How to Fill Out and Submit CBP Form 5106: Importer Identity Filing

To fill out CBP Form 5106, you enter your legal name and taxpayer ID in Section 1, your mailing and physical addresses in Section 2, your company details and an authorized signature in Section 3, and then send the completed form to U.S. Customs and Border Protection through a licensed broker, a Center of Excellence and Expertise, a port of entry, or CBP’s Office of Finance. CBP typically activates a new importer within two business days of receiving a correctly completed form.¹ There is no filing fee.

Download the Current Revision

Use the copy hosted on CBP’s own forms repository, which you can reach by searching “5106” on the CBP website.² The Department of Homeland Security also maintains an index page linking to common entry documents.³ The current revision is dated June 2025, and CBP rejects outdated versions.⁴

The same form handles both new registrations and updates to an existing importer record. If your business changes its name, address, or legal structure, file a revised 5106 rather than a new application. Updates take roughly five business days.¹

What to Gather Before You Start

Having every input on hand before you open the PDF prevents the incomplete-submission cycle. You will need:

Your IRS Employer Identification Number if you are a business, or your Social Security Number if you are a sole proprietor. If you have neither (typical for foreign entities), you will request a CBP-Assigned Importer Number on the form itself.⁵
Your full legal name exactly as it appears on your tax filings and formation documents. Small differences in punctuation or abbreviation cause delays.
Both a mailing address and a physical address, with the address type for each.
An email address and a phone number. Both are mandatory on the current revision.
The locater ID and reference number from your certificate or articles of incorporation.⁴
A rough estimate of how many entries you expect to file in a year.

Section 1: Name and Identification Number

Block 1A takes your full legal name: the company name as it appears on your tax filings, or your personal name if you are importing as an individual. Block 1B is where you enter your EIN or SSN. If you have neither, check the “NONE” box and complete Block 1E to request a CBP-assigned number. CBP will issue the number and notify you, and you will use it for all future customs transactions.⁴

If you have an SSN but prefer not to use it as your importer number, you can request a CBP-assigned number instead; in that case you must still provide your SSN in Block 3J.¹

Block 1C handles divisions, aliases, and “doing business as” names. If you import under a division name, select “DIV” and put the parent company name in Block 1D. You must file a separate 5106 for each division suffix you add to an EIN.¹

Block 1G asks for your company type: corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or LLC. Watch this one. CBP does not classify an LLC as a corporation; the LLC has its own designation.⁴ Block 1H is where your estimated annual entry count goes.

Section 2: Addresses

Block 2A takes your mailing address, including the address type. Block 2B is for your physical location if it differs from the mailing address. For foreign addresses with no two-character state code, enter “FN” in the state field rather than leaving it blank.¹

Section 3: Company Information, Contacts, and Signature

Most fields in Section 3 are optional. The important exception: an individual requesting a CBP-assigned number who has an SSN must provide a contact with that SSN in Block 3J.¹

Blocks 3H and 3I capture the locater ID and reference number from your articles of incorporation. If you have a licensed customs broker who will file your entries, their filer code goes in Block 3D.

An officer of the company, or the individual importer, must sign. CBP accepts electronic signatures. The signature is a legal statement that everything on the form is true and accurate.¹

How to Submit the Completed Form

You have four routes:

Through a licensed customs broker. Brokers with ACE portal access and Automated Broker Interface functionality can create your importer record directly in the system. This is the fastest route for most commercial importers.
By email to a Center of Excellence and Expertise. Send the completed and signed form to the appropriate CBP Center and put “New 5106 Add” or “5106 Update” in the subject line, along with the team assignment of the account. If you have not been assigned to a Center, choose one based on the tariff number tied to the highest anticipated value of your imports.¹
Through a U.S. port of entry. Ports accept hard copies by mail, faxed copies, or scanned copies by email.
Through CBP’s Office of Finance, which accepts scanned and emailed copies in most situations.

What Happens After You Submit

A correctly completed new registration is typically activated within two business days. Updates to an existing record take about five business days.¹ For U.S. businesses, the EIN on the form becomes your importer of record number once CBP processes it. For sole proprietors, that role is filled by the SSN. Foreign entities receive their CBP-Assigned Importer Number by return notification.

What the 5106 Does Not Cover

Registering your identity is only the first step, and it is worth knowing what still sits ahead so you do not expect the 5106 to do work it does not do.

An ACE portal account is separate. The Automated Commercial Environment is CBP’s electronic trade processing system, and you will need access to it for filing entry summaries, paying duties, and managing your import activity. You cannot apply for a portal account until you have an active 5106 on file, because the portal application is only available to trade parties already in the system.⁶ Before applying, check whether your company already has an account; CBP discourages duplicates and can help you find an existing account owner through ACE Support.

A customs bond is separate. You need one before making a formal entry, and you obtain it from a surety company, not from CBP. The minimum amount for a continuous bond is $50,000, calculated at roughly 10 percent of the duties, taxes, and fees you paid in the prior calendar year, rounded to the nearest $10,000. For a new importer with no history, the bond is based on estimated duties for the coming year but cannot drop below the $50,000 minimum.⁷

A power of attorney is separate. If you hire a licensed customs broker to file entries for you, you grant them authority using CBP Form 5291, or an equivalent document that meets the same requirements.⁸ Brokers with ACE access can file your 5106 electronically and create your importer record without you needing your own portal account, which is why working entirely through a broker is often the simplest path for small importers.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Importer Create/Update Identity Form CBP Form 5106 FAQ
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Forms
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Homeland Security. Find Import/Export Forms
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Create/Update Importer Identity Form
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Importer Numbers
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Applying for an ACE Secure Data Portal Account
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Monetary Guidelines for Setting Bond Amounts
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eCFR. 19 CFR 141.32 – Form for Power of Attorney