Training for US Imports

In prior posts, I discussed trade compliance training options for companies and individuals.
 
As a follow up, I’ve compiled different sources of import training below. A great place to start is the free e-learning training available on the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website. I’ve provided the links below but encourage people to review the CBP site on occasion to find new training or live webinars that are offered.
 
Besides training, you should reference the regulations directly. There are many published versions of Title 19 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) on various web sites. One option is to access the e-CFR directly from the US Government Publishing Office here. You will also want to check for any updates or pending changes for the sections you are reviewing. These changes are found in the Federal Register and you could search it for the section reference or you can use these steps below to see if your section has any changes.
 
Find the text of the regulation in the annual edition of the C.F.R., and make note of the revision date of the title. Then review the most current month of the List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA) for references to page numbers in the Federal Register. If LSA lists your section with a newer date then the e-CFR, review the Federal Register cited to see the text of the proposed, new, or amended changes to the regulation.
 
Another option is to search or browse the CFR Parts Affected from the Federal Register. That page is found here and provides timeframe and date range search options.
 
Either way, if you are relying on CFR text to inform a decision, you should verify that it’s the current rule.
 
US Customs and Border Protection
CBP is responsible for enforcing import regulations, but also with enabling the import community. Their site provides quality training and resources, though most of it is text-based and there is limited video or other e-learning. The CBP site content and all of these training sources should be reviewed before you need to consider any other paid training. However, if you are providing training to staff roles that would not be required to learn the regulations, only the rules that impact their job, then it’s still recommended that your company create custom function specific training. See my May blog post for training development recommendations.
 
The following is a compilation of key CBP training and related documents:
Basic Importing

• Video: Introduction to the CBP Import Process
• Importing Into the United States
• Centers of Excellence and Expertise
• E-commerce
• Non-Resident, Returning Military and Returning Official Government Employee Importations of Personal Vehicle for Personal Use
• Importing a Motor Vehicle
• Foreign Trade Zones
• In-Bond Regulatory Changes Frequently Asked Questions​

Informed Compliance Publications
CBP provides a large number of written publications on a variety of subjects that are found here. These are comprehensive guides that provide excellent interpretations of the regulations. Many are so specific that they are only useful if you engage in that activity. However, there are general guides listed below that should not be overlooked.

• Classification of Sets
• Customs Brokers
• Customs Value
• Customs Valuation Encyclopedia (1980 - 2015)
• Drawback
• Entry
• Importation of Commercial Samples
• Instruments of International Traffic
• Prior Disclosure
• Proper Deductions for Freight & Other Costs
• Reasonable Care
• Recordkeeping
• Rules of Origin
• Tariff Classification
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection Rulings Program

ACE Portal Training
CBP provides many guides and documents on the ACE Portal. The page can be found here. There are some short videos found on the same page that provide quick answers to specific ACE topics including:

• Accessing ACE Reports
• Setting Default Preferences
• Navigating ACE Reports
• Navigating the Workspace
• Running Standard Reports
• Saving and Exporting Reports
• Modifying Report Queries
• Modifying Display of a Report
• Modifying Query Filters
• Scheduling a Recurring Report
• Creating Ad Hoc Reports
• Nested Filters
• Pasting List of Values into Filters