U.S. Import · FSVP · Brokerage Coordination

Want to bring your product into the United States? Start with SURU.

One product. One supplier. Multiple regulations. One place to start — for any legally importable product, not only food.

Start My Import Review Check My Product 651-329-4787

U.S. Import & Brokerage

Start with compliance.Start with SURU.

Tell us what you are importing. We will help you understand what comes next.

Reach Out to Us Start My Import Review

Motion is reduced in your system settings, so the film is shown as a still frame rather than played. What it shows, and what the narration says, are written out below.

SURU Compliance is an independent private consulting company — not a government agency, and not a licensed customs broker. Admission into the United States is determined by CBP and the applicable agencies at entry.

Where to start

If the United States is your market, SURU is your starting point.

You do not need to know whether your problem is a CBP problem, an FDA problem, a CPSC problem or a state problem. Working that out is the first part of the job — and telling you which of them do not apply to you is the second.

Who this is for

Foreign manufacturers
Suppliers
Exporters
U.S. importers
Distributors
Brand owners
Retailers
E-commerce companies
Startups entering the U.S.
Established international companies

If the United States is your target market, reach out. We help determine what regulatory, compliance, documentation, import and brokerage requirements may apply to your specific product, and help coordinate the process of bringing it in.

Not limited to food

Whatever the product, the question is the same.

This is a product-agnostic service. The regulatory pathway is determined by what the article actually is — its materials, its function, its intended use, its origin and its U.S. destination — which is why a quartz slab, a Bluetooth speaker and a jar of sauce all get a different answer from the same process.

Food & beverages

Packaged, fresh, frozen, canned or bottled food and drink for people.

Packaged snacks · Spices and seasonings · Bottled beverages

Ingredients & additives

Bulk food ingredients, additives, flavours, colours and processing aids.

Bulk sweeteners · Flavour concentrates · Protein isolates

Dietary supplements

Vitamins, minerals, botanicals and other supplements in finished or bulk form.

Vitamin capsules · Botanical extracts · Protein powders

Cosmetics & personal care

Skincare, colour cosmetics, haircare, fragrance and personal cleansing products.

Skin creams and serums · Shampoo and conditioner · Lipstick and foundation

Consumer products

General retail merchandise sold to or used by consumers.

Housewares · Sporting goods · Luggage

Electronics & electricals

Consumer and commercial electronics, wireless devices and powered accessories.

Bluetooth speakers · Chargers and power banks · Smart home devices

Textiles, apparel & footwear

Clothing, home textiles, fabric and footwear.

Apparel · Bedding and towels · Upholstery fabric

Furniture & furnishings

Residential and commercial furniture, casegoods, seating and fixtures.

Cabinets and dressers · Dining sets · Upholstered seating

Building materials

Construction products, panels, flooring, fixtures and finishes.

Flooring · Doors and millwork · Plywood panels

Stone, marble, quartz & surfaces

Natural stone, engineered stone and fabricated surface products.

Quartz slabs · Granite and marble · Porcelain slabs

Packaging materials

Primary and secondary packaging, closures, films and containers.

Bottles and jars · Flexible films · Cartons

Household & cleaning products

Cleaning chemistry, laundry, air care and household maintenance goods.

Surface cleaners · Laundry detergent · Air fresheners

Industrial products & materials

Industrial inputs, components, chemistry and maintenance products.

Resins and polymers · Lubricants · Fasteners

Machinery & equipment

Production machinery, powered equipment and capital goods.

Processing lines · Pumps and compressors · CNC equipment

Automotive products & components

Vehicles, vehicle equipment, aftermarket parts and accessories.

Replacement parts · Tyres · Lighting

Agricultural & plant products

Raw agricultural commodities, plants, seeds and horticultural goods.

Grains and pulses · Fresh produce · Seeds

Medical & healthcare products

Devices, diagnostics, healthcare consumables and clinical equipment.

Diagnostic devices · Surgical instruments · PPE

Alcoholic beverages

Wine, beer, spirits, cider and ready-to-drink alcoholic products.

Wine · Craft beer · Distilled spirits

Toys & children's products

Products designed or intended primarily for children 12 and under.

Toys · Juvenile furniture · Strollers and carriers

Plus other legally importable commercial goods. If your product is not on this list, it is not a problem — it just means we start from the article itself.

The SURU approach

Five steps from “we want to sell in the U.S.” to a roadmap you can act on.

