By Web Technology Team, Office of Information and Technology

Are you hunting for facts, data, rules or instructions on the Internet? Are you a newbie, an old hand, or maybe you’re a frequent flyer on CBP.gov? Whoever you are, the CBP.gov web site is here to help. We know the volume of information available on the web site can be daunting so we have collected a few tips to help you on your way.

Point and Click (a.k.a. surfing)
The menu buttons of the CBP web site were crafted to be logical and intuitive for numerous user groups and their specific needs. There is a menu system starting with broad topics that become increasingly more specific as you explore the site. Statistics show that a web site visitor will become frustrated if they have not found their target after three clicks. On a web site as information rich as CBP.gov (over 10,000 individual web pages and over 150,000 downloadable files), we attempted to reduce this potential frustration by offering additional ways to quickly find what you need.

Sitemap
You may scan all the topics contained on the CBP.gov site by using the sitemap button located on the top bar on the right of the homepage or you can narrow the list down by using the sitemap button in a particular section of the site. Please note that in order to create a sitemap of realistic proportions we only list topics, not each individual page on the site.

Control F Keyboard Shortcut
To find text on a page, hold down your control key while pressing the F key. A window will pop up to allow you to search only that page.

What’s New
For frequent visitors to CBP.gov our newly automated What’s New feature may be just the ticket. What’s New is a list of pages that have been added or updated each day and remain on the list for seven days. You can see the entire list (at least 50 pages) by clicking the What’s New button on the homepage or narrow the list down by clicking the What’s New buttons found on each main topic page.

Search Engine
The key to a successful search on the web site lies within how you filter out pages that you don’t want. Start with either a global search or scoped search and enter a keyword or phrase of your choice. You can refine the results even more by adding the date, and/or additional key words by using the Advanced Search link.

Frequently Asked Questions
The CBP.gov web site has more than 10,000 pages available to answer almost everyone’s question but when you can’t find an answer there is another source available―the CBP Customer Service Center in the Office of Public Affairs. The question and answer section on the web site provides over 6,500 plus questions each month. Visit the questions button in the green stripe at the top of every page on CBP.gov to discover the full range of information at your fingertips. There you will find a compiled list of over 500 of the most frequently asked questions. The list will be categorized by topics such as requirements for importing certain goods, customs brokers and more. If you still can’t find an answer to your question, please contact the CBP Customer Service Center staff at 202.354.1000, or toll free at 1.877.CBP.5511.