# Find out what can’t cross the border before you sell it

> Check products against import and export prohibitions and restrictions, including US partner agency flags (FDA, USDA, FWS), the UK Trade Tariff and EU TARIC, with the agency and rule for each.

Source: https://border.bot/restrict
Last updated: 2026-10-21

Send products with a code or a description and the destination. Restrict returns each prohibition and restriction that applies, the agency behind it, what it requires and a link to the rule, for imports and, if you give the origin, for exports too.

[Create a free account](https://app.border.bot/signup) · [Read the API guide](https://border.bot/developers)

Reviewed by the border.bot editorial team on 2026-10-21 ([editorial policy](https://border.bot/about/editorial)).

## How Restrict works

### 1. Check a whole order at once

Send up to 100 products in one request, each with a SKU, a title, a description or a tariff code. Add the [ship-from country](https://border.bot/blog/country-of-origin-vs-shipped-from) and the origin’s export rules are checked as well as the destination’s import rules.

**One product in the request**

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| SKU | FC-50 |
| Title | Hydrating face cream, 50 ml |
| HS code | 3304.99.50.00 |
| Destination | United States |

### 2. Every agency that reviews the line

For US imports, Restrict reads the partner government agency flags CBP publishes for each tariff line. A [face cream](https://border.bot/hs-codes/3304) is not just a cosmetic: four agencies can ask for entry data, and one of them always does.

**US rules for 3304.99.50.00**

| Item | Detail | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FDA | Regulated by FDA, not food: submit entry data | Required |
| APHIS | USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | May be |
| AMS | USDA organics data | May be |
| FWS | Fish and Wildlife Service data | May be |

From CBP’s ACE Appendix PGA, read 19 October 2026.

### 3. Prohibited, restricted or worth knowing

Each rule says whether it is a prohibition, a restriction or an observation, the direction it applies in, the agency, what it requires and how sure the match is. Rules found only by keyword are confirmed before they are returned, and weak ones are dropped.

**What a rule tells you**

| Item | Detail | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prohibition | The goods cannot enter or leave | Stop |
| Restriction | Allowed with a licence, permit or data | Check |
| Observation | Worth knowing, nothing to file | Note |

### 4. Add the rules only you know

Some limits are yours, not the law’s: a carrier that won’t take aerosols, a marketplace that bans a category. Add them to your workspace and they are checked alongside the official ones, marked as yours.

**Part of the response**

```json
{
  "hasProhibitions": false,
  "hasRestrictions": true,
  "items": [{
    "sku": "FC-50",
    "restrictions": [{
      "ruleType": "restriction",
      "direction": "IMPORT",
      "agency": "Food and Drug Administration",
      "confidence": "HIGH"
    }]
  }]
}
```

Illustrative response, shortened.

## A seized parcel is the most expensive one

Prohibited goods are seized, and restricted goods sent without the right permit or entry data are held, returned or destroyed. The order is refunded, the shipping is lost, and repeat problems put your account with the carrier at risk.

### Don’t list what you can’t deliver

Check a product against the destination’s rules before it goes on sale there, and hide it from countries that prohibit it.

### Know the paperwork in advance

See which agencies review the product, such as the FDA or USDA for the US, and whether their data is required or may be asked for, before the parcel reaches the border.

### Export rules as well as import rules

Give the ship-from country and its export prohibitions and restrictions are checked in the same request.

### Your rules next to the law’s

Carrier and marketplace limits live beside the official rules, so one check answers whether you can sell it, ship it and send it with that carrier.

## Where the rules come from

Restrict reads each country’s own published rules and keeps the link to every one. Customs union rules apply to their members, so a parcel to Germany is checked against the EU’s.

|  | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | CBP | Partner agency flags per line |
| United Kingdom | HMRC | UK Trade Tariff measures |
| European Union | TARIC | Import and export measures |
| Switzerland | National | Published national file |
| Taiwan | National | Published national file |
| Israel | National | Published national file |
| Ukraine | National | Published prohibitions |

Source: [CBP: ACE Appendix PGA](https://www.cbp.gov/document/technical-documentation/ace-appendix-pga)

## Who uses Restrict

### Online stores

Check the catalogue before [opening a new market](https://border.bot/countries), and check new products as they are added.

