Preparing a compliant CBP Form 19 protest requires meticulous attention to regulatory requirements, precise legal arguments, and thorough documentation of classification or valuation disputes. Manually drafting these protests is time-consuming, often taking hours to ensure all required elements are properly addressed and justified with supporting authority.
Challenging CBP customs decisions requires comprehensive legal analysis, precise regulatory compliance, and extensive documentation within strict 180-day deadlines. Manual protest drafting demands 12+ hours of attorney time to research precedent, analyze HTSUS classifications, construct valuation arguments, and ensure compliance with 19 USC 1514 and 19 CFR Part 174 requirements.
CaseMark automates CBP Form 19 protest drafting by extracting entry data from your documents, analyzing applicable statutes and case law, and generating comprehensive protests with proper legal citations and evidentiary support. The AI ensures all regulatory requirements are met while preserving your rights for Court of International Trade review.
This workflow is applicable across multiple practice areas and use cases
Commercial litigation attorneys handle disputes arising from customs decisions that escalate to the Court of International Trade or involve breach of contract claims related to tariff misclassifications.
Customs disputes frequently involve commercial litigation when importers sue suppliers over misrepresented goods classifications or when CBP decisions lead to contractual disputes requiring formal litigation.
Appeals attorneys use Form 19 protests as the administrative prerequisite before appealing to the Court of International Trade under 28 USC 1581, making proper protest drafting essential for preserving appellate rights.
The Form 19 protest is a mandatory administrative step that must be exhausted before judicial review, and appeals counsel need to ensure all arguments are properly preserved in the initial protest.
Corporate counsel for importing companies regularly manage CBP compliance issues and must file Form 19 protests to challenge adverse customs determinations affecting business operations and costs.
In-house corporate attorneys at companies engaged in international trade need to handle customs protests as part of routine regulatory compliance and cost management functions.
You must file a protest within 180 days of the date of liquidation or reliquidation shown on the CBP Form 29 Notice of Action. This deadline is strictly enforced and cannot be extended, so timely filing is critical to preserve your rights. Missing this deadline permanently bars you from challenging the CBP decision administratively or in the Court of International Trade.
Form 19 protests can challenge tariff classifications under the HTSUS, customs valuations under 19 USC 1401a, country of origin determinations, denials of preferential tariff treatment under free trade agreements, and assessments of antidumping or countervailing duties. The protest must identify the specific decision being contested and the legal basis for the challenge. Any protestable decision under 19 USC 1514 can be addressed through this process.
No, protests can be filed by the importer of record, the actual owner of the merchandise, the consignee, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of these parties. You must establish proper standing by demonstrating your relationship to the imported goods and your legal interest in the outcome. If filing as an agent, you need proper authorization such as a power of attorney on file with CBP.
CaseMark follows the complete regulatory framework under 19 CFR Part 174, including all content requirements in Section 174.13. The AI extracts required information from your documents, structures arguments according to legal standards, cites applicable statutes and precedent, and formats the protest to CBP specifications. Every generated protest includes proper protestant identification, entry details, contested decision specification, affirmative relief claims, and supporting legal analysis ready for immediate filing.
CBP will review your protest and issue a decision granting or denying the relief requested, typically within two years but sometimes longer for complex issues. If your protest is denied in whole or in part, you have 180 days from the denial date to file a civil action in the Court of International Trade to seek judicial review. The protest creates the administrative record that forms the foundation for any subsequent litigation, making thorough initial drafting essential.