General Order (GO)
General Order (GO) is a customs status applied to imported goods that have not been cleared, entered or collected within the legally allowed period after arrival. When cargo is unclaimed, lacks proper documentation, or duties go unpaid past the deadline, customs authorities move it into General Order, transferring it to a bonded GO warehouse at the importer's risk and cost.
Once in GO, the goods accrue storage and handling charges, and if they remain unclaimed for a further statutory period they can be sold at auction, abandoned or destroyed by the authorities to recover costs and clear the space. General Order exists to stop ports and terminals silting up with uncollected cargo and to enforce timely clearance. For importers it is a costly, avoidable outcome — driven home by the importance of prompt customs clearance, correct documentation and duty payment. (The term and precise rules are most associated with US Customs but similar unclaimed-cargo regimes exist worldwide.)
General Order is what happens when clearance goes wrong and nobody collects the cargo — the goods pile up costs and can ultimately be auctioned or destroyed. It is an expensive, reputation-denting outcome that prompt documentation, clearance and duty payment exist to avoid, which is exactly why importers need to understand it.
What causes goods to go into General Order?
Failure to clear, enter, document or collect imported cargo within the allowed period after arrival.
What happens to General Order cargo?
It is moved to a bonded GO warehouse at the importer's cost and, if still unclaimed, can be auctioned, abandoned or destroyed.