Customs Protest Form19

Draft CBP Form 19 Customs Protests in Minutes

12 minutes with CaseMark

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Upload your documents and get a finished work product in minutes. New accounts get $5 free to run their first skill.

12 minutes with CaseMark

What you'll need

Entry Summary (CF-7501)
CBP Decision Notices
Merchandise Technical Specifications

SOC 2 Type II · HIPAA compliant · $5 free credit

Workflow

Overview

CaseMark's Customs Protest Form 19 skill transforms complex CBP entry documents, decision notices, and merchandise specifications into structured, filing-ready protests under 19 U.S.C. § 1514. It automates the extraction of critical entry data, verifies jurisdictional deadlines, and produces comprehensive legal arguments challenging tariff classification, valuation, origin, and trade preference determinations.

Drafting CBP Form 19 protests is a painstaking process that requires manually cross-referencing entry summaries, liquidation notices, ruling letters, and tariff schedules while tracking strict 180-day filing deadlines. A single missed entry number, incorrect port code, or overlooked deadline can jeopardize administrative rights and foreclose judicial review at the Court of International Trade.

CaseMark automates the entire Form 19 drafting workflow — extracting entry data, verifying deadlines, structuring legal arguments, and organizing evidentiary exhibits into a filing-ready protest. By handling the mechanical complexity of customs protest preparation, CaseMark lets trade attorneys and customs professionals focus on strategy and advocacy rather than data entry and formatting.

How it works

1. Upload your entry documents, CBP decision notices, and merchandise specifications
2. AI extracts entry numbers, port codes, liquidation dates, and CBP decision details while verifying the 180-day filing deadline
3. Review the structured Form 19 protest draft with legal arguments, exhibit references, and standing documentation
4. Export the filing-ready protest in your preferred format (DOCX, PDF)

What you get

Protestant Identification & Standing
Entry Identification Details
CBP Decision Under Protest
Legal Basis & Protest Arguments
Claimed Classification, Valuation, or Origin
Evidentiary Exhibit List
Relief Requested & Preservation of Rights

What it handles

Automatic extraction of entry numbers, port codes, and liquidation dates from uploaded CBP documents
180-day jurisdictional deadline verification with timeliness risk flagging
Structured protest arguments for classification, valuation, origin, and trade preference disputes
Protestant identification and standing verification with importer-of-record and POA details
Evidentiary exhibit organization with descriptions and cross-references to legal authorities
Filing-ready Form 19 output preserving Court of International Trade review rights

Required documents

Entry Summary (CF-7501)
Customs entry summary forms containing entry numbers, port codes, entry dates, and declared classifications
.pdf, .docx
CBP Decision Notices
CF-29 notices, liquidation notices, or ruling letters documenting the CBP decision being protested
.pdf, .docx
Merchandise Technical Specifications
Technical data sheets, material composition reports, and HTS classification documentation for the imported goods
.pdf, .docx

Supporting documents

Commercial Invoices & Bills of Lading
Supporting trade documents with shipment details, declared values, and country of origin information
.pdf, .docx
Prior CBP Rulings or Binding Rulings
Relevant CBP headquarters rulings, binding advance rulings, or prior protest decisions supporting the claimed treatment
.pdf, .docx
Power of Attorney
Authorization documentation if filing as a customs broker or authorized agent on behalf of the importer of record
.pdf, .docx

Why teams use it

Reduce protest drafting time from hours to minutes while maintaining the precision required for CBP filings and potential Court of International Trade review

Eliminate missed deadlines with automatic 180-day jurisdictional deadline calculation and timeliness risk alerts

Ensure consistent, comprehensive protest structure across all dispute types — classification, valuation, origin, preferences, and AD/CVD assessments

Minimize costly errors by automating extraction of 11-digit entry numbers, port codes, HTS classifications, and CBP decision language directly from source documents

Questions

What types of CBP decisions can this skill protest?

CaseMark supports protests challenging tariff classification, customs valuation, country of origin determinations, trade preference eligibility, and antidumping/countervailing duty assessments — all categories covered under 19 U.S.C. § 1514.

Does it verify the 180-day filing deadline?

Yes. CaseMark automatically calculates the 180-day jurisdictional deadline from the liquidation or decision date extracted from your uploaded documents. If a timeliness risk is detected, the system flags it before proceeding with the draft.

Can it handle protests covering multiple entries?

Absolutely. CaseMark can process multiple entry numbers in a single protest filing, extracting and organizing the relevant data for each contested entry with its corresponding port codes, dates, and CBP-assigned classifications.

Does the output preserve Court of International Trade review rights?

Yes. CaseMark drafts each protest to preserve administrative and judicial review rights under 19 U.S.C. § 1514, ensuring the proper legal foundations are in place for potential escalation to the Court of International Trade.

Do I still need to review the draft before filing?

Yes. CaseMark produces a filing-ready draft and marks any unverified citations with [VERIFY], but attorney review is essential to confirm factual accuracy, legal strategy, and compliance with current CBP requirements before submission.

What if I'm filing as a customs broker or authorized agent?

CaseMark accommodates agent and broker filings by including power of attorney references, broker license numbers, and the appropriate standing basis in the protestant identification section of the Form 19.