19 U.S.C. § 1436
Penalties for violations of arrival, reporting, entry, and clearance requirements
United States · Title 19 — CUSTOMS DUTIES · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 19 U.S.C. § 1436, Penalties for violations of arrival, reporting, entry, and clearance requirements, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/450355
- Permanent ID
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Full text
It is unlawful—
Any master, person in charge of a vehicle, or aircraft pilot who commits any violation listed in subsection (a) is liable for a civil penalty of $5,000 for the first violation, and $10,000 for each subsequent violation, and any conveyance used in connection with any such violation is subject to seizure and forfeiture.
In addition to being liable for a civil penalty under subsection (b), any master, person in charge of a vehicle, or aircraft pilot who intentionally commits any violation listed in subsection (a) is, upon conviction, liable for a fine of not more than $2,000 or imprisonment for 1 year, or both; except that if the conveyance has, or is discovered to have had, on board any merchandise (other than sea stores or the equivalent for conveyances other than vessels) the importation of which into the United States is prohibited, such individual is liable for an additional fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both.
If any merchandise (other than sea stores or the equivalent for conveyances other than a vessel) is imported or brought into the United States in or aboard a conveyance which was not properly reported or entered, the master, person in charge of a vehicle, or aircraft pilot shall be liable for a civil penalty equal to the value of the merchandise and the merchandise may be seized and forfeited unless properly entered by the importer or consignee. If the merchandise consists of any controlled substance listed in section 1584 of this title, the master, individual in charge of a vehicle, or pilot shall be liable to the penalties prescribed in that section.
A civil penalty shall be imposed against the United States Postal Service if the Postal Service accepts a shipment in violation of section 1415(a)(3)(K)(vii)(I) of this title.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall reduce or dismiss a civil penalty imposed pursuant to paragraph (1) if U.S. Customs and Border Protection determines that the United States Postal Service—
U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall issue a written notification to the Postal Service with respect to each exercise of the authority of subparagraph (A) to reduce or dismiss a civil penalty imposed pursuant to paragraph (1).
If U.S. Customs and Border Protection determines that the United States Postal Service—
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.
- Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
- Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 1996House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act