, and ports load up with containers that are all trying to leave China.

During that rush, paperwork is the one thing that always slows down shippers more than anything else. This includes customs paperwork and security forms like ISF (Import Security Filing) for the U.S. and ACI (Advance Commercial Information) for Canada and some other places.

The sad part? Storms, port congestion, and problems with ships don’t usually cause delays for cargo. It gets delayed because the HS code is missing, the ISF was filed late, the packing list is insufficient, or customs didn’t understand the rule. These problems can be avoided 100% if you get ready early, especially before CNY.

In this essay, we’ll go over:

Why customs and ISF/ACI problems get worse around CNY
The important papers you need to get ready ahead of time and how they all fit together
Common mistakes while filing that cause delays or fines
Before the holiday, make realistic timetables and action plans.
How hiring a professional logistics company can help you keep your freight moving

Lastly, we’ll answer some common queries and show you how working with a professional partner like Topway Shipping may help you avoid all the paperwork problems.

Understanding CNY Pressure on Customs and Security Filings

The CNY Effect on the Entire Supply Chain

CNY is not just a holiday. It’s a system-wide reset for logistics:

Factories close for one to two weeks or more, and many workers have to travel a long way back to their hometowns. The weeks leading up to the shutdown are the busiest times for production and shipping. That means:

More reservations than usual in a short amount of time
People are more likely to make mistakes when they are in a hurry.
Not much time to resolve problems with the paperwork before everything closes

Customs offices and other similar agencies may also cut back on staff or adjust their hours of operation during the holiday. Even if ports are still “open,” there may be fewer workers than normal working on paperwork, answering queries, or doing inspections.

When you have more work to do and fewer people to do it with, every little error becomes a major deal.

Why ISF/ACI and Similar Schemes Matter More Than Ever

Customs authorities need to know about shipments before they arrive, which is why security files like ISF (for goods going to the U.S.) and ACI (for shipments going to Canada and other advanced filing frameworks) are required. They want to find out:

What’s in the box
Who is sending and getting it
Where the cargo came from
How it’s being moved

These filings have a time limit. If you miss the deadline, you could:

Fines in money
Cargo holds and checks
Costs for rolled shipments or extra storage

Around CNY, every sailing is important, thus a delay of even a few days can mean missing the ship and having to wait weeks for the next one.

Key Customs Documents You Must Have Ready Before CNY

The Core Documentation Package

A core set of paperwork is needed for most international shipments. If any of these are missing, wrong, or late, you’ll be in trouble, especially during busy periods like CNY.

Here’s a quick overview:

Document	Who Prepares It	Main Purpose
Commercial Invoice	Seller / Exporter	Declares value, product details, terms of sale
Packing List	Seller / Exporter	Details quantities, packaging, weights, dimensions
Bill of Lading / Air Waybill	Carrier / Forwarder	Contract of carriage; title/receipt of goods
HS Codes & Classification	Exporter + Customs Broker	Correct tariff classification for duties & compliance
Customs Declaration	Customs Broker / Importer	Legal filing to customs authority
ISF/ACI Data Set	Importer / Agent / Broker	Pre-arrival security filing

All of these are linked to one other. Customs systems and personnel immediately raise red lights when things don’t match.

The Invoice: More Than Just a Price Sheet

The commercial invoice isn’t only for the accounting department of your client. It is very important for customs officials to figure out:

Value for customs
Descriptions of products
Place of origin
Incoterms
Information about the buyer and seller

Check your invoice before CNY to make sure it has:

Clear descriptions of the products (no unclear “parts” or “samples” if you can help it)
Correct amount of money and worth
Correct Incoterms, like FOB Shenzhen and CIF Los Angeles
Fix the information about the buyer or importer

If you’re shipping more than one SKU, don’t rush and put them all under one generic line. That could save you 10 minutes now, but it could cost you days later when you have to clear it.

The Packing List: Where Reality Meets Paper

The packing list tells you “how” it is packed, whereas the invoice tells you “what” and “how much.”:

Number of boxes, pallets, or packages
Net and gross weights
The size of each shipment or pallet
Numbers and marks

Before the Chinese New Year, producers may have to adjust the number of cartons and the way they are stacked at the last minute. That’s when packing lists typically stop being useful.

