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Simplify your customs today
Calculate duties and taxes
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Streamlining customs clearance
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import into canada
Import into the USA
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Type the full PAPS number, your carrier's 4-letter SCAC code followed by the shipment number, into the tracker above and hit search. You'll see whether US Customs and Border Protection has accepted, rejected, or has no record of the entry.
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Your PAPS number is printed under the barcode on the PAPS label attached to your commercial invoice or bill of lading. Check it before you reach the border. A shipment that arrives before its entry is on file gets turned around, and that costs you hours.
A PAPS number is a unique shipment identifier used by the Pre-Arrival Processing System, the US CBP program for commercial goods entering the United States by truck. It combines the carrier's SCAC code with a shipment control number (SCN). The customs broker files the entry against this number before the truck reaches the border.
PAPS covers US-bound freight. Shipments going the other way into Canada use PARS. If you're not sure which one applies to your load, our guide to PAPS vs PARS numbers breaks down the difference, and our PARS tracker handles the Canada-bound side.
Your PAPS status tells you whether the truck can cross. Four results come up most often:
The status updates as the broker and CBP process the entry, so a "not on file" result an hour after dispatch is common. Check again closer to the border, and call the broker on the paperwork if it hasn't changed.
Every customs broker runs its own PAPS lookup, and the status lives in the system of whichever broker filed the entry. If your paperwork names a specific broker, you don't need to hunt down that broker's own lookup page. Our partner tracker, Zipments PAPS tracker, checks PAPS status across more than 200 customs brokers from a single search, including:
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Not sure who the broker is? Look at the customs invoice. The broker's name and phone number appear near the PAPS barcode.
A missing or rejected PAPS is fixable, but only before the truck reaches the border. Work through these steps:
Re-enter the PAPS exactly as printed, including the SCAC prefix. A single wrong character returns "not on file.
Entries must be filed with CBP at least one hour before arrival. If dispatch was recent, the broker may still be processing.
They can tell you whether they received the invoice and bill of lading, and what's holding up the entry.
Rejections usually trace back to a mismatch between the invoice, the manifest, and the entry. The broker corrects and resubmits.
Waiting at the line with a load that won't clear costs money every minute. BorderBuddy's licensed brokers handle US customs clearance for carriers and importers every day, and a real person answers the phone. Talk to a broker before your driver hits the queue.
On the PAPS barcode label attached to the commercial invoice or bill of lading. It starts with the carrier's 4-letter SCAC code, followed by a unique shipment number.
CBP requires the entry at least one hour before the truck arrives at the port of entry. Most brokers want the paperwork several hours ahead to leave room for corrections.
PAPS is for shipments entering the US; PARS is for shipments entering Canada. A round-trip cross-border load will use both, one for each direction. Full breakdown in our PAPS vs PARS guide.
PAPS is the default clearance method for commercial truck shipments entering the US. Exceptions exist for shipments cleared under other programs (such as BRASS or in-bond moves), but most standard freight requires a PAPS entry.
This tracker is free and works with PAPS numbers from any carrier. For help importing into the US, see our US import guides.
Duties and taxes shouldn't be a guess. Calculate duties and taxes on your next US-bound shipment in minutes, backed by BorderBuddy's licensed customs brokers.