What is Sealed processing?
Sealed is the processing mode in which your documents are read inside AMD SEV-SNP confidential virtual machines, so no one sees them without your consent.
FAQ
Sealed processing, explained
Sealed is the processing mode in which no one sees your documents without your consent, and each run ends in a receipt anyone can check against AMD's keys.
- Filed by a licensed broker†
- Published fees, charged after CBP pays
- Sealed on AMD SEV-SNP
11 questions
Read the full answer
Why should I choose Sealed?
Choose Sealed when your records hold trade secrets, export-controlled data, or a customer contract that requires confidential processing.
What is AMD SEV-SNP?
AMD SEV-SNP is a security feature of AMD server processors that gives each virtual machine its own memory-encryption key, managed by the AMD Secure Processor.
The detail
It also protects that memory from tampering by the host, such as replay and remapping. It's the hardware that makes a confidential VM confidential.
Sealed mode runs on NexQloud Sealed, on AMD SEV-SNP hardware.
- AMD, SEV developer page[1]
Also asked
- What is AMD SEV-SNP, and how does it relate to confidential VMs?
How do I verify a Sealed receipt?
Run the checks yourself on the receipt each Sealed run ends in, with open-source tools such as snpguest or go-sev-guest.
What does the receipt prove, and what doesn't it prove?
It proves the report came from a genuine AMD processor, which code was launched, that debugging was off, and the platform's patch level.
The detail
It doesn't prove the code is bug-free, that the hardware resisted a physical attack, or that nothing left through the run's normal outputs: the claim lines and totals leave by design.
"Copy erased" is a statement by the measured code, not a hardware fact.
What are the limits of Sealed processing?
Sealed narrows who can read your documents; it doesn't make attacks impossible, and it isn't a compliance certification.
How does Sealed protect against threats from inside and outside the cloud?
It keeps the host's software, including the hypervisor, outside the trust boundary, so someone who controls the host, inside or outside NexQloud, can't read the machine's memory through software.
The detail
The measured image has no SSH, console or debug access, and outbound traffic is blocked except to you and your broker.
It doesn't stop physical attacks on the hardware, which AMD treats as out of scope.
Also asked
- How do confidential VMs offer better protection against threats originating from both within and outside the cloud infrastructure?
Are my files protected before and after a Sealed run?
Before the run, uploads are encrypted in your browser, or to a key released only to an attested confidential VM.
The detail
After the run, the working copy is cryptographically erased, and the receipt records it.
Encrypted upload copies, and any key share you hold, follow their own retention rule.
Stored data stays encrypted under keys that only the measured code can use.
- NIST SP 800-88r2, Sept 2025[4]
Also asked
- Are the virtual disks attached to confidential VMs automatically protected?
What happens if I need NexQloud to help with a Sealed run?
We can help with the run, not with its contents. Support sees run status and logs that carry no document content, never your documents.
The detail
If the agent can't settle a field, the exception goes to you or your broker.
If a run needs to be restarted, support can restart it without reading anything inside.
Also asked
- What happens if I need NexQloud to service or access data in a Sealed run?
Is there an extra cost for Sealed?
Yes. Standard is 2 points less at each tier.
The detail
Sealed is 20%, 15% and 12% of principal recovered; Standard is 18%, 13% and 10%.
On a $1M lookback, that's $175,000 in Sealed and $155,000 in Standard.
The premium pays for what Sealed adds: a run no one sees without your consent, a receipt anyone can check, and a cryptographic erase of the working copy.
Also asked
- Is there an extra cost for using confidential VMs?
What could NexQloud hand over if a court ordered it?
In Sealed mode, no readable copy of your documents; we hold claim totals, receipts and billing records.
The detail
In Standard mode, we hold your documents during the engagement, so legal process could reach them.
Either way, your own record-keeping duties don't change, and you and your broker keep the records CBP requires.
- 19 CFR 190.15[6]
Editorial
Sources and changes
Written by the NexQloud Drawback team from the primary sources linked on this page.
Change log
- First published.
Not legal advice. NexQloud Drawback is not a government agency.
NexQloud Drawback is software used by licensed customs brokers.
Get started
Read less. Run the demo.
Run the demo on a sample file. About three minutes.
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01
Upload one quarter.
Entry summaries, invoices and export records.
WhoYou
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02
AI drafts your claim.
It ties each export to its import, to the cent.
WhoThe agent
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03
Your broker files. CBP pays you.
The refund goes directly to your bank account.
WhoA licensed broker
Your email and name open the demo. We never ask for your ACE login or bank details.
Ready now? Start a claimIEEPA refunds
Got your IEEPA refund? Drawback is the one that repeats.
We check every entry for CAPE first, the order CBP recommends.[7] Drawback can recur every year.
Which tariffs qualify?
For partners
Be the firm that finds your clients a second refund.
Brokers earn the drawback fee. CPA firms bill their own work. Refund firms keep their CAPE clients. Design partners help shape it before launch.
Apply to partner
No fee to apply. We reply within 2 business days.
What is duty drawback?
A refund of up to 99% of the duties, taxes and fees you paid on imports that you later export or destroy, or that went into products you export.[11] It works in any industry.
When can I start?
We open to importers in waves, in the order of the waitlist. The demo shows the whole product with sample data today, and partners can apply now.
What will you need from me?
One quarter of records to start: entry summaries, invoices, packing lists, shipping documents, and export, return or destruction records.
How long until CBP pays?
With accelerated payment, CBP can pay before the claim is final. Its only published timing, from December 2018: processing "will generally take place within 3 weeks of the claim resubmission date."[12]
Can I use my own customs broker?
Yes. Invite your own broker, or use one we name before you sign. Your POA stays with your broker, and your broker sets its own fee.
What if CBP pays less than claimed?
The fee follows what CBP actually pays. If CBP later recovers part of a payment, the fee is reduced to match.
Do you file CAPE claims?
No. We check every entry for CAPE first and flag what belongs there. You or your broker files CAPE. Refund firms work through one of you.