NACIN Customs Brokers License Exam: Eligibility, Fees, Syllabus, Application Procedure
Are you keen to acquire a license as a Customs Broker? Indian nationals can appear for the Customs Broker License Exam of the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) and acquire the license on passing the exam. This article provides complete information on the 2025 computer-based exam, including the eligibility criteria, the exam format, the registration fees, the customs broker license fee, and the online procedure to apply for the exam.
The National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN), Palasamudram, which is under the aegis of the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC), Dept. of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India has issued the notification for the Customs Brokers Exam 2025. There is an updated Customs Brokers License Management System (CBLMS) through which the registration and application for the exam and subsequent license issuance must be done. 
[Image source: Official notification]
Brief overview: As per the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations (CBLR), 2018 to become a Customs Broker you must register on the official website, pay the registration fee, fill in the application for the exam, and, on passing it, pay the required fee and security deposit for the issuance of the license. The license granted under regulation 7 is valid for 10 years from the date of issue and should be renewed from time to time as per the required procedure, with a payment of Rs.15,000/- as the fee for the renewal of the license.
Eligibility Requirements
General Criteria: Only citizens of India with a valid PAN Card and a valid Aadhaar number are eligible to appear for the Customs Brokers Exam. It is also necessary to have sound mental health, not be adjudicated as insolvent, and not be penalised for any offence under the various Acts in Force. There should be no legal case pending in any Court of Law and no conviction for an offence/criminal act.
Academic Qualifications: The candidate appearing for the exam should be a graduate of a recognized University, and also have a professional degree such as a Master's or equivalent degree in Accounting, Finance or Management, CA/CS/MBA/LL.M./Associates of Cost and Management Accountants (ACMA)/Fellow Chartered Management Accountant or a Diploma in Customs Clearance work from a Govt.-recognized institute/university or have a minimum 2 years of experience in transacting Customs Broker work as a G-Card holder. Note that in case the applicant is a company, the director/partner/authorized employee who will handle the Customs work should fulfill these criteria.
Financial Criterion: The applicant must have financial viability, for which it is necessary to show any supporting documentary proof, such as a certificate issued by a Scheduled Bank or any other document, that is acceptable to the Principal Commissioner of Customs or the Commissioner of Customs, as applicable, in terms of possession of assets of value of not less than Rs. 5 lakhs.
Retired Personnel Eligibility: A retired Group A officer from the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) with a minimum of 5 years of experience in a Group 'A' post is also eligible to apply for a license to act as a Customs Broker provided she/he fulfills the other required eligibility criteria.Customs Brokers License Exam - Quick Info.
The Customs Brokers License Exam is a computer-based one with the option to answer questions either in Hindi or English. An applicant shall be allowed a maximum of 6 attempts to clear the exam. The syllabus for the written exam will be as per regulation 6(7) of CBLR, 2018 and include questions related to various aspects of Customs, such as shipping bills and related documents, determining the value of goods, currency conversion, online filing of electronic bills, etc.
A dummy exam question paper will be available on the official website to get a general idea of the type of questions that are asked in the exam.
At the Exam Centre: You need to report at the exam centre 1½ hours before the scheduled exam time, and the gates will be closed 30 minutes before the exam begins. You will be allowed into the exam Hall only after you show the printout of the Admit Card and a valid identity document in original, such as the Aadhar Card, PAN Card or Passport. You are not allowed to take in any kind of printed materials, paper, watches, books, pens, pencils, and electronic gadgets. Rough work needs to be done on the back side of the Admit card, for which a pen/pencil will be provided.
At the scheduled time, the question paper will appear on the computer screen, and you have to enter the Roll Number that is on your Admit Card and the password (this is the PAN number) to start the exam.Application Procedure
Before proceeding to register and apply, you should read the Help Manual for the 'F' Category Exam and License Application (Part I and Part II respectively) that is accessible on the official website of CBLMS under the 'Knowledge Centre' Tab.
It is mandatory to register at the Customs Brokers License Management System (CBLMS) portal. Go to 'CB Login' in the top right-hand corner, register through the 'New User/Register?' link and select the 'CB Applicant' option from the menu.
When you fill in the full name of the applicant, this should be the name of the Proprietorship Concern or the name of the Partnership Firm or the name of the Company (Private Limited/Limited Liability Partnership/Limited), as applicable, that intends to seek the Customs Broker license. You also need to provide a valid mobile number and an email ID for communication purposes.
Next, you must provide the Permanent Account Number (PAN) of the Proprietorship Concern or the Partnership Firm or the Company, as applicable, which is seeking the license. This PAN will be the Username/Login ID to log in to the CBLMS portal. Once these preliminary details are filled up, you can then click on the 'Submit' button. Ensure that you have provided the correct mobile number, email ID and PAN as these cannot be changed later.
Note- If you have already registered, you don't need to register again and can log in and proceed with the application process.
