Join thousands of customs brokers meeting CBP’s CE requirement.

Most qualifying CE comes through one of CBP’s five selected accreditors, including NEI. CBP also runs free trade outreach webinars and government CE activities directly, which qualify on their own.

Activities that qualify include accredited webinars, seminars, conferences (including the Global Trade Educational (GTE) Conference), on-demand courses, port tours, trade days, and qualifying company training.

CBP also publishes a list of activities that do not qualify, including social events, government-led meetings such as COAC and ITAC, reading or writing trade publications, individual professional development, academic coursework, and sales or marketing events.

For CBP’s full list, see CBP’s continuing education page for individually licensed brokers.

CBP requires two visible signifiers on every accredited activity: the accreditor’s logo and the CBP Continuing Education logo. Activity pages normally also show how many CE credits the activity is worth.

The CE code (also called a UIC) is not something to look for beforehand. It is issued at the end of the activity, on the closing slide or completion certificate. If you hold an NEI credential, you enter it in your Logistics-EI transcript to record the credit. If you don’t, you record it in your own tracking spreadsheet alongside the other CBP-required details.

Example: what to look for

Before you trust an activity for credit, check for these three things. If all three are there, it counts toward your CBP triennial.

1. 1CBP Continuing Education logo (top left)
2. 2Accreditor’s logo (here, NEI), top right
3. 3A line showing LCB credits (here, “20.00 LCB credits”)

For pre-recorded webinars, the credit is earned on the date you watched the recording, not the date of the original live broadcast.

There is a one-year window. For a pre-recorded webinar to qualify for CE credit, the original broadcast must have taken place within the last 12 months. A webinar first broadcast in July 2025 is eligible for credit through July 2026. After that date, the same recording no longer qualifies. Plan your viewing accordingly if you are relying on a specific recorded webinar to fulfill your credit requirement.

Three places to look:

• NEI Education Calendar for upcoming live webinars and conference sessions: ncbfaa.org/education/continuing-education/nei-education-calendar
• On-Demand Courses for self-paced courses you can complete anytime: ncbfaa.org/education/continuing-education/on-demand-courses
• GTE Conference for the fastest path (up to 15 credits in one event): gtecon.com

Registration happens through Logistics-EI. After you complete an activity, you receive a unique identification code (UIC), the CE code shown at the end of an accredited activity, usually on the closing slide or completion certificate. Enter that UIC in your Logistics-EI transcript to record the credit.

Yes, if it is accredited. Internal training developed in-house can earn CE credit once submitted to and approved by one of CBP’s five selected accreditors. NEI can accredit internal company training for organizations enrolled in NEI Corporate Membership. Ask us about a Company Training Partnership (MOU) if this is of interest, or reach the accreditation team directly at accreditation@ncbfaa.org.

Yes. CBP provides qualifying CE through two channels separate from its accreditors. Both are free.

CBP Trade Outreach Webinars cover regulations, policy updates, and operational topics throughout the year. Many are accredited and earn LCB CE credit. Live sessions and recordings are listed at CBP’s trade outreach webinars page. The one-year rule for recorded webinars applies (see the webinar timing question for details).

CBP also publishes broker-specific Government Continuing Education Activities on its CE information page. See the Register Here section on CBP’s Information for Individually Licensed Customs Brokers page.

Look for the same two visible signifiers as with any accredited activity: the CBP Continuing Education logo and the provider’s logo. The CE code (UIC) is issued at the end of the activity.

Yes. CBP recognizes a half credit for 30 minutes of continuous participation in an accredited activity. Shorter sessions still count toward your 20 credits.

Yes, within limits. You can earn up to 1 credit per activity you develop, and up to 12 credits per cycle this way. Preparation cannot make up your entire requirement.

Transcript tracking in Logistics-EI is a benefit reserved for NEI certificate holders (CCS, MCS, CES, MES). Once you hold a credential, you can log every credit you earn, run a progress check against the 20-credit cycle target, and produce one consolidated record at audit or renewal time.

The fastest path for licensed customs brokers is to grandfather into CCS. Non-LCBs earn CCS through the certification course and exam. If you choose not to enroll in a certificate program, you maintain your own records and certify your CE on the TSR from your own documentation.

