Title 19, Customs DutiesRelease 119-110

§4433 Notification and Certification to Congress

Title 19 › CHAPTER 28 — TRADE FACILITATION AND TRADE ENFORCEMENT › SUBCHAPTER VII — PRECLEARANCE OPERATIONS › § 4433

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to tell Congress well before starting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance work in another country. At least 60 days before an agreement takes effect, the Secretary must send Congress a copy of the agreement (naming the country, the site, and the rules for CBP staff) and assessments covering trade and travel effects, impacts on U.S. port staffing, homeland security benefits, security risks and fixes, a staffing plan, and estimated costs for the next 5 fiscal years. For airport preclearance, at least 45 days before an agreement takes effect the Secretary must also give a start date estimate, funding plans, a country threat assessment, likely effects on U.S. air carriers, how information will be shared to stop criminals and terrorists, and any other needed facts. At least 60 days before an airport agreement takes effect the Secretary must certify several points (that preclearance is the best security option, that at least one U.S. carrier operates there and U.S. carriers get comparable access, that U.S. airport processing won’t be significantly delayed, and that stakeholders were consulted) and provide a report explaining those certifications. If a major change is made to an agreement that was in effect on February 24, 2016, the Secretary must give Congress a copy and a justification at least 30 days before it takes effect. The CBP Commissioner must report quarterly how many officers were moved from U.S. ports to preclearance and how many vacated domestic jobs were refilled. If ports where officers were moved see significant increases in processing times and the vacancies are not filled, the Commissioner has 60 days after that finding to give Congress a plan to fix processing times. If the Commissioner misses that deadline, no new preclearance site may start until the plan is sent. The report explaining the certifications may be submitted in classified form if needed.

Full Legal Text

Title 19, §4433

Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Initial notification

Not later than 60 days before an agreement with the government of a foreign country to establish U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance operations in such foreign country enters into force, the Secretary shall provide the appropriate congressional committees with—

(1)a copy of the agreement to establish such preclearance operations, which shall include—

(A)the identification of the foreign country with which U.S. Customs and Border Protection intends to enter into a preclearance agreement;

(B)the location at which such preclearance operations will be conducted; and

(C)the terms and conditions for U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel operating at the location;

(2)an assessment of the impact such preclearance operations will have on legitimate trade and travel, including potential impacts on passengers traveling to the United States;

(3)an assessment of the impacts such preclearance operations will have on U.S. Customs and Border Protection domestic port of entry staffing;

(4)country-specific information on the anticipated homeland security benefits associated with establishing such preclearance operations;

(5)information on potential security vulnerabilities associated with commencing such preclearance operations and mitigation plans to address such potential security vulnerabilities;

(6)a U.S. Customs and Border Protection staffing model for such preclearance operations and plans for how such positions would be filled; and

(7)information on the anticipated costs over the 5 fiscal years after the agreement enters into force associated with commencing such preclearance operations.

(b)Further notification relating to preclearance operations established at airports

Not later than 45 days before an agreement with the government of a foreign country to establish U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance operations at an airport in such country enters into force, the Secretary, in addition to complying with the notification requirements under subsection (a), shall provide the appropriate congressional committees with—

(1)an estimate of the date on which U.S. Customs and Border Protection intends to establish preclearance operations under such agreement, including any pending caveats that must be resolved before preclearance operations are approved;

(2)the anticipated funding sources for preclearance operations under such agreement, and other funding sources considered;

(3)a homeland security threat assessment for the country in which such preclearance operations are to be established;

(4)information on potential economic, competitive, and job impacts on United States air carriers associated with establishing such preclearance operations;

(5)details on information sharing mechanisms to ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has current information to prevent terrorist and criminal travel; and

(6)other factors that the Secretary determines to be necessary for Congress to comprehensively assess the appropriateness of commencing such preclearance operations.

(c)Certifications relating to preclearance operations established at airports

Not later than 60 days before an agreement with the government of a foreign country to establish U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance operations at an airport in such country enters into force, the Secretary, in addition to complying with the notification requirements under subsections (a) and (b), shall provide the appropriate congressional committees with—

(1)a certification that preclearance operations under such preclearance agreement, after considering alternative options, would provide homeland security benefits to the United States through the most effective means possible;

(2)a certification that preclearance operations within such foreign country will be established under such agreement only if—

(A)at least one United States passenger carrier operates at such airport; and

(B)any United States passenger carriers operating at such airport and desiring to participate in preclearance operations are provided access that is comparable to that of any non-United States passenger carrier operating at that airport;

(3)a certification that the establishment of preclearance operations in such foreign country will not significantly increase customs processing times at United States airports;

(4)a certification that representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection consulted with stakeholders, including providers of commercial air service in the United States, employees of such providers, security experts, and such other parties as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; and

(5)a report detailing the basis for the certifications referred to in paragraphs (1) through (4).

(d)Amendment of existing agreements

Not later than 30 days before a substantially amended preclearance agreement with the government of a foreign country in effect as of February 24, 2016, enters into force, the Secretary shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees—

(1)a copy of the agreement, as amended; and

(2)the justification for such amendment.

(e)Implementation plan

(1)In general

The Commissioner shall report to the appropriate congressional committees, on a quarterly basis—

(A)the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, by port, assigned from domestic ports of entry to preclearance operations; and

(B)the number of the positions at domestic ports of entry vacated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers described in subparagraph (A) that have been filled by other hired, trained, and equipped U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

(2)Submission

If the Commissioner has not filled the positions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that were reassigned to preclearance operations and determines that U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing times at domestic ports of entry from which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were reassigned to preclearance operations have significantly increased, the Commissioner, not later than 60 days after making such a determination, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an implementation plan for reducing processing times at the domestic ports of entry with such increased processing times.

(3)Suspension

If the Commissioner does not submit the implementation plan described in paragraph (2) to the appropriate congressional committees before the deadline set forth in such paragraph, the Commissioner may not commence preclearance operations at an additional port of entry in any country until such implementation plan is submitted.

(f)Classified report

The report required under subsection (c)(5) may be submitted in classified form if the Secretary determines that such form is appropriate.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

19 U.S.C. § 4433

Title 19, Customs Duties

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110