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Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders
International freight forwarders help exporters move cargo from dock-to-door, providing several significant services.  

Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders

Customs brokers assist importers in meeting federal requirements governing imports into the United States. Brokers are 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. There are approximately 11,000 active licensed customs brokers in the United States. 
 
International freight forwarders are agents for exporters and can move cargo from “dock-to-door,” providing several significant services:      

  • Arranging for and tracking of freight from a domestic and international perspective; 

  • Arranging for and tracking inland transportation; 

  • Preparation of shipping and export documents;  

  • Warehousing; 

  • Booking cargo space;  

  • Negotiating freight charges;  

  • Freight consolidation;  

  • Cargo insurance 

Most freight forwarders are also non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) as well. Both freight forwarders and NVOCCs are licensed and regulated by the Federal Maritime Commission.  

National Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of America 
1200 18th Street, NW 
Suite 901 
Washington, DC 20036 
Tel: (202) 466-0222 
 
Privately operated forwarder listing services, such as those below, can help to identify a local forwarder:   

 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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