Each step produces something written. Nothing here depends on a verbal assurance, and nothing is claimed that a private consulting firm is not entitled to claim.

01
Tell us what you want to import
The product, the supplier, the destination and whatever documents you already hold.
We start from the actual article rather than a category label, because the regulatory pathway follows what the thing is made of and what it does — not what industry it is sold into.
02
Supplier standing & eligibility review
Whether the manufacturer, supplier, exporter and product appear able to support a lawful entry.
We check the public U.S. enforcement record before you commit to an order. No U.S. programme issues a general approval of a supplier, so what this produces is a documented standing review — not a claim that anyone has been approved by the U.S. government.
03
Identify the U.S. regulatory path
Which agencies and requirements attach — and, just as importantly, which do not.
Not every agency applies to every product. The pathway is determined by the product, its material, its intended use, its origin, its manufacturer and its U.S. destination, and we say plainly where something is out of scope.
04
Build the import compliance roadmap
A customised U.S. market entry and import compliance roadmap, sorted so it is usable.
Requirements are separated into Required, Potentially applicable, Recommended and Not applicable — so you are working on what actually attaches to your goods rather than reading a survey of federal law.
05
Brokerage & import coordination
From your supplier to the U.S. market, with the licensed providers the law requires.
We prepare the compliance record, coordinate with the licensed customs broker who files the entry, and stay with the programme through distribution and ongoing obligations.

What we collect at the start

Product name
Product description
Product category
Country of origin
Country of manufacture
Manufacturer or supplier
U.S. destination
Intended use
Intended U.S. customer or market
Approximate shipment volume

And anything you can upload

Product specifications
Labels and artwork
Photographs
Certificates
Test reports
Safety documentation
Supplier documentation
Commercial invoice
Packing information
Any other documentation you hold

What a supplier standing review looks at

Applicable registrations
Import alerts
Detention concerns
Sanctions and restricted parties
Product restrictions
Country-specific restrictions
Supplier compliance history
Required certifications
Testing requirements
Documentation requirements
Applicable agency requirements

We will never tell you a supplier is “approved by the U.S. government” unless a specific government programme actually provides that approval. What this step produces is a documented standing review against the public enforcement record.

Step 04 in detail

Your U.S. market entry & import compliance roadmap.

One document, organised along the path the goods actually take, with every requirement sorted by whether it really applies to you.

01
Product
What the article is, what it is made of, and the standards that attach to it.
02
Supplier
Whether the manufacturer, supplier and exporter appear able to support a lawful entry.
03
Regulatory agencies
The federal programmes whose requirements attach before the goods may be released.
04
Required documentation
Registrations, certificates, declarations, test reports and labels that must exist.
05
Import & brokerage
Entry filing, classification, valuation, duties, bonds and advance filings.
06
U.S. entry
What happens at the port: CBP review, agency holds, examination and release.
07
Distribution
Obligations that continue after release — records, state law and ongoing compliance.

What the roadmap identifies, where applicable

Import eligibility
Supplier requirements
Product registrations
Facility registrations
Permits
Certifications
Testing
Product standards
Labelling
Country-of-origin marking
Documentation
Tariff and duty questions to raise with your broker
Customs requirements
Agency-specific requirements
State requirements
Importer responsibilities
Recordkeeping
Ongoing compliance obligations

Sorted four ways, so it is usable

A list of everything in federal law that touches imports is not a deliverable, it is a burden. The roadmap separates results so you work on what actually attaches to your goods.

Required: Applies on the facts, in essentially every case.
Potentially applicable: May apply. Turns on specifics — the exact article, its composition, its claims, its origin detail.
Recommended: Not a legal requirement, but each one materially reduces avoidable risk.
Not applicable: Ruled out in writing, with the reason — so you are not carrying work that is not yours.

Step 05 · Brokerage & import coordination

From your supplier to the U.S. market — we help coordinate the journey.

Nine steps, and three of them are not ours to perform. The colour of each node tells you who acts: SURU, a licensed or authorised provider we coordinate with, or the U.S. government.

