Verify a US customs identity request, clarify the importer, ask about CBP Form 5106 alternatives and submit sensitive details through the verified process.
A courier asking for an SSN or EIN during US parcel clearance is not automatically a scam. Importer identification can be needed for a genuine customs entry. But a message mentioning your parcel is not enough reason to send an identity number: first verify the request, the party being identified and the submission channel.
This guide is for recipients of China-origin parcels already facing an identification request. It does not tell you to obtain a business EIN for every personal purchase or promise release after submitting one form. Sources checked: 17 October 2026.
Cover: AI-generated illustration, not a customer shipment or product-test photograph.
Start with the request, not the number
Open the carrier’s official website independently and look up your tracking number. Contact its clearance team using contact details obtained there. Ask whether the shipment has an open identification request, which broker is handling it and whether the request identifies the importer of record, ultimate consignee or both.
A tracking number alone does not authenticate a caller. Do not use a link in an unexpected message as your only verification, or send a full identity document to a seller’s general chat. If someone threatens arrest or demands an unusual immediate payment, stop and verify independently. CBP’s phone-scam warning describes criminals impersonating customs officers.
Use this first reply without including any sensitive number:
Please confirm the clearance case for tracking [number], your brokerage company, the legal party whose identification is required, the reason for the request and the official secure submission route. Please also confirm the response deadline and what happens if the information is not supplied.
Then choose the branch that matches the confirmed problem.
The broker needs to identify the right person or company
CBP’s importer-number guidance explains the use of an IRS business tax number, an SSN or a CBP-assigned number. These identify an actual party; they are not interchangeable codes to borrow from another person.
If a US company is importing the goods, have its authorised representative confirm the company’s legal name, address and applicable EIN with the broker. If this is a personal purchase, ask which identification the broker accepts for the individual entry. Do not enter your employer’s EIN simply because you know it.
The delivery contact, purchaser and importer can be different roles. For a gift, office delivery or purchase placed by a friend, explain the relationship before sending documents. A nickname on a parcel label may not match the legal name in an importer record.
Reply to use: “The intended importer is [legal person/company]. The delivery contact is [role]. Please confirm which record needs verification before we submit identification through your secure process.”
You have no US number, or want to ask about an alternative
Do not invent an SSN, use someone else’s number or declare a commercial order as personal to avoid an identification request.
The official CBP Form 5106 creates or updates importer identity information. It includes a request for a CBP-assigned number and reasons such as non-US residency, no SSN or a preference to use a CBP-assigned number on entry documents. A checkbox is a request, not an instant approval or a guarantee that a broker will accept an incomplete file.
Ask the broker which procedure applies to your circumstances and whether you already have a record. Use the version supplied through CBP or your independently verified broker. Do not assume that downloading an old carrier-hosted PDF completes registration. This article does not collect, prepare or submit your private identification.
Reply to use: “I need advice on the CBP-assigned-number route for my circumstances. Please confirm the current form, supporting information, submission recipient and any effect on this shipment’s deadline.”
You already supplied details, but the parcel is still on hold
Ask for the exact outstanding field or record mismatch. Possibilities to investigate include the legal name, address, number type or an existing importer record that needs updating. These are diagnostic questions, not a claim that a particular cause applies to your parcel.
Request written confirmation that the broker received the submission and whether it has been accepted. Keep the case reference and submission receipt without repeating the actual number in follow-up emails. Form 5106 is an identity record; it does not replace an entry declaration, product documents, a required bond or a broker’s separate authorisation.
Do not change the invoice or lower the declared value to make a hold disappear. If the issue is instead an assessed charge, use the US import-bill record check. If it is uncertainty about who undertook clearance, check the agreed DDP/DAP responsibilities.
Reply to use: “Please identify the remaining mismatch or document, confirm receipt of the earlier submission and tell me which action is now required from the importer.”
If you do not want to provide the requested information
Tell the verified broker before the deadline. Ask whether a lawful alternative is available and obtain the consequences in writing: continued hold, possible storage charges, return arrangements or another disposition depend on the actual shipment and service terms. Do not assume silence means a free return or refund.
Ask for a cost breakdown before authorising a return or disposal. An identity request and a payment request are separate decisions; providing identification does not settle a disputed charge.
What YDA can help assemble
For a YDA-handled shipment, provide the tracking reference and the non-sensitive wording of the request with SSN, EIN and document images removed. Ask the team to review the order invoice, product description and handover details with you. The importer and verified broker must resolve the identity record through the designated process; YDA does not issue US identification numbers or guarantee customs release.
Low parcel value is not a universal exemption from documentation or duties. CBP’s 2026 de minimis guidance continues the suspension of the general duty-free treatment; its later international-mail update explains the separate postal process. Do not apply a postal procedure automatically to an express-courier parcel. Exact duties depend on the current tariff, classification, origin and entry circumstances; this identity guide is not a tax calculator.
Restricted products may need additional approvals even after the identity issue is resolved. Recheck the broker’s outstanding requirements, product eligibility and current entry rules before dispatching a replacement or another order. Start a shipping enquiry with the redacted request, not your private identity number.
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