With the implementation of eManifest, highway carriers transporting goods into Canada are required to transmit cargo and conveyance data electronically to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) prior to arrival. The cargo and conveyance data must be received and validated by the CBSA a minimum of one hour before the shipment arrives at the border.
The CBSA completed the deployment of electronic systems (Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and eManifest Portal) for highway carriers to transmit advance cargo and conveyance data in 2011.
On May 6, 2015, regulatory amendments supporting the eManifest initiative were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. eManifest requirements for highway carriers are now mandatory and the following implementation timelines apply:
From May 6, 2015, to July 10, 2015, the CBSA will provide carriers with a period of transition during which penalties for non-compliance will not be issued. The Agency will work closely with carriers on corrective measures to help them comply with eManifest requirements.
From July 10, 2015, to January 10, 2016, carriers who do not comply with eManifest requirements may be issued zero-rated penalties (non-monetary) under the CBSA’s Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS).
Beginning January 10, 2016, carriers who do not comply with eManifest requirements may be issued monetary Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPS).
Additional information concerning transmissions options, data requirements for highway carriers, EDI, eManifest Portal, etc. can be found on the Canada Border Services Agency website.
Highway carriers, regardless of how often they cross the Canadian border with commercial goods, are required to use a valid, CBSA-issued carrier code. Use of the generic itinerant highway carrier code 77YY was eliminated on March 31, 2011.
Hand carried goods are currently exempt from eManifest advance cargo and conveyance data requirements.
Hand carried goods are defined as:
– commercial goods carried by paying passengers on board travellers’ commercial conveyances (bus, taxi, plane, ship, etc.), or
– commercial goods being imported and accounted for at the port of entry by the owner of a business, or an employee, driving a “not for hire†non-commercial conveyance.
This exemption will continue when eManifest advance trade data requirements for importers are implemented at a later date.
Additional information concerning eManifest requirements for highway carriers can be found on the Canada Border Services Agency website.