Those tasks live on the Member Resource page, with step-by-step guidance for designees and current members. You will find help there for:

• Documenting and counting credits
• Downloading your Logistics-EI transcript
• Paying your designation renewal or membership dues
• Reinstating a lapsed designation

See the Member Resource page for all of it.

There is no difference. NEI credentials and designations mean the same thing here: a professional qualification like the CCS that you earn and maintain. This page mostly uses credential because it is widely understood, but the technical terms NEI uses are “designation” and “designee.”

Yes to both. NEI-accredited activities count toward both your CBP triennial CE and your annual NEI designation renewal. Any CE you earn for your designation renewal also counts toward your CBP triennial requirement, as long as it comes from an LCB-accredited activity.

For how to log each credit, see the Member Resource page.

Yes. Licensed customs brokers can grandfather into the CCS credential for a one-time $125 fee. No course, no exam. Submit a copy of your license, pay the fee, and you hold the credential. The standard $95 annual renewal and 15 CE credits per year apply afterward, starting in Year 2. The same $125 grandfathering option is available for CES. The grandfathering offer can only be used once. Email grandfathering@ncbfaa.org with questions.

Yes. The CCS credential is open to anyone working in customs and trade compliance, including professionals who are not licensed customs brokers. Non-LCBs earn CCS by completing the standard six-month, 25-module course and passing the certification exam, available at member and non-member rates. Grandfathering, the path that waives the course and exam, is available only to LCBs.

MCS, CES, and MES have their own enrollment paths. Visit the NEI Certifications page for full details, or email enrollment@ncbfaa.org to get started.

If you hold an individual customs broker license, you submit your own TSR through the eCBP Portal using Login.gov credentials. The submission window is mid-December 2026 through February 28, 2027.

The individual TSR submission requires you to:

• Confirm your license and contact information
• State whether you are “actively engaged” in transacting customs business, with employer or sole-proprietor details as applicable
• Certify that you continue to meet broker eligibility under 19 CFR §§ 111.11 and 111.19 and have not engaged in conduct justifying suspension or revocation
• Report and certify that you completed your 20 CE credits (this is new for the 2027 TSR; CE certification did not apply in prior TSR filings)
• Pay the $100 fee

Nothing is uploaded or attached to the TSR. You certify completion and keep your own records in case of a CBP audit. If you hold an NEI credential, your Logistics-EI transcript is that record; if not, retain your own documentation for each activity.

NEI summarizes CBP’s program for your convenience. CBP is the authoritative source. Visit the eCBP Portal for official guidance.

Corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and associations that hold a broker license file an organizational TSR for the entity’s license. This is separate from any individual licenses held by owners or officers.

The organizational TSR is filed by a licensed partner, member, or officer through the eCBP Portal, and requires:

• The business name and office of record
• The list of licensed partners, members, or officers (including the license qualifier and national permit qualifier where applicable)
• Activity status and a certification that the organization continues to meet broker eligibility
• The $100 fee for the organizational license

Important: the CE requirement applies only to individual broker licenses. Organizational TSRs do not include CE reporting, even when the individual brokers within the organization have their own CE obligations on their personal licenses.

If a person holds both an individual license and qualifies an organization, two separate TSRs and two $100 fees are required.

NEI summarizes CBP’s program for your convenience. CBP is the authoritative source. Visit the eCBP Portal for official guidance.

The $100 is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection fee, required under 19 CFR § 111.30(d). Each entity holding a customs broker license pays CBP $100 per license, every triennial. Each license requires its own status report and fee. Payment is electronic only through the eCBP Portal.

NEI summarizes CBP’s program for your convenience. CBP is the authoritative source for all fees and procedures. Visit cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/customs-brokers/fees for official guidance.

No. Customs brokers who receive their license during the current triennial period do not need to comply until the next reporting period begins.

Yes, if your license remains active. The CE requirement applies as long as you hold an active license, even if you have stopped transacting customs business as a broker. Some brokers keep their license active in retirement for related roles, such as in-house compliance work or consulting. If you let your license lapse, the requirement no longer applies. If your plans change and you stay licensed, you will already be on track.

Your requirement is prorated. You owe 1 credit for each complete month left in the triennial cycle after your license is reinstated.

No. This is a single federal requirement from CBP. It applies the same way in every state, and no state license or separate state filing is involved.

