In a Federal Register Notice (FRN) published on November 4, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced it would be conducting a test for the Client Representative Technical Assistance Portal (CRTAP).

CRTAP is a new case management system designed to provide a secure, centralized location and standardized process for submitting and managing technical assistance requests. It may replace the current system of requesting technical assistance via phone or email.

This voluntary test will “examine whether the CRTAP meets its intended use and function” and be limited to brokers, self-filers, software providers, Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) operators, Automated Export System (AES) users, and Automated Manifest System (AMS) users. CBP will select a minimum of nine trade members representing a variety of participant types.

The CRTAP test will begin on December 4, 2026, and run for a period of 45 days. CBP is accepting applications for participants starting the day of publication at gmb.clientrepoutreach@cbp.dhs.gov.

FRN 2026-22501 can be found here:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/04/2026-22501/announcement-of-the-client-representative-technical-assistance-portal-crtap-test