All international carriers that transport cargo or passengers via vessel from a foreign destination to the United States must have in place an International Customs Bond (ICB) as required by US Customs & Border Protection (CBP). The ICB ensures that all duties, taxes and fees owed to the federal government will be paid. There are two types of bonds depending on the frequency of calls into the U.S.A., namely the "single entry" or the "continuous annual bond" and arrangements must be in place prior to entering the U.S.A. The size of the bond in monetary terms is determined by the Port Authority of each U.S.A. port: a $100,000 bond will be sufficient for most ports, although for the port of Miami a $150,000 bond is required. The CBP usually process the application within a week but it can often take as long as three weeks, depending on the work load. These bonds can be obtained by an approved surety by the U.S.A. fiscal treasury; for the relevant details please click on the following link: https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreports/ref/suretyBnd/surety_home.htm