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Customs Brokers

Prepare customs documentation and ensure that shipments meet all applicable laws to facilitate the import and export of goods. Determine and track duties and taxes payable and process payments on behalf of client. Sign documents under a power of attorney. Represent clients in meetings with customs officials and apply for duty refunds and tariff reclassifications. Coordinate transportation and storage of imported goods.

What you’d do

  • Pay, or arrange for payment of, taxes and duties on shipments.
  • Classify goods according to tariff coding system.
  • Clear goods through customs and to their destinations for clients.
  • Prepare and process import and export documentation according to customs regulations, laws, or procedures.
  • Stay abreast of changes in import or export laws or regulations by reading current literature, attending meetings or conferences, or conferring with colleagues.
  • Calculate duty and tariff payments owed on shipments.
  • Confer with officials in various agencies to facilitate clearance of goods through customs and quarantine.
  • Obtain line releases for frequent shippers of low-risk commodities, high-volume entries, or multiple-container loads.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing
  • Complex Problem Solving

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Broker
  • CCS (Certified Customs Specialist)
  • Corporate Licensed Broker
  • LCB (Licensed Customs Broker)
  • LCB (Licensed Custom Broker)

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