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CBLE teaching domain

Entry & Entry Summary

Move merchandise from right to make entry through release, summary, and post-entry actions.

Study unit 1About 8 minutes

Identify who has the right to make entry

Ability objective

Determine whether the owner, purchaser, consignee, or broker can act as importer of record for the stated facts.

Core rule

The importer of record with the right to make entry is the owner or purchaser, or a licensed customs broker designated by the owner, purchaser, or consignee. A nominal consignee may designate a licensed broker but generally may not make entry on its own behalf; the evidence rules in Part 141 and the Right to Make Entry Directive control the analysis.

Authority and lookup route

19 CFR 141.11–141.16

19 CFR → Part 141 → Subpart B → evidence of right to make entry

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗
CBP Directive 3530-002A, Right to Make Entry

Directive → section 5.1 → importer of record and nominal consignee rules

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗

Reference lookup task

Find the Directive's definition of importer of record and the restriction placed on a nominal consignee.

Route: Open Directive 3530-002A and scan section 5.1 before checking the evidence provisions in Part 141.

Worked example

A nominal consignee wants to file the entry itself without using a licensed customs broker. Is that permitted under the Directive?

  1. 1Identify the party as a nominal rather than an actual consignee, owner, or purchaser.
  2. 2Locate the nominal-consignee rule in Directive 3530-002A section 5.1.
  3. 3Distinguish the power to designate a broker from the right to file independently.
  4. 4Conclude that the nominal consignee must use the permitted broker route described by the Directive.

Conclusion: No. The nominal consignee may designate a licensed broker but may not make entry on its own behalf under the stated rule.

Common traps

  • ×Treating every named consignee as the owner or purchaser.
  • ×Confusing possession of shipping documents with substantive right to make entry.
  • ×Ignoring the broker designation required for a nominal consignee.
Authority checked: 2026-08-18
Full KnowledgeRelated-category practice
Study unit 2About 8 minutes

Separate cargo release from entry summary

Ability objective

Identify which filing secures release and when the entry summary and estimated duties are due.

Core rule

Entry data secures release from CBP custody, while entry-summary data enables CBP to assess duties, collect statistics, and determine compliance. Unless the summary must be filed at entry under §142.13 or the importer elects to file it then, §142.12 generally requires the entry summary with estimated duties within 10 working days after the time of entry.

Authority and lookup route

19 CFR 141.0a(a)–(b)

19 CFR → Part 141 → §141.0a → definitions of entry and entry summary

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗
19 CFR 142.12–142.13

19 CFR → Part 142 → Subpart B → timing and when summary is required at entry

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗

Reference lookup task

Find the default entry-summary deadline and the provision that can require the summary before release.

Route: Read §142.12(b) for the default, then move directly to §142.13 for exceptions.

Worked example

Merchandise is released using entry documentation. The importer is not subject to §142.13 and did not file the entry summary at entry. What is the general deadline?

  1. 1Separate the completed cargo-release event from the remaining summary obligation.
  2. 2Confirm that §142.13 does not require filing at entry.
  3. 3Apply the default rule in §142.12(b).
  4. 4Count the prescribed period in working days from the time of entry.

Conclusion: The entry summary and estimated duties are generally due within 10 working days after the time of entry.

Common traps

  • ×Treating release as completion of every entry obligation.
  • ×Counting calendar days instead of working days.
  • ×Applying the 10-day default without checking §142.13.
Authority checked: 2026-08-18
Full KnowledgeRelated-category practice
Study unit 3About 9 minutes

Choose the correct entry procedure

Ability objective

Distinguish formal, informal, immediate-delivery, and warehouse procedures before selecting the ACE entry type.

Core rule

Answer first: choose the legal procedure from the facts before choosing an ACE code. Part 142 governs entry and release documentation, Part 143 permits informal entry only for eligible merchandise and generally uses the $2,500 value ceiling in §143.21, and Part 144 governs warehouse entries. Eligibility for an informal route is not automatic: statutory exclusions and CBP's authority to require formal entry still control. For the October 2026 CBLE, apply the designated 2025 CFR and ACE Instructions 2.4a rather than a later operational version.

Authority and lookup route

19 CFR 142.3 and 142.21

19 CFR → Part 142 → entry documentation and immediate-delivery procedure

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗
19 CFR 143.21–143.23

19 CFR → Part 143 → eligibility, form, and classes of informal entry

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗
19 CFR Part 144

19 CFR → Part 144 → warehouse and rewarehouse entries

Current legal baseline; confirm the edition designated for the exam sitting

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗

Reference lookup task

For one shipment, identify the release procedure, test informal-entry eligibility, and then confirm whether a warehouse route changes the governing Part.

Route: Read §142.3, then §§143.21–143.23, and open Part 144 only if the facts request bonded-warehouse entry.

Worked example

Ordinary merchandise valued at $1,800 is imported for consumption. No special restriction applies. Does the value alone guarantee informal entry?

  1. 1Identify consumption, not warehouse or in-bond movement, as the requested procedure.
  2. 2Compare the value with the general ceiling in §143.21.
  3. 3Check the merchandise classes and exclusions in §§143.21–143.23.
  4. 4Preserve CBP's authority to require formal entry even when the value test is met.

Conclusion: The shipment may be eligible for informal entry, but value alone does not guarantee that route.