### Marketplaces

Stop listings that a buyer’s country prohibits, and flag the ones that need a permit before they are bought.

### Carriers and 3PLs

Check consignments before you accept them, so prohibited goods never enter your network.

### Customs brokers

See the partner agency data a US entry will need for [each line](https://border.bot/hs-codes), before the shipment arrives.

## How import and export restrictions work

### Prohibited, restricted and everything else

A prohibition means the goods can’t cross at all, whatever the paperwork. A restriction means they can, but only with something more: a licence, a permit, a certificate, a registration or data filed with an agency at entry. Most regulated consumer goods are restricted rather than prohibited.

### Customs enforces other agencies’ rules

Customs is usually the checkpoint, not the rule-maker. In the US, CBP collects data at entry on behalf of partner government agencies such as the FDA for food, cosmetics, drugs and devices, USDA for plants and animal products, the Fish and Wildlife Service for wildlife and the CPSC for consumer products. Each tariff line carries flags saying which agencies may need data, and [Classify](https://border.bot/classify) returns them with every code.

In the EU and the UK, the tariff carries measures that say which certificates, licences or bans apply to a code and an origin, from endangered species (CITES) to dual-use goods.

### Exports have rules too

Countries also control what leaves. Dual-use items, cultural goods, some chemicals and goods bound for sanctioned countries can need an export licence. Giving Restrict the ship-from country checks those rules alongside the destination’s.

### Carriers and marketplaces add their own

A product can be legal to import and still refused by a carrier: lithium batteries, aerosols and perfumes are dangerous goods in air transport, for example. Marketplaces ban whole categories. Adding those limits as workspace rules means one check covers the law and the companies you ship with.

## Three ways to check restrictions

|  | Reading the rules yourself | Finding out at the border | border.bot Restrict |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| When you find out | After hours of research | When the parcel is held | Before you list or ship |
| Agencies covered | The ones you know about | Whichever stops it | Every agency flagged for the line |
| Export rules | Separate research | At export, if at all | Same request |
| Your carrier’s limits | A separate list | A rejected booking | Workspace rules, checked together |
| At scale | Not practical | Costly | Up to 100 products per request |

## What you send, what you get back

**Request**

| Field | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Product | Hydrating face cream, 50 ml |
| HS code | 3304.99.50.00 |
| Destination | United States |
| Origin | France |

**Result**

| Field | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Result | Restricted |
| FDA | Entry data required |
| APHIS, AMS, FWS | Data may be required |
| Source | CBP ACE Appendix PGA |

From the US tariff data, read 19 October 2026.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Input | The destination, optionally the origin, and up to 100 products, each with a SKU, title, description or HS code, plus your own reference. |
| Output | For each product, every rule that applies: type, direction, imposing country, agency, title, summary, requirement, confidence and source link, with flags for any prohibition or restriction in the order. |
| Matching | By tariff code, by keyword and by origin. Keyword matches are confirmed before they are returned and weak ones are dropped. |
| Sources | US partner government agency flags from CBP, the UK Trade Tariff, EU TARIC, and national files for Switzerland, Taiwan, Israel and Ukraine. A destination without rules loaded returns an unsupported-country error rather than an empty answer. |
| Your rules | Rules your workspace adds are checked with the official ones and marked as yours. |
| In classification | Every code Classify returns already carries these rules for its destination. |

## With or without code

Run single checks and CSV uploads in the dashboard, call the REST API, or connect the MCP server to an AI assistant. All three use the same engine and save every result in the workspace.

