Due to the flooding and road closures in British Columbia, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a joint update with CBSA to provide guidance for carriers with CSMS #50336522.
CBP has provided the below instructions and clarifications with the intent of being utilized by Canadian domestic truck carriers that don’t normally cross the border in the normal course of their business and international carriers:
All Carriers
- All equipment, trailers and containers moving under these procedures must be sealed at or before arrival at the U.S. border. These seals should be clearly identified to CBP and CBSA for verification and inspection as necessary.
CBP will exercise maximum flexibility regarding these domestic freight shipments. It is recommended that carriers have normal clearance documents readily available such as bill of lading, invoices, etc. to facilitate clearance.
These protocols are only applicable to the following ports:
- Emerson MB (Pembina, North Dakota 701-825-5800);
- North Portal Saskatchewan (Portal Station, North Dakota 701-926-7500);
- Coutts AB (Sweetgrass, Montana 406-335-9610);
- Kingsgate; BC (Eastport, Idaho 208-267-3966);
- Osoyoos, BC (Oroville, Washington 509-476-2955); and,
- PAC Highway (Blaine, Washington 360-332-5771)
International Bonded Carriers
Any Canadian carriers that currently operate between the U.S. and Canada as well as domestically are expected to follow the standard procedures for transit, including the advance filing of an electronic truck manifest and utilization of an in-bond or in-transit transaction. This applies to both rail and truck carriers.
- If a carrier is using automated methods of transmission under these procedures, the data available for those shipments may not be the same as for cargo intended for import into the U.S. To mitigate this, carriers should describe the merchandise in general (i.e. foodstuffs, groceries and other products destined to Canadian stores, moving through the U.S. due to flooding emergency).
- For Transportation and Exportation (T&E type 62) in-bond shipments filed electronically and moving under these procedures, the general description above applies and 9804.00 may be used for the required HTSUS number and value should be estimated based on shipping valuation. If necessary and no values are known, $2 (USD) per pound may be used for this process.
- Consolidated express carriers may file a single bill of lading electronically, as per the regulations, using a general description (i.e. consolidated express shipments destined to Canada moving in-transit through the U.S. due to the flooding emergency), under a single type 62 (T&E) in-bond as described above.
- To facilitate crossing, express carriers should be prepared to provide a list of all individual shipments at the border. This information may be on paper and accompany the conveyance or may be sent to a specific port electronically based on arrangements between the carrier and the port of entry
Domestic Carriers
Prohibited items currently legal in Canada, but not in the U.S. will not be authorized for movement under these procedures.
Restricted merchandise, such as medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, agriculture commodities, and live animals, may require further review by CBP personnel at the port of entry.
Please read CSMS #50162293 and CSMS #50336522 for additional information.