cbp-ace-account-registration
Compliance February 24, 2026

How to Get a CBP ACE Account

Step-by-step guide to getting a CBP ACE account. Learn how importers can verify eligibility, avoid signup delays, and access entry, duty, and liquidation data.

Last updated: February 23, 2026

If you import goods into the U.S., having direct visibility into your customs data is essential. CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal gives you access to entry records, duty payments, and liquidation status so you can validate broker reports, identify discrepancies, and act quickly when deadlines matter.

This quick-start guide walks you through how to set up or gain access to an ACE account, avoid common onboarding delays, and confirm your data is configured correctly from day one.

What is ACE?

CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal lets importers view entry history, duty payments, and liquidation status—without relying entirely on broker screenshots.

Make sure your CBP Form 5106 is on file and up to date (first)

CBP’s ACE onboarding is tied to the contact information on your CBP Form 5106 (Importer Identity Form). During signup, CBP sends a verification code to the email address on your 5106 record. If that email is outdated (often an old broker address), you may not be able to complete account creation. 

  • Ask your customs broker to confirm the email CBP has on your 5106 record.
  • If needed, have your broker submit an updated CBP Form 5106 (or submit it yourself) so the correct company email is on file before you start ACE signup.
  • If you don’t have this on file, ask your broker to submit it.

Tip: Send your broker: “Please confirm the email on our CBP Form 5106 and update it to [your email] if needed so we can complete ACE verification.”

Step-by-step: create (or gain access to) your ACE importer account

Follow these steps in order. In many cases your company already has an ACE account—so you may only need to be added as a user. 

Step
1-Check if your company already has an ACE account
2-Pick a Top Account Owner (TAO)
3-Apply using CBP’s importer application
4-Activate account and confirm importer view access
5-If the online importer application fails: use the email application form (fallback)
What to do
Avoid duplicates. If an ACE Top Account Owner (TAO) already exists for your EIN, ask to be added as a user instead of creating a second account.
The TAO manages user access (often compliance, finance, or logistics). Keep TAO access limited and add read-only users for everyone else.
Use CBP’s official ACE Secure Data Portal Account Application. During signup, CBP verifies you using a code sent to the email on your 5106 record.
Once provisioned, the TAO logs in, sets up the corporate account, and confirms the Importer view is linked to the correct importer number(s).
CBP also supports a PDF application process that can be submitted by email (per CBP’s portal application guidance).

ACE Application Tips

  • In Section 1, select “P” next to “Importer”
  • Enter your full importer number including CBP-assigned suffix (EIN + Suffix, 12-345678900) in the first box

After you get access

  • Confirm you can see your last 6–12 months of entries (or ask your broker which entry types your account should show).
  • Pull an entry list and identify liquidation status for any entries you may need to correct or challenge.
  • Pull the ES-003 Entry Summary Line Tariff Details ACE Report

If you import into the U.S. and don’t yet have ACE access, this is a high-impact task worth prioritizing. A properly configured account gives you immediate visibility into your customs activity and helps you respond faster when decisions or filings are time-sensitive.

Confirm your 5106 details, coordinate with your broker, and get your account established so you can operate with full data transparency.

 Reclaiming IEEPA Tariffs

When tariffs change or get overturned, the opportunity to recover duties can be real, but it’s rarely simple. Refunds aren’t automatic, and the process tends to be procedural, deadline-driven, and heavily dependent on the quality of your entry-level data. That’s exactly why ACE access matters. If you can pull your entry history, verify liquidation status, and isolate duty lines tied to specific programs, you’re in a much stronger position to understand whether a refund is even possible and what to do next.

If you think your business paid duties under IEEPA measures that were invalidated, we put together an in-depth, step-by-step operational guide to help you evaluate eligibility and take action.

It walks through how to identify impacted entries, determine whether they’re liquidated or unliquidated, route each entry through the correct path (Post-Summary Correction vs. Protest), and build a clean internal tracker to preserve refund rights and reconcile any recovered duties. It’s designed for ecommerce importers of record who want a practical playbook, not a legal memo, so you can move quickly and confidently when timelines matter.

Official CBP references