Make it a hard and fast rule that no booking is final unless the packing list matches the cargo. Send your forwarder and broker the changes right away so they can update the paperwork.

HS Codes and Classification: The Silent Risk

A lot of shippers still don’t pay attention to HS codes or just copy them from past shipments without checking. But putting things in the wrong category can lead to:

Paying the wrong amount of duty (too little or too much)
Holds up when customs disputes the classification
Possible punishments, especially for making the same mistake more than once

It’s a good idea to double-check HS codes for any new or changed products before CNY, when customs may tighten risk checks. Make sure that the descriptions on the invoice match the HS codes you are using.

ISF, ACI and Pre-Arrival Filings: Timelines and Best Practices

What Information Is Typically Needed

Most of the time, security filings just need a small part of the information that is already in your business paperwork, but they need it sooner. For instance, ISF (10+2) for maritime exports to the U.S. usually needs:

Importer of record
Receiver
Information about the buyer and seller
Supplier or maker
Ship-to person
Place of origin
HTSUS (HS codes) for goods
Place to stuff containers and, in some situations, a consolidator

Other countries’ ACI-type systems work in a similar way: they collect basic information about the goods, the people involved, and the transportation so that authorities may assess risk ahead of time.

You shouldn’t wait if you don’t have all the details of your final packing yet. Get ready for what you can as soon as possible. You can plan ahead for names, addresses, HS codes, and the fundamental structure of the cargo.

Example Timeline Before CNY

Here is a simple illustration of how you could plan your timeframe for an ocean cargo to the U.S. during the CNY crunch. Change based on actual carrier cut-offs and how things are done in your area:

Time Before Vessel ETD	Recommended Action
21–14 days	Confirm POs, draft invoice, confirm HS codes, align with customs broker
14–10 days	Finalize buyer/seller details, Incoterms, preliminary packing configuration
10–7 days	Lock main cargo list, share preliminary ISF/ACI data with forwarder/broker
7–5 days	Final packing list confirmation, update any changes immediately
5–3 days	Ensure ISF/ACI filing is submitted within required time window before loading/ETD
3–0 days	Monitor for any customs queries and fix discrepancies before vessel departure

Trying to fit this whole thing into 3–4 days during the CNY peak is a recipe for disaster. Even if it seems strict, make sure your suppliers stick to earlier cut-offs.

The Hidden Impact of Late Filings

Sometimes freight ships even when filings are late or missing. But there are consequences:

More likely to have tests and holds at the destination
Possible ISF fines
Unforeseen delays in the final delivery

Those unexpected delays can be worse than paying a little more for freight when the market is tight and your customer is waiting for goods during a certain sales season.

Common Mistakes That Stop Cargo at the Worst Possible Time

Mismatched Data Across Documents

Data mismatches are one of the most common difficulties, but they are also easy to fix. For instance:

The name of the buyer on the invoice is different from the name of the importer on the ISF.
The HS code on the commercial invoice doesn’t match what was sent to customs.
The number of cartons on the packing list is different from the manifest.

These might not seem like big mistakes on their own. But customs systems are made to find problems. When there are a lot of files to examine around CNY, yours can sit in a queue while someone checks the data again.

You may avoid this by making it a habit to constantly build other papers from your business invoice, which you should think of as the “single source of truth.”

Last-Minute Changes No One Tells the Broker About

There are times when production is late. Instead of one, orders go into two containers. At the last minute, a buyer asks for a little bit more.

It’s typical for all of this to happen. The problem is that those modifications don’t get to the individuals who handle customs and security forms.

Some such situations are:

The cargo that was supposed to go to one importer is now going to another, but ISF is not updated.
There is a second product line, but there is no HS code.
When you look at the original filing, the gross weight changes a lot, which raises suspicions.

It’s easy for these things to get lost, especially before CNY when everyone is in a hurry. Make one basic rule: your logistics provider and customs broker must acknowledge that the paperwork has been updated before any operational modification is “final.”

