A shipment tracker that reads "clearing" on Monday and still reads "clearing" on Thursday feels like a dead screen. Nothing appears to be happening, the delivery date is sliding, and there's no way to tell from the status alone whether this is completely normal or the first sign of a problem. The anxiety isn't really about customs — it's about not knowing what the word on the screen means.
It's a simple status lifecycle once you know what each stage covers: not started, clearing, released, or held. This guide walks through what's actually happening behind each one, how "released" differs from "picked up," and what the status tells you about your demurrage exposure.
What do customs clearance statuses actually mean?
A customs status describes where a shipment sits in the entry-and-release process, not its physical location. The lifecycle runs: not started (before filing), clearing (entry filed, under review), and then either released (customs has authorised the cargo to move) or held (customs has stopped it pending something). The status changes when customs' systems change it — not on a fixed schedule — so two shipments that look identical on paper can sit in "clearing" for very different lengths of time.
Here's the lifecycle in one table:
| Status | What it means | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| Not started | No customs entry has been filed yet | Pre-arrival filing (ISF/AMS or equivalent) may be outstanding, or the shipment hasn't reached the filing window |
| Clearing | Entry has been filed and is under customs review | Risk screening, document checks, possible exam selection |
| Released | Customs has authorised the cargo to move | Duties/fees are settled or bonded; cargo is now eligible for pickup or final delivery |
| Held | Customs has stopped the shipment pending resolution | A document query, exam order, or regulatory referral is open |
"Not started" — what happens before clearance begins
"Not started" means no customs entry exists yet, which is normal right up until the filing window opens and becomes a problem only if it persists past arrival. For ocean freight, formal entry is typically filed once the vessel is close to arrival or has berthed; for air freight, once the airway bill data is available at the gateway. Before that point, the relevant work is pre-arrival filing — ISF/AMS in the US, ENS in the EU, or the equivalent scheme elsewhere — which has its own deadline well before the entry itself.
If a shipment shows "not started" after the vessel has already berthed or the flight has landed, that's the one case worth a direct question to your customs brokerage contact: either the entry paperwork isn't ready, or a pre-arrival filing issue is blocking it from being submitted.
"Clearing" — what's actually happening during this status
"Clearing" means an entry has been filed and customs is actively reviewing it — running risk screening, checking documents against the manifest, and deciding whether to release the cargo or flag it. This is the status that causes the most uncertainty, because the duration varies enormously and customs authorities don't publish what's happening inside the review.
For the large majority of shipments, "clearing" resolves in a few hours to a couple of business days with no intervention needed from anyone. Three things typically happen underneath that single word:
- Automated risk screening checks the entry against known risk factors — commodity, origin, importer history, declared value versus manifest.
- Document verification confirms the invoice, packing list, and bill of lading are internally consistent and match the declared HS codes.
- Exam selection either clears the shipment straight through or pulls it aside for a document query or physical inspection, which moves the shipment toward "held" rather than "released."
A shipment can sit in "clearing" for an extended period without anything being wrong — it's simply still in the review queue. The status only becomes a signal to act on if it stretches well beyond the typical window for that trade lane, at which point it's worth asking your broker whether a query is open that just hasn't surfaced as "held" yet.
"Released" — what it actually unlocks
"Released" means customs has authorised the cargo to move — it does not mean the cargo has left the terminal, and it does not mean delivery is imminent. Release is a legal/administrative event: duties and fees are settled or bonded, and the entry is cleared in customs' systems. What happens physically afterward depends on the move type and who's handling pickup.
This is the most commonly misunderstood status, because "released" sounds final but several steps can still sit between it and delivery:
- Terminal gate-out: for ocean and air cargo, the terminal or warehouse still has to process the physical release and make the container or shipment available for pickup — this can take additional time, especially at congested terminals.
- Trucking/drayage arrangement: under door delivery terms, drayage still needs to be booked and executed after release.
- Demurrage exposure continues until gate-out: a container can be "released" by customs and still accrue demurrage if it isn't physically picked up before the carrier's free days expire. Release stops the customs clock; it doesn't stop the terminal's clock.
Knowing the difference matters for cost, not just curiosity — the days between "released" and physically gated out are exactly the days that can turn into a demurrage bill if nobody is watching.
"Held" — how it differs from "clearing"
A "held" status means customs has actively stopped the shipment pending something specific, rather than simply still reviewing it — the shipment has moved out of the normal review queue and into an exception. Common triggers are a document query, a physical or scanned exam order, or a referral to another regulatory agency for restricted goods. Unlike "clearing," which resolves on its own once review completes, "held" generally requires someone — the importer, the broker, or both — to take an action before the status can change.
The practical difference: if your shipment says "clearing," check back later. If it says "held," find out today what's being asked for, because the clock on resolving it is also the clock on demurrage.
Why the status actually matters for your costs and ETA
Every day a shipment sits in "clearing" or "held" past the carrier's free time is a day of potential demurrage — a charge that's tiered and escalates the longer the delay runs. The status itself doesn't tell you the dollar exposure, but it tells you which clock is running:
- Not started / clearing: the customs clock is running; demurrage exposure depends on how close you are to the free-time deadline.
- Released, not yet gated out: the terminal clock is running; this is the window most likely to be overlooked because the shipment "looks" finished.
- Held: both the customs resolution clock and the demurrage clock are running simultaneously, which is why held shipments carry the highest cost risk.
Whether customs clearance falls to you or the other party in the transaction also depends on the incoterm on the contract — under DDP the seller's agent manages clearance, while under terms like FOB or DAP the buyer is the importer of record and owns the status directly.
Tracking status without chasing it
The practical problem with customs statuses isn't understanding them — it's that most shippers only find out a status changed when they think to check, which means the hours between "clearing" flipping to "held" and someone noticing are hours lost. A milestone-tracked shipment surfaces the change the moment it happens, rather than on whatever schedule the person checking happens to keep. That's the difference between reacting to a hold on day one and discovering it on day four.
How Holo Cargo helps
On a Holo Cargo booking, customs status changes are tracked as milestones alongside the rest of the shipment, so a move from "clearing" to "held" or "released" shows up without anyone needing to refresh a carrier portal. Our operators coordinate directly with experienced customs brokerage partners at the destination, so a document query gets a fast, informed response instead of sitting unanswered. Clearance status is one view, not a separate system to check.