SURU leads
Licensed provider, SURU coordinates
U.S. government decision

01
Foreign supplier
SURU leads
The manufacturer, supplier or exporter who makes the goods, wherever in the world that is. Everything downstream depends on what this party can actually evidence.
Produces · Supplier profile, facility detail, product specifications
02
Product & supplier compliance review
SURU leads
What the product is, what it is made of and what it does — reconciled against the supplier's standing in the public U.S. enforcement record. No U.S. programme issues a general supplier approval, so the honest output is a documented standing review.
Produces · Standing review, eligibility position, open questions
03
U.S. regulatory requirements
SURU leads
Which federal agencies and which rules attach to this product, this material, this intended use, this origin and this destination — and, equally, which ones do not.
Produces · Agency map, requirement list, applicability rationale
04
Documentation & market-entry readiness
SURU leads
Registrations, certificates, declarations, test reports, labelling and origin marking assembled and checked before production runs and before goods ship — the point at which problems are still cheap.
Produces · Document set, label pack, testing plan, records structure
05
Customs & brokerage coordination
Licensed provider, SURU coordinates
Entry filing, classification, valuation, bonds, advance filings and duty payment are customs business. Under 19 U.S.C. 1641 that work must be transacted by a licensed customs broker. SURU prepares the compliance record the broker files against and coordinates directly with them.
Produces · Broker-ready entry package, advance filing data, landed-cost inputs
06
U.S. port of entry
U.S. government decision
The goods arrive and are presented for entry. What happens here is decided by CBP and the partner agencies on the facts of the actual shipment — not by any consultant, and not in advance.
Produces · Entry filed, cargo presented, agency messages transmitted
07
Customs & applicable agency review
U.S. government decision
CBP reviews the entry and enforces every other agency's requirements at the border. FDA, USDA, EPA, CPSC, FCC, DOT, TTB or Fish & Wildlife may review, hold, sample or examine. Admissibility is their determination alone.
Produces · Release, hold, examination, or refusal — an agency decision
08
U.S. distribution
SURU leads
Release is not the finish line. Recordkeeping, state licensing and product registration, packaging laws, ongoing supplier verification and reporting obligations all continue after the container is unpacked.
Produces · Retention schedule, state obligations, ongoing compliance calendar
09
Customer, retail & business
SURU leads
The product reaches its buyer — retail shelf, e-commerce listing, distributor, contractor or production line — carrying labelling and claims that hold up to scrutiny after the sale.
Produces · Compliant claims, traceability, recall readiness

Read the two grey steps carefully. What happens at the port of entry, and what CBP and the partner agencies decide, is theirs alone. No consultant controls it and no consultant should promise it. Everything SURU does is aimed at the steps that come before — so that when the shipment arrives, the file behind it is complete, accurate and defensible.

Our regulatory intelligence

Can I import this into the U.S.?

It is the first question every client asks, and the answer is different for a quartz slab, a Bluetooth speaker and a jar of sauce. We answer it with our own U.S. Import Intelligence platform — a deterministic rule set that maps a product to the federal programmes that attach to it, and to the ones that do not.

What we determine for your product

Which federal agencies attach — and which are ruled out
Requirements sorted: required, potentially applicable, recommended, not applicable
The statute or CFR part behind every single item
Who may lawfully perform each step
Country-of-origin considerations, including trade-remedy exposure
The documentation set your supplier has to produce

Have it run on your goods

Send us the product, the supplier and the destination. We run the assessment, review the output against your actual documents — which no automated tool can see — and come back with a written U.S. market entry and import compliance roadmap.

The platform is an internal instrument, not a self-service checker. A preliminary map read without context is how importers end up confident about the wrong things.

Start My Import Review Talk to SURU

Food & FDA-regulated imports

Importing food? FSVP is your obligation, not your supplier's.

Foreign supplier verification sits with the U.S. owner or consignee at the time of entry. It is the requirement importers most often discover after a shipment is already moving, or after FDA asks for the records — and it is one of the deepest capabilities in this practice.

FSVP & supplier verification
If you are the U.S. owner or consignee of imported food at the time of entry, the foreign supplier verification program is yours to hold — not your supplier's and not your broker's.
- FSVP applicability review
- Written hazard analysis (21 CFR 1.504)
- Foreign supplier evaluation and approval (1.505)
- Verification activities: audits, sampling and testing, records review (1.506)
- Corrective action procedures (1.508)
- Records built to survive a records request (1.510)
- Supplier approval and documentation programs
- Serving as, or training, your qualified individual
FDA import requirements
The obligations that attach before a food shipment is offered for entry, and the ones that attach to the facility behind it.
- Food facility registration and biennial renewal
- Prior Notice submission requirements and timing
- Entry identification: name, email and an FDA-recognized UFI
- Labeling and allergen declaration review
- Seafood HACCP importer verification (21 CFR 123.12)
- Juice HACCP importer requirements (21 CFR 120.14)
- Import alert and detention-without-physical-examination support
- Product and regulatory compliance review before you order

