U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that individual customs broker license holders may begin completing qualified continuing education courses on Jan. 1, 2025. As a result, CBP has established 20 credits as the prorated number of required credit hours for the triennial period Feb. 1, 2024, through Jan. 31, 2027.
Under a June 2023 final rule CBP is requiring brokers to complete at least 36 CE credits per triennial period, which works out to an hour per month. Brokers will be able to earn CE credits for a variety of accredited training or educational activities, whether in-person or online, including seminars, webinars, workshops, self-guided activities, port tours, trade days sponsored by local trade associations, conventions, and (subject to certain limitations and requirements) the preparation and presentation of subject matter as an instructor or speaker.
Brokers will report and certify their compliance with this new requirement when submitting their triennial status reports, beginning with the 2027 reports due between approximately Dec. 15, 2026, and Feb. 28, 2027. However, for the triennial period beginning Feb. 1, 2024, and ending Jan. 31, 2027 – and for that period only – CBP has reduced the number of CE credits required to 20 due to a delay in the date on which brokers may begin completing qualified CE activities. Brokers will be required to earn the full 36 CE credits for all subsequent triennial periods.
CBP has said that while training or educational activities provided by it or any other federal agency that is relevant to customs business will automatically qualify as CE credit, training or educational activities offered by third-party, non-government providers will only qualify if they have been approved beforehand by a CBP-selected accreditor. ST&R anticipates that all of its webinars will be accredited and count toward the required CE credits.
CBP recently selected five accreditors, including ST&R, with an initial authorization period of June 2, 2024, through June 1, 2027. As of Nov. 1 service providers can submit qualifying educational materials to an accreditor, which will conduct a thorough review to ensure those materials meet the applicable criteria before assigning CE credits.
ST&R will conduct a webinar Nov. 14 to provide more details about the CE requirements and the accreditation process. Click here for more information or to register to attend.
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