Broker Compliance

Broker Licensing, Permits & Continuing Education

Who needs a license, how to get one after the CBLE, the national permit, and what keeps a license alive: the triennial status report and continuing education. Broker Compliance is 15 to 20 questions on recent exams, and these day counts are favourite targets.

Broker Compliance4 min read8 sections

Must-know for the exam

Exam eligibility: US citizen, 18 or older, not a federal employee; apply at least 30 calendar days before the exam (19 CFR 111.13(b)).
License applicant: 21 or older, US citizen, good moral character, passed the CBLE within the 3 years before applying (19 CFR 111.11(a)).
Fees: exam $390; individual license $300; organization license $500; permit application $100; triennial report $100 (19 CFR 111.96, eCFR as at 7 Oct 2026).
Annual permit user fee: $190.88 from October 1, 2026 (91 FR 48398). Not paying it revokes the permit by operation of law (111.45(b)).
Triennial report due February 1; February filing is timely; unfiled by March 1 means suspension; file and pay within 60 days of CBP's notice (111.30(d)).
Continuing education: 36 credits each triennial period; 20 for 2024-2027 only (111.102(b); 89 FR 87387, Nov 1, 2024).
One credit per full 60 minutes; half credits for each full 30 minutes of continuous participation (111.1).
Non-government training counts only if a CBP-selected accreditor approved it before it was given (111.103(a)(1)(ii)).
Organization without a licensed officer or member for 120 continuous days loses license and permit; 180 days without a permit qualifier loses the permit (111.45(a)).
Address changes: 10 calendar days. Employee list changes: 30 calendar days (111.30(a), 111.28(b)).

On this page · 8 sections

Traps that cost marks

Treating CBP's recommended filing date as the legal deadline and missing that all of February counts as timely.
Counting the 60 days from March 1, the suspension date, instead of from the date of CBP's notice.
Confusing revocation by operation of law, which allows a new application, with cancellation "with prejudice".
Dividing the minutes by 60 instead of counting full 30-minute blocks.
Remembering the one-time 20-credit figure for 2024-2027 as the permanent rule.
Counting the months between the two dates instead of the complete months remaining, which drops January 2030.
Assuming a later approval relates back to an event that has already happened.
Borrowing the 60-day reinstatement period from the late triennial report rule.

Why it matters on the exam

Broker Compliance opens every CBLE and ran to 20 questions in October 2025. The questions are short but exact: a day count, a fee, or which office decides. Every answer here is in 19 CFR Part 111, so tab it.

Who needs a license

A license is needed to transact customs business for others (111.2(a)). Customs business includes preparing documents for filing with CBP, even if someone else signs or files them (111.1).

•No license needed: an importer acting only for its own account and its regular employees (111.2(a)(2)(i)).
•A broker's employee who signs under a power of attorney from the broker, or whom the broker has listed with the processing Center (111.2(a)(2)(ii)).
•Carriers making in-bond entries, marine transactions, FTZ activities without transfer into customs territory (111.2(a)(2)(iii)-(vi)).
•Not customs business: mere electronic transmission of data, and corporate compliance activity for related entities owned more than 50% (111.1).

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Frequently asked questions

How many continuing education credits does a customs broker need?

36 credits each triennial period under 19 CFR 111.102(b); for the 2024-2027 period only, 20 credits (CBP notice, 89 FR 87387, Nov 1, 2024).

What happens if a broker misses the triennial status report?

A report not filed by March 1 of the reporting year suspends the license by operation of law; filing and paying the fee within 60 calendar days of the suspension notice reinstates it, otherwise it is revoked (19 CFR 111.30(d)(4)).

How old must a customs broker license applicant be?

21 on the date the application is submitted (19 CFR 111.11(a)(2)); 18 to sit the exam (19 CFR 111.13(b)).

Exam-style questions

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