Efforts to set up a National Apex body in the form of Federation was started when the Custom House Agents Associations of Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and Cochin held a joint conference in 1960.

The final decision was taken on 1st December 1962 at a joint conference at Bombay by the representatives of the Associations of Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Jamnagar, Bhawnagar, Delhi and Goa.

The next day on 2nd December 1962, Mr. Morarji Desai, the then Honorable Union Finance Minister inaugurated the Federation in presence of a distinguished gathering.

On 5th November 1963, the Federation was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 at Bombay. Mr. Karsandas Tulsidas Khimji of M/s Tulsidas Khimji Pvt. Ltd., was chosen to be the founder President of the Federation.

Federation was enrolled as National Member of FIATA - The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, at the World Congress at Copenhagen on 9th September 1965.