| Method | Path | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | `/v1/restrictions` | Check up to 100 products |
| GET | `/v1/restrictions/checks` | List past checks |
| POST | `/v1/restrictions/rules` | Add a workspace rule |

Example request body for `POST https://api.border.bot/v1/restrictions` (Bearer token from `/oauth2/token`):

```json
{
  "destinationCountry": "US",
  "originCountry": "FR",
  "items": [
    { "sku": "FC-50", "title": "Hydrating face cream, 50 ml",
      "hsCode": "3304.99.50.00" }
  ]
}
```

MCP tools at `https://mcp.border.bot/mcp`: `check_restricted_goods`. [Developer quickstart](https://border.bot/developers) · [Connect the MCP server](https://border.bot/mcp) · [API reference](https://border.bot/docs/api)

## Questions about Restrict

### What is the difference between prohibited and restricted goods?

Prohibited goods cannot be imported (or exported) at all. Restricted goods can, but only with something extra: a licence, a permit, a certificate or data filed with an agency at entry.

### What are US partner government agency flags?

CBP marks each HTS line with the agencies that may need data when it is imported, such as the FDA, USDA or the Fish and Wildlife Service, and whether that data is required or may be required. Restrict returns those flags for your product’s line.

### Which countries does Restrict cover?

The [United States](https://border.bot/countries/united-states), the [United Kingdom](https://border.bot/countries/united-kingdom), the European Union and its members, Switzerland, Taiwan, Israel and Ukraine. A destination without rules loaded returns an error instead of an empty list, so a missing answer is never mistaken for a clear one.

### Can I check export rules too?

Yes. Give the origin country and its export rules are checked alongside the destination’s import rules.

### Does a clear result mean the goods can be imported?

It means no rule we hold matched the product. Carriers and marketplaces have their own limits, and licences depend on who is importing, so check anything regulated with the agency or a licensed customs broker.

### Are lithium batteries restricted?

Often by carriers more than by customs. Lithium batteries are dangerous goods in air transport and carriers set their own rules on how they ship. Add those limits as workspace rules so Restrict checks them with the official ones.

### Do restrictions depend on the origin?

Some do. Sanctions, [anti-dumping measures](https://border.bot/glossary#anti-dumping-duty) and certain agricultural rules apply only to goods from particular countries. Give the origin and Restrict matches those rules too.

### How often are the rules updated?

Restrictions are read from each country’s published tariff and agency data, and updated when those sources change. Every rule links to its source so you can check the current text.

### Can I check a whole catalogue?

Yes. Send up to 100 products per request, as many requests as you need, and keep each check for later reference.

### Does Classify include restrictions?

Yes. Every code [Classify](https://border.bot/classify) returns, and every alternative, carries the destination’s restrictions for that line, so a single call tells you the code and what it needs.

## Further reading

- [Import rules by country](https://border.bot/countries)
- [Country of origin: shipped from isn’t made in](https://border.bot/blog/country-of-origin-vs-shipped-from)
- [Classify, with restrictions on every code](https://border.bot/classify)
- [Glossary of customs and trade terms](https://border.bot/glossary)

## Sources

- [CBP: ACE Appendix PGA](https://www.cbp.gov/document/technical-documentation/ace-appendix-pga)
- [CBP: partner government agencies](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/partner-government-agencies)
- [UK Trade Tariff](https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/)
- [EU TARIC](https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp)

Examples are illustrative unless a source is named. Rules and rates change, so run a check for a current answer.

## Also in border.bot

- [Classify](https://border.bot/classify): The tariff code for the destination, from a description, a product page or a photo.
- [Calculate](https://border.bot/calculate): Duty, import tax and fees, line by line, before the parcel ships.
- [Screen](https://border.bot/screen): Check a person or company against sanctions and denied-party lists.
- [Comply](https://border.bot/comply): What each agency needs at the border: the certificate and its citations, or the right disclaim.