Supply Chain Security Study Guide
4. United States response
4.5. Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT)
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What it does A voluntary trade partnership program in which supply chain parties commit to security standards in exchange for trade facilitation benefits. |
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When it applies All modes of transport. |
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Who is responsible Importers, carriers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and other supply chain parties that choose to participate. |
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Status Voluntary; the largest US trade-government partnership program. |
CTPAT encourages supply chain parties to improve security and rewards them with benefits such as reduced cargo examinations. The basic process is:
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01 Sign agreement with CBP to cooperate, assess and improve security |
02 Self-assessment by applicant against Security Guidelines |
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03 Application (file Security Profile) |
04 Certification after background investigation and document review (Tier 1) |
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05 Validation after on-site assessments, including at foreign locations (Tier 2) |
06 Compliance with additional guidelines (Tier 3) |
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07 Periodic re-assessment and revalidation every 4 years |
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The 2024 CTPAT Impact Report states that the program now has 10,869 partners, with 2,407 validations completed in 2024. Membership remains voluntary, but companies that have not joined are likely to find it more difficult to partner with companies certified under CTPAT or other World Customs Organization (WCO) accredited security programs (Authorized Economic Operator).
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Further Reading: CTPAT 2024 Impact report The latest CTPAT Impact report is available at CTPAT 2024 Impact Report |