50 CFR § 12.36 - How do I file a claim to get back my seized property?

(a) If you receive a notice of seizure and proposed forfeiture, you may file a claim to the property by the deadline stated in the notice of seizure and proposed forfeiture. This deadline will be 35 days after the notice is mailed.

(b) If you did not receive a notice of seizure and proposed forfeiture, your claim must be received by the appropriate office not later than 30 days from the last date of final publication of the notice of the seizure of the property.

(c) A claim does not have to be in any particular form, but your claim must: be in writing, identify the specific property being claimed, state your interest in the specific property being claimed, and be made under oath subject to penalty of perjury. We will make a claim form available to you upon request.

(d) Your claim, by itself, will not entitle you or any other person to possession of the property. No bond is required to make a claim for judicial forfeiture proceedings. Rather, your claim will result in the Service referring the case, through the Solicitor, to the Department of Justice for civil judicial forfeiture. However, if you request possession of the property pending an administrative forfeiture decision under § 12.6, you will be required to post a bond under § 12.6 if your request is granted. This bond is only required to obtain interim possession of the property.

(e) Your claim must be made under oath by you as the claimant and not by an attorney or agent.

(f) If you are an individual claimant, you must sign the claim.

(1) If the claimant is a corporation or a form of limited liability business entity organized under a State law, an authorized officer or supervisory employee of the entity must sign the claim.

(2) If the claimant is a partnership or limited partnership, any general partner may sign the claim.

(3) If the claimant is a trust, estate, or fiduciary entity, such as a person to whom property is entrusted, the chief officer authorized by the trust, estate, or fiduciary entity must sign the claim.