What happens at US customs if my part is a prototype?

A prototype can enter the United States duty-free under heading 9817.85.01 if it's used only for development, testing, evaluation or quality control. Mark it as Prototype in the cart's Customs & duties step: your duty estimate and your commercial invoice are prepared with that treatment. The final decision belongs to US Customs.

What counts as a prototype

Parts you'll use only to develop, test, evaluate or quality-check a product, not to sell or put into production.

How to indicate it

• 1. In the cart, in the Customs & duties step, choose Prototype instead of Production.
• 2. Your duty estimate shows no duties for those parts, and we also show you separately what you'd pay if customs doesn't accept it as a prototype.
• 3. Your commercial invoice includes the prototype statement for your customs broker to present.

What to keep in mind

• Customs decides: the benefit is claimed by your importer or customs broker at clearance, and US Customs may accept it or not.
• If it isn't accepted, you pay the regular duties on those parts, which you already saw in your estimate.
• Declare truthfully: marking a production part as a prototype can lead to penalties for the importer.

More about duties in Do my parts pay duties when entering the United States?.