Canadian Border Changes
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) is Canada’s version of the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency. They have released their 2018 department plan which includes some interesting Canadian Border Changes.
The Canada Assessment and Revenue Management Program (CARM) will modernize and optimize CBSA’s commercial assessment and revenue collection processes and systems. When fully implemented, CARM will provide new and streamlined ways for commercial trade partners to interact with the CBSA. It will provide the CBSA with a modernized financial management system focused on providing self-serve client-based services and processes. It is the hope that border crossings will be simplified when assessing and collecting duties and taxes and will result in easier and more accurate reporting practices.
Other benefits include:
- Electronic payment options for paying duties and taxes.
- Opportunity to manage business information via a secure portal.
- Reduce the duplication of submission of trade data.
- CBSA should provide more responsible service to trade companies.
- Improving the accuracy and timeliness of processes and data.
The design of the CARM project is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2019.
Another project discussed is the Electronic Manifest (eManifest) program. EManifest requires carriers, freight forwarders, and importers in all modes of transportation to electronically transmit in advance commercial information (ACI) to the CBSA within prescribed mode-specific time frames (at least one hour before their trucks reach the border, highway carriers must submit eManifests to the CBSA). Failure to comply with these regulations will lead to fines and delays at the border. The program helps highway carriers comply with all U.S. Customs and Border Protection ACE requirements. Benefits include faster processing at the border, possible reduced paperwork due to combining the US and Canada processes and improved communication between companies and government agencies.
Three changes are planned to improve border crossings. They are:
- A new Marine Container Examination Facility at Roberts Banks is scheduled to open this summer in cooperation with the Vancouver Port Authority.
- Canada and the United States continue to work to finalize the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, which is a new border crossing option between Canada and the U.S close to Detroit Michigan.
- CBSA intends to expand Free and Secure Trade (FAST) by adding FAST lanes in Emerson, Manitoba north of Grand Forks, North Dakota in late 2018.
Please let us know if we can be of assistance with Canadian border crossings. We can assist in clearing shipments in all US and Canadian ports. Need to simplify and expedite your shipments?
Call 303‑365‑1000 or email us anytime.