What the rules actually say

21 CFR 1.500: Defines the FSVP importer as the U.S. owner or consignee of the food at the time of entry — or, where there is none, the U.S. agent or representative of the foreign owner or consignee, confirmed in a signed statement of consent. This is not the same role as importer of record, and it is not the customs broker.
21 CFR 1.504 – 1.508: A written hazard analysis regardless of its outcome; evaluation of the foreign supplier for approval, reevaluated at least every three years; verification activities appropriate to the hazard; and documented corrective action when something is found.
21 CFR 1.510(c): FSVP records are retained for at least two years. Offsite storage is permitted where the records can be produced within 24 hours.
21 CFR 1.509(a): At entry, the FSVP importer's name, email address and a unique facility identifier recognized by FDA — currently a DUNS number — must be transmitted for each line entry. The "UNK" placeholder has not been accepted since 24 July 2022, and CBP rejects a line without it.
21 CFR 1.279: Prior Notice must be submitted and confirmed by FDA before arrival: no less than 2 hours by road, 4 hours by rail or air, and 8 hours by water. The clock starts when FDA confirms the notice for review, not when it is submitted.
FD&C Act § 415: Facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for U.S. consumption register with FDA and renew between 1 October and 31 December of each even-numbered year. 2026 is a renewal year. There is no FDA fee for registration, and FDA does not issue a certificate of registration.

Two things the rules expressly allow. Under 21 CFR 1.503 the qualified individual who develops your FSVP need not be your employee, so we can serve in that role or train someone on your team into it. And under 21 CFR 123.12(b) a seafood importer may hire a competent third party to perform verification activities, including writing the importer’s verification procedures on its behalf.

Juice and seafood importers are not simply exempt from FSVP: they are redirected to 21 CFR 120.14 or 123.12, which are affirmative programs of their own, and the exemption depends on the foreign supplier actually being in compliance with those parts. Regulations change — verify against the current text before acting.

Evaluate Your U.S. Import Requirements Food safety consulting

Regulatory landscape

The agencies an import can run into — and rarely all at once.

Which of these apply is determined by the product, not assumed. Most products touch three or four of them; almost none touch all fourteen.

CBP

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Admits or refuses the goods at the port, collects duties and taxes, and enforces the requirements of every other agency at the border.

FDA

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Regulates food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, drugs, medical devices, tobacco and radiation-emitting electronic products offered for import.

USDA

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Through APHIS, FSIS and AMS: plant and animal health, meat, poultry and egg products, organic certification, and plant-product declarations.

EPA

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Chemicals, pesticides, formaldehyde in composite wood, refrigerants, and engine and vehicle emissions.

CPSC

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Safety of consumer products, with mandatory testing and certification for children's products.

FTC

Federal Trade Commission

Labelling and claims: textile fibre content, care labelling, energy labels, origin claims and environmental marketing.

DOT

U.S. Department of Transportation

Through NHTSA and PHMSA: motor vehicle safety standards and the transport of hazardous materials.

TTB

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

Permits, label approval and federal excise tax for alcohol and tobacco.

FWS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Import of fish, wildlife and their parts and products, including CITES-listed species.

FCC

Federal Communications Commission

Equipment authorisation and labelling for devices that emit radio frequency energy.

DOE

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy conservation standards and certification for covered appliances and commercial equipment.

Commerce

U.S. Department of Commerce

Antidumping and countervailing duty orders, and certain trade-remedy tariff programmes.

OFAC

Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Treasury

Economic sanctions and restricted-party programmes that can prohibit a transaction outright.

State

State and local authorities

Requirements that attach after federal entry: state licensing, product-content laws, packaging laws and building codes.

Scope & limitations

What SURU is, and what SURU is not.

This section exists because getting it wrong costs importers real money, and because a firm that is straight about its limits is the only kind worth hiring for this work.

SURU Compliance is a private company, not a government agency

Suru Compliance LLC is an independent regulatory consulting and compliance support practice. It is not the FDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USDA, EPA, CPSC or any other government authority, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any of them.