Underestimating Transit Time Around CNY

Another typical mistake is making plans based on “normal” travel times without taking into account CNY traffic. When shipments already have restricted sailings or not enough equipment, any problems with customs or paperwork make the delay more worse.

Instead of making a strategy that barely meets your customer’s deadline, build a buffer. That buffer should think about:

Possible customs checks
Possible rollovers
Extra time because there aren’t enough workers

Then, see precise, early filings as a key way to protect that cushion.

Practical Strategies to Keep Paperwork from Blocking Your Cargo

Build a CNY Documentation Checklist

One of the easiest and most helpful things you can do is make a checklist of documents that are particular to CNY. It converts a time of chaos into a procedure that can be repeated.

Here are some things you could put on a quick checklist:

Are all the HS codes for this season’s goods correct?
Are the product descriptions on the invoice clear enough for customs?
Has the packing list been changed since the last time it was made?
Has the broker or forwarder received the ISF/ACI data by the internal deadline?
Have you told the broker or forwarder about every change to the cargo or route?

You can print it off, put it on a shared disk, or add it to your internal ERP. Just make sure you use it.

Set Internal Deadlines Earlier Than Carrier Cut-Offs

Carriers and forwarders will tell you when your cargo and paperwork need to be delivered. Around CNY, think of those as your last line of defense, not your goal.

Set early deadlines for yourself:

End of documentation (HS codes, packing list, invoice)
Deadline for submitting ISF/ACI data
The last day the factory can ship the cargo

You may rectify problems without missing the vessel if you move your internal deadlines two or three days earlier than your outward ones.

Keep Communication Lines Open and Centralized

You might have in a normal shipment:

A factory or vendor
Your crew that buys things inside
A shipping company
A customs agent
Your customer or end buyer

Things will be lost if half of them provide updates via email, half by chat applications, and some by spreadsheets, especially during busy times.

Centralize whenever you can:

Use clear subject lines in your emails that include the PO and container numbers.
Keep a shared document or system up to date with status and data.
Choose one person from your company to be the “CNY shipment owner” and organize everyone else.

This may seem easy, but it can make the difference between a calm season and a hectic one.

How a Professional Logistics Partner Helps You Survive CNY

Why Experience in Customs and Security Filings Matters

Anyone can reserve space on a boat. But not everyone can handle the whole chain of paperwork, deadlines, and compliance needs, especially when they are under CNY strain.

A logistics partner with a lot of experience:

Knows the exact rules for customs and security filing for your trade path (for example, China to the U.S.)
Knows how things are done at the ports of origin and destination
Can predict seasonal delays and suggest early cut-offs
Helps you organize your shipments and paperwork so that customs clearance goes more smoothly

You don’t just react to difficulties; you get proactive help, especially with important things like ISF/ACI deadlines and customs paperwork.

End-to-End Control Reduces Risk

You are in charge of coordinating everything when you employ separate suppliers for each leg of the trip. That suggests you’re the one trying to get things to fit:

The schedule for shipping from the plant
The transportation company that moves containers to the port
The booking for the ocean carrier
Storage in other countries
Clearing customs
Delivery to the last mile

If something goes wrong in one component, you have to rectify it and make sure everyone else has the most up-to-date information.

A provider that covers the whole chain can fill in those gaps. They can help make sure that any modifications made in one phase are shown in all the others, such as customs, ISF/ACI, and destination arrangements.

Topway Shipping: A Partner to Keep Your Cargo Moving Before, During and After CNY

As CNY gets closer, you don’t simply want someone who “moves boxes.” You want a team that knows how paperwork, customs, and scheduling work in the real world.

Topway Shipping has been a competent provider of cross-border e-commerce logistics solutions since 2010. Its headquarters are in Shenzhen, China. The people who started the company have been working in international logistics and customs clearance for more than 15 years, with a concentration on China and the U.S. transportation.

That experience gives you very useful benefits during CNY and other busy times:

A deep awareness of customs and filing requirements for security
Knowing about the U.S. ISF guidelines and other plans that are in place when you arrive
The ability to provide you realistic deadlines and timelines

Topway Shipping handles all parts of the logistics chain, from the initial leg of the journey to foreign storage, customs processing, and last-mile delivery. This full coverage makes it easier to keep your paperwork in order from the production to the final delivery, which lowers the danger that a mistake in the paperwork may cause your shipment to be delayed at the worst possible time.

