The NCBFAA Education Institute (NEI) is operationally prepared to accredit programs that satisfy Customs and Border Protection's Licensed Customs Broker Continuing Education requirement which officially begins Jan. 1, 2025.

NEI is among the five CBP-selected licensed customs broker continuing education accreditors. The other accreditors include E-Merchants Trade Council Inc. (EMTC)-Global Trade Professionals Alliance (GTPA)-Practera; International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA); Sandler Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.; and TrüTrade Solutions, Inc. The initial three-year period of award for CBP-selected accreditors started June 2, 2024, and will continue through June 1, 2027.

“This is very exciting. I want to thank our Executive Vice President Cynthia Whittenburg and the NEI team for working through all the software set up for the exciting new phase in broker compliance,” said NEI Business Development Director Federico "Kiko" Zuniga. “I feel very strongly that NEI’s many years of providing and certifying education to our industry is well positioned to be the leaders in this new rule which will benefit all licensed U.S. custom brokers, as well as their customers and the U.S. government, so that they can more effectively and efficiently do their jobs.”

CBP in a general notice published in the Federal Register on Oct. 31 said individual licensed customs brokers may begin completing qualified continuing broker education courses on Jan. 1, 2025 – the compliance date – and, accordingly, 20 credits as the prorated number of required credit hours for the triennial period starting Feb. 1, 2024, and ending Jan. 31, 2027.

CBP said, “maintaining current knowledge of customs laws and procedures is essential for customs brokers to meet their legal duties. Requiring a customs broker to fulfill a continuing education requirement is the most effective means to ensure that the customs broker keeps up with an ever-changing customs practice after passing the broker exam and subsequently receiving the license.”

On June 23, 2023, CBP published a final rule in the Federal Register (88 FR 41224). The CBP regulations in section 111.102(b) require individual brokers to complete at least 36 continuing education credits of qualifying continuing broker education per triennial period, with limited exceptions.

However, to give individual customs brokers additional time to prepare for the new continuing education requirement, CBP has reduced the number of required credit hours that individual customs brokers must earn to 20 credit hours for the 2024-2027 triennial period (with certification of completion of the credits by Feb. 1, 2027).

“This reduced number of credits applies to the 2024-2027 triennial period only,” CBP said. “Individual brokers are required to earn the full 36 credit hours for all triennial periods following the 2024-2027 triennial period.”