They are two different deadlines, and you need to meet both. January 31, 2027 is the last day to earn your 20 CE credits. It marks the end of the current triennial period, so any qualifying course has to be completed by that date to count. February 28, 2027 is the last day to file your Triennial Status Report (TSR) and pay the $100 fee. CBP gives you the month of February to file, and the TSR is where you certify that you completed your credits. So the order is simple: earn your 20 credits by January 31, then file your TSR in February. CBP has no system for reporting credits one at a time as you earn them. You keep your own records and certify completion on the TSR, which is why tracking your credits in one place matters. Each accredited activity counts toward one cycle only. A course you complete during this triennial cannot be carried into the next.

CBP samples brokers for audit rather than auditing every license. Audits begin after the March 2027 TSR window closes.

If selected, you have 30 calendar days to produce records for each CE activity you completed. CBP requires five data points: course title, provider or host name, date(s) attended, credits accrued, and location. CBP also requires supporting documentation from the provider, such as the CE code (UIC), the completion certificate, or registration confirmation. NEI designees can produce their Logistics-EI LCB triennial transcript, which captures all five data points and the CE code automatically once the UIC is logged. Non-designees should keep their own records, including completion certificates and CE codes.

For CBP’s full recordkeeping requirements, see CBP’s continuing education page for individually licensed brokers.

CBP’s enforcement is staged, and there are two separate procedures depending on what fails.

If you fail to file your TSR and pay the $100 fee by February 28, 2027 (§ 111.30(d)(4))

• March 1, 2027: your license is suspended by operation of law.
• By March 31, 2027: CBP transmits written notice of the suspension by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address on file with CBP.
• 60 calendar days from the notice date: if you file the TSR and pay the fee through the eCBP Portal within this window, your license is reinstated.
• End of 60 calendar days: if the report and fee are still unfiled, your license is revoked by operation of law. A notice of revocation is published in the Federal Register.

If you file your TSR but do not certify your 20 CE credits (§ 111.104)

• CBP notifies you of the failure to report (§ 111.104(a)).
• 30 days from the notice: you must respond with a corrective action (§ 111.104(b)).
• If you do not respond: your license is suspended (§ 111.104(c)).
• 120 days from the suspension date: you must complete and certify your CE credits to lift the suspension (§ 111.104(d)).
• If you still do not cure: your license is revoked.

After revocation under either track, you cannot conduct customs business as a licensed broker. Revocation is “without prejudice,” so you can apply for a new license. If more than three years have passed since you took the Customs Broker License Exam, you must retake and pass it as part of applying.

The system gives you time to fix the problem under either track, but the deadlines move quickly once they start. The simplest way to avoid them is to file the TSR on time and earn your CE credits steadily through the cycle rather than batching them at the end.

No. CBP uses risk-based targeting through systems like the Automated Targeting System (ATS), which compares trade data against law enforcement, intelligence, and other enforcement data using risk-based scenarios and assessments. CBP’s audit process, including the Focused Assessment Program, uses a risk-based approach to determine whether an importer poses an acceptable compliance risk.

The practical effect: prior non-compliance contributes to the risk profile CBP uses when targeting future inspections and audits. The dollar amount of a penalty is the visible cost. The ongoing operational impact, including more frequent inspections and longer processing times on future shipments, often matters more. This is one reason both CBP and industry recommend steady, accurate compliance throughout the cycle rather than batched effort at the end.

In January 2027, before the TSR submission window opens, do the following:

• If you hold an NEI credential: log into Logistics-EI and confirm your transcript shows 20 or more credits for the current triennial cycle. Make sure all UICs you have earned are entered and that both entries are recorded for each activity (one for your designation renewal, one for your LCB triennial tracking). Download a copy of your transcript and save it.
• If you do not hold a credential: review your own records to confirm you have earned 20 accredited credits since January 1, 2025. Have documentation ready: course title, provider, date completed, credit hours, location, and CE code for each activity.
• Everyone: confirm your Login.gov credentials for the eCBP Portal are active. If you have not used them recently, test the login before the TSR window opens in mid-December 2026. Confirm your CBP license information is current at the eCBP Portal.
• Companies with multiple licenses: each license held requires its own TSR and $100 fee. Confirm which licenses are active and who will file each TSR.

For step-by-step guidance on the Logistics-EI tasks, see the Member Resource page.