Topway Shipping also has both full-container-load (FCL) and less-than-container-load (LCL) ocean freight services from China to key ports around the world if your cargo needs flexible options. That flexibility is especially useful around CNY, when market circumstances change quickly and space, route, and timing need to be changed quickly as well.

Topway Shipping makes sure that ISF/ACI filings, customs paperwork, and real-world operations all work together by using skilled personnel, integrated services, and a strong focus on compliance. This way, your cargo won’t get stuck because of paperwork mistakes that might have been avoided.

Conclusion

The Chinese New Year (CNY) is a predictable event, but the disruption it causes in global supply chains is often not. Production rushes, limited space, and fewer workers at factories, transporters, and customs offices all make it harder for your shipments to get to you.

In that situation, customs paperwork and security files like ISF and ACI are quite important. They aren’t just “extra paperwork”; they’re the keys that let your cargo travel through ports and borders without any further delays.

To make sure your shipments stay on pace, especially during CNY, you should:

Think about commercial bills, packing lists, HS codes, and security files as one big set of data.
Get documents ready and check them sooner than usual, with internal deadlines before carrier cut-offs.
Keep a close eye on developments and let your logistics partner and customs broker know about every update.
Make checklists and routines that you use every year to change CNY from a catastrophe into a planned peak season.

And the best part is that you don’t have to do it all by yourself. Working with a logistics company that knows how to handle customs and ISF/ACI regulations from start to finish, especially on the China–U.S. lane can greatly lower your risk.

When you do your paperwork perfectly, you don’t even notice it. Your customers get their orders on schedule, your costs stay the same, and CNY is just another season in a well-run supply chain.

FAQs

Q: What is ISF and why is it so important for U.S.-bound shipments?
A: ISF stands for “Import Security Filing,” which is also known as “10+2.” Customs requires that ocean shipments be filed before the cargo is placed aboard the ship at the port of origin. The paperwork has important details about the buyer, seller, maker, and the things being sold. You could get in trouble, have your cargo held up, or have to wait longer for customs clearance if it’s late, missing, or wrong.

Q: How does ACI differ from ISF?
A: Canada and several other places use ACI (Advance Commercial Information) as a way to get information before a shipment arrives. The details and systems are different from ISF, but the goal is the same: customs officials want to know ahead of time what’s in the shipment, who’s involved, and where it’s going. Your business documents are very important to both ISF and ACI, and they need precise, up-to-date information.

Q: When should I start preparing customs documents before CNY?
A: As soon as possible. You should check HS codes, product descriptions, and buyer/importer information at least two to three weeks before your ship is scheduled to leave. During the CNY busy season, starting earlier provides you time to fix mistakes, deal with last-minute modifications, and fulfill ISF/ACI filing deadlines even if your production or booking schedules alter.

Q: What happens if my packing list changes after I’ve submitted ISF/ACI data?
A: Changes do happen, but they need to be communicated right away. Your customs broker or logistics provider may need to alter the filings if the quantities, weights, or SKUs change after you send them in. If you don’t update the information, customs may ask questions, give you a test, or make you wait. The most important thing is to talk to your service partners quickly and clearly.

Q: How can I avoid penalties related to ISF or similar security filings?
A: The best way to achieve this is to make sure that your internal processes are always the same. For example, make sure that shipment data is confirmed and stored in one place, set internal documentation deadlines that are earlier than external cut-offs, and always share updates quickly. Make sure you work closely with a partner who knows a lot about customs and security filings, especially on your main trade channels. They can help you file accurate, on-time paperwork and let you know about problems before they turn into costly fines.

Q: Why is working with an end-to-end logistics provider helpful during CNY?
A: During CNY, coordination is everything. A full-service company that takes care of first-leg transportation, maritime freight, international warehousing, customs clearance, and last-mile delivery may see your package as a single chain instead of discrete components. That makes it easier to keep your paperwork, ISF/ACI filings, and operational adjustments in sync. This way, your cargo remains moving even when the whole market is under seasonal stress.