The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) project is a multi-year initiative that is set to transform the collection of duties and taxes for goods imported into Canada.
The CARM program has been slowly progressing over the past few years. CBSA has recently announced after many changes that they are looking at October 2023 as being the final implementation date.
Our company feels this will be a firm timeframe for implementation.
Under the new program, any commercial importer will have to be registered with the CARM online portal to get their goods across the border. You may also have to post surety with CBSA either in the form of a surety bond or a cash bond.
CBSA considers all farm businesses to be commercial importers.
If you use a Customs Broker you will have to authorize them to do work for you via the online portal after you are set up on it.
If you clear goods through customs yourself, you will have to set up on the portal and use the website to data enter your shipment information, and print it off before you can cross the border.
You will no longer be able to just show up at the border without being set up on the CARM
portal and expect to get a customs clearance for products for your farm business in any
reasonable amount of time.
Please contact us if you require further information on this new CBSA initiative.