Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) Articles & Updates

The Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) is the examination U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses to decide who may apply for a U.S. customs broker license. Under 19 CFR 111.13 it tests knowledge of customs and related laws, regulations and procedures, bookkeeping, accounting and other matters a broker needs to serve importers and exporters. It is given twice a year, generally on the fourth Wednesday in April and October. The exam is open book and is generally given electronically: 80 multiple-choice questions in four and a half hours, using the reference editions CBP names for each sitting, including Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. A score of 75 percent is needed to pass. Typical categories include broker compliance, entry and entry summary (which takes in modernized drawback), classification, valuation, appraisement and duty assessment, quota and practical exercises. To sit, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 and not an officer or employee of the U.S. Government. Passing allows an application for an individual broker license within three years, which also requires the applicant to be at least 21.