ASG CustomsAmerican Samoa Time —
Departments and Reviews
Some imports may require review by more than one government office. This page explains why that happens, which agencies may be involved, and why coordinated review matters.
Why more than one department may be involved
Depending on the goods being imported, Customs may need to coordinate with other government departments responsible for agriculture, health, environment, public safety, port operations, wildlife, vehicles, or trade-related oversight. Some declarations may require permit checks, restricted-goods reviews, cargo-specific reviews, or additional compliance requirements before customs clearance can proceed.
Examples of agency involvement
Possible reviews may involve agencies such as:
Department of Agriculture (DOA)
Reviews plants, seeds, soil products, fresh produce, live animals, and other agricultural goods that may require quarantine, biosecurity, or agriculture-related review.
Department of Health (DOH)
Reviews food, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, alcohol, tobacco, and other imports that may require public health or safety review.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reviews chemicals, fuels, hazardous materials, pesticides, packaging materials, and other imports with environmental or hazardous-substance implications.
Department Marine & Wildlife (DMWR)
Reviews fish, shellfish, marine products, wildlife items, and other goods that may involve conservation, fisheries, or protected-species concerns.
Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Reviews firearms, ammunition, explosives, hazardous goods, and other security-sensitive imports that may require law-enforcement or public-safety oversight.
Port Administration (PAAS)
Supports vessel, aircraft, cargo, and port-operation coordination relevant to cargo handling, scheduling, container movement, and bonded out-gate activity.
Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV)
Reviews vehicle imports for registration-related, identification, safety, age, or compliance requirements connected to motor vehicle entry.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
May be involved when shipments raise broader security, incident-response, emergency, or multi-agency coordination concerns.
Department of Commerce
Receives HS codes, values, and volumes from Customs declarations to support trade statistics, threshold monitoring, and economic planning for territory.
Why coordination helps
When ASG departments can coordinate through a more connected process, it helps reduce avoidable delays, improve visibility across departments, support more consistent review, and give importers a clearer picture of where their clearance stands. Better coordination also helps strengthen compliance, protect the community, support public safety, and shorten the time it takes for products to reach store shelves, which in turn improves quality of life for our people.