How to Request Your CBP Form 7501 from Flexport

Informational only — not legal advice.

What you need

Minimum to act today:

• Date range (start/end)
• Your legal company name
• One shipment identifier (Flexport shipment ref or invoice/PO)

If you have it (speeds results):

• Entry numbers
• Importer number (often EIN-based), if known
• Flexport shipment/booking references (PO, shipment ID)

You’ll use these identifiers to search in Portal access and to write a high-signal request in Email request.

Portal access

If you can’t download entry PDFs, skip to Email request.

Practical approach:

1. In the Flexport Platform, locate the relevant shipments for the date range.
2. Check documents/attachments for customs entry artifacts (including any “Customs Entry (7501)” documents).
3. Capture:
   • Entry number (best, if shown)
   • Shipment references (PO/booking/shipment ID)
   • Any internal customs file references

Flexport’s help article on “Customs Entry (7501)” is a useful reference for how Flexport labels the artifact: Flexport help — Customs Entry (7501).

Optional: API access (ops teams)

If your organization uses Flexport’s APIs, Flexport’s developer docs describe working with customs entries and shipment documents:

• Flexport developers — Customs Entries API tutorial
• Flexport API docs — Documents

Email request

If you can’t self-download entry summary PDFs, request them through in-app support or your Flexport account team using the tightest entry/shipment list you can assemble.

What to request (copy/paste wording)

“Please provide CBP Form 7501 (Entry Summary) PDFs (including any continuation sheets) for the entries/shipments below. If available, please also provide an ACE entry summary export (CSV/Excel) and confirm the Importer of Record (IOR) per entry.”

What to include in your request

• Legal company name
• Date range
• Shipment identifiers (from What you need)
• If available: entry numbers, importer number, broker/file refs
• Ask for: 7501 PDFs + continuation sheets, ACE entry summary export (if available), and IOR confirmation per entry

If you’re not sure who the IOR is / you’re told you’re not authorized

• Ask them to confirm the IOR per entry (name + importer number).
• Ask what authorization they require to release documents (release letter, POA, etc.).
• Keep everything in writing.

If they say “no 7501 exists” / “we don’t have a 7501 PDF”

1. Clarify their role and what they can still provide:
   • Did Flexport act as the customs broker / entry filer for these shipments?
   • If another broker filed, can they share the broker name (and filer code, if known) and any entry numbers they have?
   • If they can’t provide a 7501 PDF, can they provide an ACE entry summary export (CSV/Excel) or at least an entry number list tied to these shipments?
2. For the “paper vs electronic equivalent” context (and common exceptions), see: CBP Form 7501 Field Guide.

What to do once you have the 7501s

At minimum, extract:

• Entry number(s)
• Importer of Record identification (name + importer number)
• The duty lines you care about (often reflected via HTS + Chapter 99 lines)
• Duty/fee totals

Then keep the PDFs organized by entry number or month so you can upload in batches.