By maintaining your CCS (Certified Customs Specialist) designation on an annual basis, you demonstrate your ongoing commitment to professional development and the high quality of service expected from those with the CCS designation. Timely, complete information is critical to the CCS® and the CSCB will provide you with the means by which you can receive information on new customs policies, administrative programs and fast changing international trade agreements, giving you the knowledge you need to stay current.

Eligibility Status

Certified Customs Specialist designation status is limited to:

1. persons who had attained Qualified status and were “grandfathered” OR accepted during the 2007 open eligibility period into the program and who maintain their CCS status on an ongoing basis;
2. persons who successfully completed the Certified Customs Specialist course and who maintain their CCS status on an ongoing basis; and
3. persons who successfully challenge the Certified Customs Specialist examination and who maintain their CCS status on an ongoing basis.

The CCS designation program has annual reporting and payment requirements. 

Annual Fee

The annual fee is $105 plus applicable taxes. Renewal opens in January, at which time CCS designates are advised via email on how to remit their fees through their CSCB accounts. NOTE: Renewal fees are waived for CCS program graduates in their year of graduation and in the first year following graduation. For e.g., if you graduated in September 2021, you’ll start paying fees in 2023.

CSCB member firms who have signed MOUs with the CSCB are allowed a rebate of CDN $20 per CCS designate on their membership dues. To facilitate the application of the rebate on their membership dues invoice to be prepared on July 1st, the cut-off date for payment of CCS designate fees by an MOU employer is June 30th.   

CSCB member firms should combine the payment of individual employees’ CCS designation fee invoices on one cheque as much as possible.

Obtaining CCS Points

20 professional development points are required per calendar year to maintain the CCS designation. Points in excess of the required 20 cannot be “banked” for allocation in a future year.

NOTE: CCS program graduates must start collecting points in the year following graduation. For e.g. if you graduated in September 2021, you need to obtain 20 points in 2022.

Points may be obtained in several ways, including:

Activity		Points	Proof of attendance required? Examples
1.	Successful completion of an online designate quiz, specifically designed based on content in CCS Today emails. Three (3) free quizzes are offered each year.	10 per quiz	No
2.	Successful completion of a CTCS module. CCS designates who re-enrol in a CTCS module they successfully completed in the last 3 years will not be awarded points for completing the same module.	20	No
3.	NEW! Successful completion of the CCS Course: Designate Version	20	No
4.	Attendance at a CSCB-hosted webinar	determined on a case-by-case basis	No
5.	Attendance at a CSCB national conference	20	No
6.	Attendance at a CSCB national or regional educational seminar	determined on a case-by-case basis	No
7.	Attendance at a CSCB regional annual conference or general meeting	determined on a case-by-case basis	No
8.	Participation on the CSCB Board of Directors	20	No
9.	Participation on a CSCB national committee, eg. nominating or scholarship committees	10	No
10.	Participation on a CSCB regional management committee, eg. Quebec, BC regions	10	No
11.	CSCB representation on a CBSA/CSCB regional port (standing or special) committee	10	Yes; meeting minutes
12.	CSCB representation on CBSA BCCC (Border Commercial Consultative Committee) Committees; participation on CSCB Advisory Panels	5 points to a max. of 10 points	No
13.	Attendance at pre-approved events hosted by other organizations such as, IE Canada, CIFFA, NCBFAA, CITT, CBSA	determined on a case-by-case basis	Yes; confirmation from organizer in a form of email or signed Professional Development Points Record form
14.	Attendance at pre-approved webinars hosted by other organizations	determined on a case-by-case basis	Yes; a screenshot of the presentation or a 'thank you for attending' email
15.	Acquisition of the U.S. CCS designation	10 points in the year the designation attained	Yes; copy of certificate of completion or transcript
16.	Completion of a relevant industry program, such as: Transport Canada’s Air Cargo Security program or Transportation Security Clearance program.	determined on a case-by-case basis	Yes; copy of certificate of completion or transcript
17.	Successful completion of a pre-approved university/college credit course related to customs or international trade.	20	Yes; copy of certificate of completion or transcript

CCS Points Approved Activities

Please refer to a list of all CCS Points Approved Activities. This list is updated regularly.

Please do not assume that an event approved for points in one year will be approved, or that the same number of points will be assigned, in the following year.

Event Eligibility and Approval

To be deemed as eligible for CCS points, an event must be approved by the CSCB. To do this in advance of the event, complete the Request for Content Review for CCS Points form.

Proof of attendance at any non-CSCB events is required. Any valid proof of attendance will be accepted, as outlined in the table above.

Please note: 

• Points/credits are not awarded for participation in working groups or committees of other organizations. 

• Viewing a recorded webinar after the webinar was originally presented does not qualify for points.

Recording Points

Here's what you can do to ensure that the CSCB has a record of your points:

For CSCB activities:

• For CSCB events, CCS points will be added automatically based on attendance lists.

• For CSCB courses or CCS Designate quizzes, points will be added automatically upon successful completion.

• For CCS designates who sit on national or regional boards or committees, points will be added automatically.

For non-CSCB activities pre-approved for points:

• For non-CSCB activities, you must provide evidence of participation, as outlined in the table above. Please email your proof of attendance to [email protected]. Points will then be added to your account.

• For in-house training offered by CSCB member firms, please have the training facilitator provide the CSCB with a list of CCS designates who completed the in-house training. Points will be added based on the provided attendance list.

If you do not submit evidence of attendance for events hosted by organizations other than the CSCB, CCS points will not be awarded to you.

Checking Your CCS Points Status

You should access your CSCB account on a regular basis to check your points status. If you think your record is incomplete, please provide us with proof of attendance in a relevant industry activity by December 31. You must acquire 20 points by December 31 to maintain the CCS designation.

Regaining the CCS Designation

Former CCS designates who wish to regain their designation may do so by challenging the CCS exam, as long as their designation has not lapsed for more than 5 years. For further details on fees and deadline, please refer to the Challenging the CCS Examination policy.

Individuals seizing this opportunity may do so only once.

Parental or Sick Leave

Points requirement will be waived, if a CCS designate is away from workplace for 6 consecutive months within a calendar year due to parental or sick leave. Proof of leave from employer or medical professional is required. Please note, annual renewal fee will still apply.

Replacement of Certificate

If for any reason you would like a new certificate, please fill out the Request for Reproduction of a Certificate form and email it to [email protected] accompanied by a fee of $25.00 + applicable taxes.