Common traps

  • ×Treating an ACE entry-type code as the source of legal eligibility.
  • ×Assuming every shipment below $2,500 must be entered informally.
  • ×Using a consumption-entry route when the facts require warehouse or in-bond treatment.
  • ×Replacing the exam-designated CFR and ACE instructions with a later live-operational version.
Authority checked: 2026-08-18
Full KnowledgeRelated-category practice
Study unit 4About 9 minutes

Choose the correct entry deadline—and do not invent an extension

Ability objective

Separate the arrival-to-entry and entry-to-summary clocks, use the correct day count, and identify late-filing consequences.

Core rule

Answer first: merchandise generally must be entered within 15 calendar days after landing or arrival at the in-bond destination. If the entry summary was not filed at entry and §142.13 does not require it then, the summary and estimated duties are generally due within 10 working days after the time of entry. Sections 142.2 and 142.12 do not create a general discretionary extension; a claimed extension needs a separate, specific legal basis. Late summary filing triggers the §142.15 bond-damages process. These are October 2026 exam rules from the 2025 Annual CFR; check current law separately for operational use.

Authority and lookup route

19 CFR 142.2(a)

Part 142 → §142.2(a) → 15-calendar-day entry deadline

October 28, 2026 CBLE: Title 19 CFR, 2025 Annual Edition. Check the current eCFR separately for live-law work.

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗
19 CFR 142.12(b), 142.13, and 142.15

Part 142 → §§142.12–142.15 → summary timing, filing at entry, and late consequences

October 28, 2026 CBLE: Title 19 CFR, 2025 Annual Edition. Check the current eCFR separately for live-law work.

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗

Reference lookup task

Build two timelines: landing or arrival to entry, and time of entry to entry summary. Then identify the exception and late-filing sections.

Route: Read §§142.2(a), 142.12(b), 142.13, and 142.15 in that order in the 2025 Annual Edition.

Worked example

Merchandise lands Monday, August 3, 2026. Entry occurs Wednesday, August 5. The importer is not subject to §142.13 and does not file the summary at entry. Assume no federal holiday intervenes.

  1. 1Use August 3 only for the separate 15-calendar-day entry clock; the August 5 entry is timely.
  2. 2Start the summary clock after the August 5 time of entry, not after landing or release.
  3. 3Count ten working days: August 6–7, 10–14, and 17–19.
  4. 4Confirm that the default summary deadline is August 19 and that no general extension is implied.

Conclusion: The entry summary and estimated duties are generally due August 19, 2026; release does not restart the clock.

Common traps

  • ×Using landing as the trigger for the ten-working-day summary clock.
  • ×Counting calendar days where the regulation requires working days.
  • ×Treating release, internal delay, or informal permission as a general extension.
Authority checked: 2026-08-18
Full KnowledgeRelated-category practice
Study unit 5About 10 minutes

Read ACE Entry Summary header identifiers

Ability objective

Decode the entry number, port code, and entry type before working line-level classification, value, and duty data.

Core rule

Answer first: the 11-character entry number contains a three-character filer code, a seven-digit filer-assigned sequence with leading zeros preserved, and one numeric check digit computed from the preceding ten characters. The four-character port uses DDPP format, while the two-digit entry type is a separate field whose first and second digits identify the general category and specific processing type. The October 2026 CBLE designates ACE Entry Summary Instructions Version 2.4a; a newer operational CATAIR may inform live filing but must not silently replace the exam source.

Authority and lookup route

ACE Entry Summary Instructions, Version 2.4a

Entry Summary Header Level Information → Entry Number, District/Port of Entry, Entry Type, and Check Digit Computation Formula

October 28, 2026 CBLE-designated Version 2.4a. Current operational CATAIR changes require separate review and do not replace this exam edition.

19 CFR 142.11

Part 142 → Subpart B → entry-summary form and electronic filing framework

October 28, 2026 CBLE: Title 19 CFR, 2025 Annual Edition. Check the current eCFR separately for live-law work.

Read on CBLE Ace →
Government original ↗
CBP October 28, 2026 CBLE Reference Materials Notice

Preparing for the CBLE → Reference Materials → ACE Entry Summary Instructions Version 2.4a

CBP reference-material notice last verified August 18, 2026.

Reference lookup task

Find the length, source, and relationship of Entry Number, District/Port of Entry, Entry Type, and the check-digit formula.

Route: Read the Header Level Information and Check Digit Computation Formula in ACE Entry Summary Instructions 2.4a.

Worked example

Parse entry number ABC00481236 with port 2704 and entry type 01, then verify the check digit.

  1. 1Parse ABC as the filer code, 0048123 as the seven-digit assigned sequence, and 6 as the check digit.
  2. 2Use the ACE 2.4a filer-code conversion table (A=1, B=2, C=3 for these letters) to convert ABC0048123 to numeric base 1230048123; the adjusted even-position sum is 20 and the odd-position sum is 14.
  3. 3The base-value ones digit is 4, so 10 minus 4 produces check digit 6.
  4. 4Read 2704 as the separate DDPP port and 01 as the separate two-digit entry type.

Conclusion: ABC00481236 is structurally and computationally valid for this example; port 2704 and entry type 01 are separate header fields.

Common traps

  • ×Using a letter such as X in the numeric check-digit position.
  • ×Dropping leading zeros from the seven-digit assigned sequence.
  • ×Treating the port or entry type as part of the 11-character entry number.
  • ×Replacing exam Version 2.4a with a newer operational guide without an explicit version decision.
Authority checked: 2026-08-18
Full KnowledgeRelated-category practice