After registration: You should log in on the CBLMS portal using the Username (PAN), password and OTP received on the mobile number which you gave at the time of registration. Click on the 'Application Form >> Exam and License' button and then click on the F-Category Exam and License button. Proceed to fill up the details of the applicant as well as the candidate who will be appearing in the exam.
The next step is to upload the relevant documents of the proof of the existence of Proprietorship or Partnership or Company, as applicable. All documents should be in PDF format, with the size of the scanned copy not more than 20 MB (refer to the official manual to know the relevant document to be uploaded). Other details required are the date of incorporation, the PAN Card number, and the GSTIN (a copy of the PAN Card and GSTIN should be uploaded in pdf format, with a size not over 1 MB).
Save the details and proceed to the next section, where you have to provide an address for correspondence, office contact number (this should be different from the mobile number given during registration), and upload a proof of address in pdf format, with the size of the scanned copy not more than 10 MB.
The next step is to add the details of the contact person, such as name, date of birth, PAN, etc and upload the required documents, such as photo, PAN, address proof, etc. Then follows the section to fill in details of the Proprietor/Partners/Director, as applicable, and then the next section to fill in the details of the candidate.
The next section requires you to upload a scanned copy of the filled and signed Form-A of Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, 2018 (CBLR, 2018). This form is in Annexure-A of the official manual. You need to download and print it, complete it properly and scan it for uploading.
After completing all the sections, you need to make the online payment of Rs. 500/- towards the application fee. An offline payment can also be made at the concerned Policy Section and the Fee Payment Challan can then be uploaded.
Use the Preview button to check that all the information has been correctly filled up, then click on the 'Final Submit' button. Once the application is successfully submitted, an application number is generated.Important dates
The applications can be submitted from 22nd October 2024 to 21st November 2024, up to 2400 hrs.
The names of applicants found eligible to appear in the exam will be displayed on the notice board and/or website of the respective Commissionerate by 8th December 2024.
The details of the candidates' roll numbers, Admit Cards and exam venues will be displayed on the official websites of CBIC and NACIN (relevant websites are mentioned at the end of this article), and you can accordingly download the Admit Card. Admit Cards will also be sent by email to eligible applicants 12 days in advance of the exam date.
The Customs Brokers License exam will be held in March 2025.After the exam result
Those who clear the Customs Brokers License exam will be called for an oral exam for which a separate communication will be sent. Those who are not satisfied with the result can send a representation to the Assistant Director/Deputy Director (Examination), National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics, NACIN Complex, Sector-29, Faridabad-121008 with the reasons specified of representation, and this should reach NACIN within 7 days of the declaration of results.
In case the representation requires a re-evaluation, this will be permitted only if the candidate has failed the exam. In such a case, the representation shall be sent along with the re-evaluation fee in the form of a Demand draft of Rs. 200/- in favour of "PAO, CBEC", payable at New Delhi. NACIN will inform the candidate of the result of representation approximately within 15 days of receipt of the representation.Application for Issuance of License
The applicant who has passed the written as well as the oral exam is required to pay a fee of Rs. 5,000/- within 2 months of the declaration of the results of the oral exam and inform the payment particulars to the Principal Commissioner or Commissioner of Customs, who will, on verification of the payment particulars, grant the License within one month of the payment of the fee.
Procedure: On passing the written and oral exam, Part 2 of the application is automatically activated in the applicant's account in CBLMS and this form should be filled up and submitted. Note that Part 2 of the application will not be visible if the candidate has failed the exam.
It is necessary to upload the scanned copy of the Challan of Rs.5000/- (only pdf format/max. size 1MB) and pay the security deposit of Rs. 5 lakhs as mandated by Regulation 8 of the CBLR, 2018. This security deposit can be submitted in a bifurcated form of smaller amounts of the same mode or of different modes, in which case the respective details of all such modes of payment need to be added to the payment details page.
Additional Note: If you choose the option 'No' for the question 'Are you willing to submit Security Deposit?', then the options to add details of the bonds and security deposits will not appear. In such a case, you can directly apply, but it will be deemed that you do not intend to seek the Customs Broker License and your right to be granted a license is forfeited.Contact information
For any queries regarding the eligibility to appear for the Customs Brokers License Exam and the application process, you can go through the regulations available on the official websites or contact the nearest Customs Commissionerate. You can also send an email communication to
cblr-nacinpsm@gov.in from the start date of application submission till the date of the exam (you can confirm the email ID from the official manual).
Relevant websites-
Customs Brokers License Management System (CBLMS) Website: https://cblms.gov.in/
National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) Website: https://www.nacin.gov.in/
Central Board Of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) Website: https://www.cbic.gov.in/
Important resource-
Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, 2018: https://cblms.gov.in/storage/knowledge-center_uploads/CBLR,%202018/2023/03/CBLR,%202018_1679996701.pdf
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