Customs Brokers

On December 18, 2023, Revenue Modernization’s Electronic Payment Options project (ePO/eCBP) in conjunction with the Office of Trade’s Broker Management Branch, will begin accepting submissions of the 2024 Triennial Status Report (TSR).

All licensed customs brokers are encouraged to visit the eCBP portal to submit their required TSR. Brokers can use their Login.gov information to authenticate their TSR submission in the eCBP portal and navigate through the self-paced questions to fulfill the TSR requirement. As the user navigates through the few short screens to complete the filing process, he/she/they will be prompted to address the following new requirements:

• An individual broker not actively engaged in transacting business as a broker must provide his or her current mailing address.
• An individual broker not actively engaged in transacting business as a broker must state whether or not he or she still meets the applicable requirements.
• A partnership, association, or corporation broker transacting customs business must provide information on the broker’s office of record.
• A partnership, association, or corporation broker transacting customs business must provide information on the permit qualifier, member(s)/officer(s) of the organization, and license qualifier via an uploaded PDF/Word/Excel document.
• A partnership, association, or corporation broker must affirm in their triennial report that they continue to meet all applicable requirements.

The user will also be prompted to identify whether his/her/their organization will pay the $100 processing fee on his/her/their behalf. Brokerages are able to pay the fee for all their licensed employees at one time. Improved payment receipting and payment notification ensures that the brokerage and individual licensed brokers have plenty of documentation for compliance purposes.

Webinar (December 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. ET)

CBP hosted a webinar December 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., ET. This educational webinar covered 2024 Triennial Status Reporting and Annual Permit User Fee Submissions.

Play the December 15, 2023 Webinar Recording or view the December 15, 2023 Webinar Slides.

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions and TSR system Quick Reference Guides on the eCBP Portal resource page on cbp.gov.

For eCBP portal technical assistance, contact the Rev Mod Service Desk (RMSD) at revmodservicedesk@cbp.dhs.gov or call 1-800-366-8732 Ext 4670.

Save Time – Submit Online!

Revenue Modernization’s Electronic Payment Options project (ePO/eCBP), in conjunction with Office of Trade’s Broker Management Branch will begin accepting submissions of the annual user fee payment via the eCBP portal starting November 29, 2023 through the February 9, 2024 due date which was published in a Federal Register Notice on November 27, 2023.

All national permit holders should visit the eCBP portal to submit their required annual user fee. Login using authentication from Login.gov and provide the user fee payment to fulfill the requirement. Payment receipting ensures that the permitted broker has documentation of compliance.

Effective October 1, 2023, the COBRA fee (USER FEE) for permits is $174.80. The annual user fee amount owed for each active permit is $174.80 and should be submitted through the eCBP portal.

For more information see FAQs and Permit User Fee Quick Reference Guides at: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/ecbp. 

For eCBP portal technical assistance, contact the Rev Mod Service Desk (RMSD) at revmodservicedesk@cbp.dhs.gov or call 1-800-366-8732 Ext 4670.

General CBLE Information

• Exam and Key Downloads
• Exam Appeal Information

CBLE Information

• CBLE Information

CBLE Score Notification Letters and Appeal Due Dates

The bi-annual Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) is administered on the fourth Wednesday of April and October.  Exam Results Letters are emailed to examinees within two to three weeks from the date of the exam. First Appeals are due no later than 60 days from the date the Exam Results Letters were sent. Second Appeals are due no later than 60 days from the date the First Appeal Results Letters were sent.
 

Pass Rate Information

The May 1, 2024 CBLE resulted in a 13% pass rate prior to appeal decisions.

The October 25, 2023 CBLE resulted in a 34% pass rate prior to appeal decisions.

The April 26, 2023 CBLE resulted in a 5.5% pass rate prior to appeal decisions.
 

Broker Exam Questions

CBP welcomes the submittal of new questions for future broker exams. Please submit your questions to brokermanagement@cbp.dhs.gov with "Future Exam Questions" in the subject line.

• Guidelines on Writing New CBLE Questions

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published the Continuing Education for Licensed Customs Brokers Final Rule. Please see our new Broker Continuing Education page for additional information. 

The Customs broker regulations in part 111 of title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR 111) have been subject to review by the broker community, CBP, and the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Council (COAC) for several years. During this time, CBP solicited feedback from the trade community through webinars, port meetings and trade association meetings, aiming to promote transparency and collaboration while modernizing regulations to reflect the role of the broker in today’s business environment.  

In the April 2016 COAC public meeting, the COAC Broker Regulations Working Group (BRWG) made 37 recommendations to modernize 19 CFR 111. The COAC BRWG included participants from the trade community and CBP representatives. BRWG Recommendations focused on the following areas: the evolving role of the broker; confidentiality, cybersecurity and record retention; responsible supervision and control and employee reporting; and licensing and permits. Included in those recommendations were a proposed single, national permit for brokers, as well as electronic process changes.  

The two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs), published June 5, 2020, reflected many of these recommendations and proposed changes to align the broker regulations with contemporary business practices in the electronic environment. Considering the proposed changes and public comments received in response to the NPRMs, CBP published two Final Rules on October 18, 2022, Modernization of the Customs Broker Regulations (87 FR 63267) and Elimination of Customs Broker District Permit Fee (87 FR 63262). These rules modernize the customs broker regulations and provide resource optimization for both industry and CBP and will update compliance requirements to protect revenue and strengthen CBP’s knowledge of importers.  

Key changes in the Final Rules include:

• Creating a new term and definition for "Processing Center" 
• Transitioning to a national permit framework
• Increasing license application fees and expanding forms of payment
• Codifying that U.S. customs business is conducted within the U.S. customs territory 
• Revising regulations regarding the broker/client relationship 
• Updating the responsible supervision and control oversight framework 
• Strengthening cyber security and records requirements
• Modernizing broker reporting and Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) capabilities through the broker account portal 
• Changing broker exam and licensing processes 

For more information on the Customs Broker Modernization Regulations 19 CFR 111.

For frequently asked questions on the Customs Broker Modernization Regulations 19 CFR 111.

Fee Updated Calendar Year 2024

Effective October 1, 2023, the COBRA Fee for permits (USER FEE) is $174.80 (was $163.71)
Effective October 1, 2023, the broker application finger printing fee remains $11.25