International Services Agreement Should Maintain U.S. Broker Requirements, Says NCBFAA

An International Service Agreement (ISA) should preserve the licensing and citizenship requirements for U.S. customs brokers, said the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) in comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Current regulations require that only U.S. citizens can obtain a broker's license and that at least one officer of a company or association must hold a valid broker's license in order to work on customs business. "These licensing and citizenship requirements are necessary and should be preserved in any" ISA, said the NCBFAA. CBP relies on the information entrusted to brokers and the ISA should provide an exception to "National Treatment," which gives equal treatment to domestic and foreign parties, said NCBFAA.

The ISA should also preserve the U.S. licensing and bonding requirements for freight forwarders and non-vessel operating common carriers, it said. Those requirements provide "reasonable and necessary safeguards to prevent unqualified or unscrupulous operators from having access to international freight moving into or out of the country," said the NCBFAA.

(Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of NCBFAA's comments.)