GS-12 Experience: You qualify for this position if you are currently serving or have served as a full-time permanent GS-12 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and are currently serving or have served in the 1895 series within the last five years. Additionally, you qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:
- Demonstrating responsibility in detecting and preventing terrorists and instruments of terror from entering United States, enforcing applicable laws, and facilitating the orderly and efficient flow of legitimate trade and lawful travelers.
- Performing the full range of inspection, intelligence analysis, examination, and law enforcement activities relating to persons, conveyances, and merchandise crossing United States borders.
NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible. Please see the "Required Documents" section below for additional resume requirements.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
- Meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process; and
- Meet all applicable Time in Grade requirements (current federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the federal service) by 03/04/2025
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances.
For additional information on the preemployment process, review the following link:
Applicant Resources | CBP Careers
Polygraph Examination: The CBP OFFICER (INTERNATIONAL) position is a polygraph-required position. If you are not a current CBP employee in a law enforcement position, you may be required to take a polygraph exam and have favorable results in order to continue in the pre-employment process. Please see
Polygraph Examination.
Polygraph Reciprocity: CBP may accept the results of a prior federal polygraph exam in lieu of a CBP polygraph exam. You will receive information to request reciprocity in your Background Investigation Package.
Polygraph Waiver: Certain veterans may be eligible to obtain a polygraph waiver. You will receive information to request a waiver in your Background Investigation Package.
Probationary Period: Current and former federal employees may be required to serve or complete a probationary period.
Tour of Duty: The employee will serve a two (2) year initial tour, with an opportunity for the employee to apply for an additional three years for a total five years (2-2-1).
As an exception to this general rule, tour duration is subject to the host country and the Department of State. At the discretion of management, the assignment may be extended for additional periods, up to a maximum of five years in a single foreign duty location. Additionally, at the discretion of management, you may be returned at any time to your previous position or to a different position of equivalent grade as this CBP Officer (International) position. Employees who have not served four (4) years at a domestic duty station from the end of the employee's previous overseas tour, should not be considered for a second tour of duty in any foreign assignment. Applicants approaching the maximum tour duration in a foreign duty location may be considered for appointments outside their current duty location.
Return Rights: Within 180 days of completing their tour, the employee will submit a list of 5 preference locations for their return. If none of the 5 locations have an equivalent vacancy, CBP will provide the employee a list of up to 5 additional locations where CBP has staffing availability to select from. If the employee declines the locations provided by CBP, the employee will be reassigned to an equivalent position in his/her Home of Record Field Office.
Annual Leave Accumulation: Employees assigned to IAP posts may carry over 360 hours of annual leave to the next leave year (as opposed to 240 hours).
Home Leave: In addition to annual leave, employees at IAP posts earn ten days home leave on each two-year assignment. This leave is only granted to those employees who have their IAP assignment extended for another tour and is to be used between tours. The Government pays the employee per diem and transportation expenses from the employee's post of duty in IAP to the employee's former official residence in the United States . In addition, it also pays for the transportation expenses of dependents who accompany the employee on home leave to the employee's residence in the United States.
Living Quarters Allowances (not payable if claiming temporary lodging allowance): Employees receive payment of an annual tax-free quarters' allowance for housing while at an IAP post. This allowance is intended to cover the cost of suitable, adequate living quarters for the employee and his/her family plus the cost of heat, light, fuel, gas, electricity, and water. However, at some foreign posts government subsidized housing is provided.
Primary CBPO Special Retirement Coverage: This is a primary position subject to mandatory retirement under the special retirement provisions for Customs and Border Protection Officers (
5 CFR 842.1003;
5 USC 8425(b);
5 USC 8335(b); and
5 USC 8412(d)). For more information on required years of service and retirement age, click on
this link. If you have questions regarding your retirement coverage provisions, please contact the CBP Retirement Operations Center at (202) 863-6180.
The Customs and Border Protection Officer mandatory separation provisions of
5 USC 8425 do not apply to an individual first appointed as a Customs and Border Protection Officer before July 6, 2008.
This position meets the criteria defined in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as an exempt position. Therefore, while serving in this foreign duty location, the FLSA code will be categorized as "Exempt". Exempt employees receive an overtime rate defined under Title 5 rather than that defined under FLSA. For more information on Title 5 pay, please see the following link:
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-administration/fact-sheets/overtime-pay-title-5/