How to appeal the CBLE

Who can appeal

From the April 2026 exam on, you can appeal only if your initial score is within three questions of passing: 57 or more correct out of 80. Eligible examinees may appeal up to four questions, though at most three successes are ever needed to reach 60. Everyone else can't appeal and has to retake a future exam. You can only appeal a question where you selected an answer, and you must argue for that answer.

October 2026 timeline

• Exam: Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
• Score letters: CBP says it emails them within two to three weeks of the exam, so expect them around November 11–18. Eligible examinees get a separate email with CBP's appeal template within 24 hours.
• First appeal due: 60 calendar days from the date on your score letter, by 11:59 PM Eastern. For example, a letter dated November 13, 2026 means a deadline of January 12, 2027.
• Second appeal: 60 days from the date of the first-appeal result letter.

CBP usually publishes the exam and its answer key a few weeks after the sitting. We work all 80 questions within days of that, which is the fastest way to see where your answers differed from the key and why.

What goes in the package

• CBP's CBLE Appeal Template, every field completed.
• A copy of your score letter.
• A copy of your answer sheet.

Email it to [email protected] with the subject "CBLE First Appeal". CBP prefers electronic filing, and mailed appeals must be postmarked within the same 60 days. An appeal can be rejected outright if you're not eligible, the package is incomplete, or it's late.

Writing each argument

For each question, give the answer you chose (A–D) and a justification in your own words that cites at least one of the official references. CBP won't consider a question if there is no justification, if it argues for an answer you didn't pick, or if it cites none of the references.

The references are the five listed on the front of your exam booklet. For April 2026 they were:

• Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)
• Title 19, Code of Federal Regulations
• ACE Entry Summary Instructions (CBP Form 7501 instructions)
• Right to Make Entry Directive 3530-002A
• ACE Entry Summary Business Rules and Process Document (ACE BRPD)

Cite the edition shown on your booklet, since section numbers and tariff lines change between editions.

Choosing which questions to appeal

This section is our advice, not CBP's rules. CBP adjudicates every argument, and it says its pre-exam legal reviews have reduced successful appeal arguments. Pick the questions where your answer has the strongest support in the text:

• The question leaves out a fact the key's reasoning depends on, or the stem supports two readings.
• A regulation or HTSUS note you can quote directly supports your answer, not just a general principle.
• The key's cited section doesn't actually say what the key needs it to say.

Past exams show this does happen: CBP has voided questions, accepted two answers, and published key citations with typos. Our answer-key issues page lists every case across the five released exams. Don't appeal a question just because you missed it, and don't spend your four slots on questions where your best citation is weak.

Source: CBP, "Customs Broker License Exam (CBLE) Appeal Information" (cbp.gov), checked October 31, 2026; 19 CFR 111.13(f). This page is educational and isn't legal advice. CBP's current instructions control.