SURU is not a licensed customs broker

Transacting customs business on behalf of another person requires a customs broker licensed by CBP under 19 U.S.C. 1641 and 19 CFR Part 111. SURU does not hold itself out as a licensed customs broker and does not transact customs business. Specifically, we do not prepare or file CBP entry documents, we do not complete or submit CBP Form 5106 for a client, and we do not provide tariff classifications, valuation or country-of-origin determinations for goods that will be entered. We prepare the compliance record the broker files against and coordinate directly with the licensed broker you appoint, or help you select one.

Licensed and accredited work is referred, not performed in-house

Where U.S. law requires work to be performed by a licensed customs broker, an attorney, an accredited or agency-accepted testing laboratory, a certification body, a process authority or a licensed engineer, SURU identifies that clearly and structures its role as compliance support and coordination with the appropriate qualified provider. Certification and conformity decisions are made by those bodies, not by SURU.

No one can promise your shipment will be admitted

Admissibility is determined by CBP and the partner government agencies at the time of entry, on the facts of the actual shipment. SURU does not and cannot guarantee that any shipment will be admitted, that any duty rate will apply, or that any agency will reach a particular decision. What we do is help you identify requirements, prepare documentation, improve regulatory readiness, coordinate appropriate services and reduce avoidable compliance problems.

Regulatory information comes from authoritative sources

Requirements referenced across this section cite the statute, CFR part or named federal programme they come from. Regulations change; verify against the current text of the applicable authority and the issuing agency's guidance before acting. Nothing here is legal advice, and SURU is not a law firm.

This is a preliminary orientation generated by SURU Compliance from the product facts you entered. It is not a regulatory determination, a customs ruling, a classification opinion or legal advice, and it is not exhaustive. Admissibility is decided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the relevant partner government agencies at the time of entry, on the facts of the actual shipment. SURU Compliance LLC is an independent private consulting company. It is not the FDA, CBP, USDA, EPA, CPSC or any other government agency, is not a licensed customs broker, is not a certification body and is not a law firm. Where U.S. law requires work to be performed by a licensed customs broker, an attorney, an accredited laboratory, a certification body or another authorised professional, SURU coordinates with that provider rather than performing the work itself. SURU cannot and does not guarantee that any shipment will be admitted into the United States. Always verify requirements against the current text of the applicable statute, regulation and agency guidance before acting.

Common questions

The questions people ask before they start.

Do you only handle food imports?

No. The service covers legally importable commercial goods generally — food and beverages among them, but equally electronics, textiles and apparel, furniture, building materials, stone and engineered surfaces, packaging, household and industrial products, machinery, automotive components, agricultural products, cosmetics, supplements and healthcare products. The regulatory pathway is determined by the actual product, its materials, its intended use and its origin, not by whether it is food.

Are you a customs broker?

No. Customs business transacted on behalf of another person must be performed by a customs broker licensed by CBP under 19 U.S.C. 1641 and 19 CFR Part 111. SURU Compliance is a compliance consulting practice: we build the compliance record, documentation and readiness that entry depends on, and we coordinate with the licensed customs broker who files your entries. If you do not have one, we can help you select one.

Can you guarantee my shipment will clear customs?

No, and you should be cautious of anyone who says otherwise. Admission is decided by CBP and the applicable partner agencies at the time of entry, based on the actual shipment. What we can do is materially reduce avoidable problems: complete and accurate product information for your broker to classify from, valid certificates and test reports, compliant labelling and marking, advance filings made on time, and a supplier whose standing has been checked before you bought.

We are a foreign manufacturer with no U.S. entity. Can you still help?

Yes, and this is a common starting point. Part of the early work is establishing who will act as importer of record, what that party is legally taking on, and whether you need a U.S. entity, a U.S. agent, a registered establishment or a distribution partner. Several federal programmes require a U.S.-based responsible party, so this is settled early rather than discovered at the port.

How accurate is the “Can I Import This?” tool?

It is a deterministic, citation-backed orientation, not a determination. Every requirement it lists carries the statute, CFR part or federal programme it comes from, and it will tell you when something merely may apply rather than presenting a guess as a certainty. It does not know your exact article, its full composition, your marketing claims or your commercial terms — all of which can change the answer. Treat it as a well-informed starting map, then have the specifics reviewed.

What does an engagement typically start with?

A product and supplier review. You send the product details and whatever documentation exists; we work out what applies, what does not, and where the gaps are. That produces a written U.S. market entry and import compliance roadmap you can act on — including the parts that need a licensed broker, an accredited laboratory or qualified counsel, and who those should be.

Start right

Ready to enter the U.S. market?