March 10-12 Air Cargo 2013, Red Rock Casino, Las Vegas (here)
Licensed Customs Broker
Customs brokers are entities who assist importers in meeting federal requirements governing imports into the United States. Brokers can be private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Customs brokers oversee transactions related to customs entry and admissibility of merchandise, product classification, customs valuation, payment of duties, taxes, or other charges such as refunds, rebates, and duty drawbacks. To obtain a customs broker license, an individual must pass the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam. Customs brokers are not government employees and should not be confused with CBP officials. There are approximately 11,000 active licensed customs brokers in the United States.
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.
CBP posted an updated version of its notice announcing that the next customs broker license exam will be on Wednesday, April 3. The notice provides details about the materials being tested.
The Board of Directors for the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) approved a revision to its recommended "Terms and Conditions of Service" document , the NCBFAA said. The NCBFAA replaced the wording of the "Company as agent" section of the document. The terms of service now say:
CBP is in the midst of a rewrite of its Part 146 Foreign Trade Zones regulations that will include modernizing and automating current procedures, as well as eliminating burdensome requirements that serve CBP no purpose, said David Murphy, acting assistant commissioner in the CBP office of field operations. The reforms will “improve efficiencies, and remove redundancies and burdensome paper requirements, while at the same time balancing the need to expedite cargo and maintain security,” he said at the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones 2013 Regulatory and Legislative Seminar Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C. CBP is also close to finalizing changes to its in-bond regulations, and the final rule could come out in May or June, another official said.
Marken promoted Dan Bell to the newly-created position of vice president, regulatory compliance and technical affairs. Bell is a licensed customs broker and certified customs specialist.
Notice of Agreements Filed (here)
CBP provided a list of various Trade Transformation goals the agency is working toward in 2013. The list was part of a CBP document outlining the agencies 2012 accomplishments on Trade Transformation.
The customs broker’s license examination scheduled for April 2013 will be on Wednesday, April 3, said CBP in a notice. The date was rescheduled from the previously announced April 1 date, but CBP didn't say why. The exam typically consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 75 percent required to pass. Exam topics usually include: Entry, Classification, Country of Origin, Trade Agreements, Antidumping/Countervailing Duty, Value, Broker Responsibilities, FP&F, Protests, Marking, Prohibited and Restricted Merchandise, Drawback, Intellectual Property Rights, and other subjects pertinent to a broker's duties.
The customs broker’s license examination scheduled for April 2013 will be on Monday, April 1, said CBP in a notice. The exam typically consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 75 percent required to pass. Exam topics usually include: Entry, Classification, Country of Origin, Trade Agreements, Antidumping/Countervailing Duty, Value, Broker Responsibilities, FP&F, Protests, Marking, Prohibited and Restricted Merchandise, Drawback, Intellectual Property Rights, and other subjects pertinent to a broker's duties.