Duties, posts and job conditions are from USAJOBS Announcement CBPO DH 27-1, checked October 19, 2026. Where CBP officers work is from CBP's ports of entry, Field Operations and preclearance pages.
What is a CBP officer? A CBP officer, or Customs and Border Protection Officer, is a uniformed, armed U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee who inspects travelers, vehicles and cargo at U.S. ports of entry. The current USAJOBS job description says CBP officers enforce customs, immigration and agriculture laws, determine who may enter the United States and stop the illegal entry of people, prohibited goods and drugs. This guide covers what the CBP officer job involves, where officers work and what the announcement says about the conditions of the job.
CBP officer job description
Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 lists these typical duties:
- Enforcing customs, immigration and agriculture law and regulations
- Enforcing the flow of legitimate trade and travel
- Conducting inspections of individuals and conveyances
- Determining the admissibility of individuals for entry into the United States
- Preventing the illegal entry of individuals and prohibited goods and the smuggling of illegal drugs
CBP's ports of entry page adds that CBP officers have "broad law enforcement authorities tied to screening all foreign visitors, returning American citizens and imported cargo." Officers inspect people to "determine their admissibility," and for cargo, CBP is "responsible for knowing what is inside, whether it poses a risk to the American people." The job series for the title is 1895.
The Logical Reasoning part of the entrance exam is built around this kind of work: CBP's preparation guide says officers make quick decisions from laws, legal commentary and regulations.
Where CBP officers work
CBP officers belong to the Office of Field Operations (OFO), which CBP calls its largest component. CBP's Field Operations page says OFO has nearly 34,000 employees in 19 field offices, 328 ports of entry and 113 international locations in over 48 countries. The 34,000 figure covers all OFO employees, not only officers. Officers work at:
- Land border crossings, where people cross on foot and in cars, and where trucks and trains bring cargo. CBP says that at land borders, "another 11 million arrive by truck and 2.7 million by rail," after the more than 11 million maritime containers that arrive at seaports each year.
- Seaports. CBP says: "Each year, more than 11 million maritime containers arrive at our seaports."
- Airports. CBP describes its ports as "more than 300 land, air and sea ports."
- Preclearance sites abroad. At preclearance locations, CBP officers inspect travelers at a foreign airport before they board a flight to the United States. CBP lists 16 locations in 6 countries, staffed by more than 600 officers and agriculture specialists: 10 in Canada, Dublin and Shannon in Ireland, Nassau in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Aruba and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Duty locations on the current announcement
Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 lets applicants rank duty locations at ports in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Washington. Your choice is a preference: if a preferred location has no vacancy at the final offer, you may be offered a different location in the United States. The announcement also says: "Once onboarded, you'll first be assigned for up to one year to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force."
A typical day at CBP
CBP's typical day in fiscal year 2025 page gives daily averages for the agency. On a typical day, CBP processed 1,138,130 passengers and pedestrians, 262,013 incoming privately owned vehicles and 43,227 truck, rail and sea containers. It also arrested 32 wanted criminals at U.S. ports of entry, had 1,199 enforcement encounters at ports of entry and seized 1,598 pounds of drugs, including 33 pounds of fentanyl. These are CBP-wide figures, not the workload of one officer.
Are CBP officers law enforcement officers?
The announcement and CBP's pages point to law enforcement status in these ways:
- Firearm: "This position requires you to carry a firearm." Firearm proficiency is required and is part of the training.
- Uniform: officers wear an officially approved uniform on duty and follow grooming standards.
- Retirement: the job has primary CBP officer special retirement coverage, with mandatory separation provisions.
- Authority: CBP says officers have broad law enforcement authorities for screening visitors, returning citizens and imported cargo.
Training, schedule and probation
- Academy: 103 days of instruction in basic law enforcement skills, immigration laws and other subjects at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, GA. You must complete it to keep the job.
- Spanish: officers assigned to certain duty locations may have to pass a Spanish training program.
- Schedule: full time, and it may include rotating shifts, assignments and overtime on a regular and recurring basis, plus occasional travel.
- Probation: one year in your first permanent federal appointment.
The steps before the academy, from the polygraph to the background investigation, are in the CBP officer hiring process guide.
CBP officer vs ICE and TSA
All three are part of the Department of Homeland Security, but they do different jobs. CBP officers inspect people and goods at ports of entry. ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) says its Enforcement and Removal Operations "upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders," and its Homeland Security Investigations is the principal investigative component of DHS. TSA (the Transportation Security Administration) states its mission as "Protect the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce." Each agency hires through its own announcements.
CBP officer pay at a glance
The announcement lists $41,863 to $127,464 a year, with the top figure including overtime, at GS-5, GS-7 or GS-9 with promotion potential to GS-12. Locality pay, overtime and the career ladder are explained in the CBP officer salary guide.
Next steps
Check the requirements to become a CBP officer, including the age limit, then read how the CBP Officer Entrance Exam works.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CBP officer?
A Customs and Border Protection Officer is a uniformed, armed CBP employee in the Office of Field Operations who inspects travelers, vehicles and cargo at U.S. ports of entry and enforces customs, immigration and agriculture laws.
What does a CBP officer do?
The current announcement lists enforcing customs, immigration and agriculture laws, enforcing the flow of legitimate trade and travel, inspecting people and conveyances, deciding who may enter the United States and preventing illegal entry and drug smuggling.
Where do CBP officers work?
At 328 ports of entry: airports, seaports and land border crossings. Some work at preclearance sites at 16 foreign airports in 6 countries, and Field Operations has 113 international locations in over 48 countries.
Are CBP officers federal law enforcement?
The announcement says the job requires carrying a firearm and has CBP officer special retirement coverage, and CBP says its officers have broad law enforcement authorities at ports of entry.
Is a CBP officer the same as a Border Patrol agent?
No. Both work for CBP, but CBP officers work at ports of entry and Border Patrol agents secure the border between ports of entry. The jobs have separate announcements, exams and academies.
What is the difference between a CBP officer and ICE or TSA?
CBP officers inspect people and goods at ports of entry. ICE enforces immigration law within and beyond the borders and runs Homeland Security Investigations. TSA protects the nation's transportation systems. All three are in DHS.
Where do CBP officers train?
At the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, GA, for 103 days, according to the current announcement. Some duty locations also require a Spanish training program.
Do CBP officers get to choose where they work?
You rank duty locations on the announcement, but that is a preference. If there is no vacancy, you may be offered another location in the United States. The current announcement also says new officers are first assigned for up to one year to the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.
How much does a CBP officer make?
The announcement lists $41,863 to $127,464 a year, and the top figure includes overtime. See the salary guide for grades, locality pay and overtime.
Official sources
- USAJOBS: Customs and Border Protection Officer, Announcement CBPO DH 27-1
- CBP: At Ports of Entry
- CBP: Field Operations
- CBP: Preclearance Locations
- CBP: On a Typical Day in Fiscal Year 2025
- CBP: Along U.S. Borders
- CBP: CBP Officer Entrance Exam Preparation Guide
- ICE: About ICE
- TSA: Mission
PrepRaven is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Department of Homeland Security. Always confirm pay and rules in the current USAJOBS announcement.
Last updated October 2026