Changes to Canada Customs Filing

Starting 4 November, Canada Customs (CBSA has introduced several changes on Electronic House Bills filing and is enforcing the CA eManifest program.

Currently, as a carrier, you are reporting flight and AWB / HWB data to Canada Customs, via the following messages: CVR ( Air Conveyance Report), ACR (Air Cargo Report), and SCR (Supplementary Shipment).

This means that forwarders or carriers acting as freight forwarders must transmit House Bills information (Service Option 950 ) along with House Bill Close Message (Service Option 968) for all consolidated shipments that are non-exempt import and in-bond. The electronic Service House Bill (Option 950 ) is replacing the Supplementary Cargo Report (SCR) service (Option 687) except for FROB in air mode and in-transit.

In case you are acting as freight forwarders, the new rules mandate :

• For cargo with final destination Canada, you need to send the corresponding messages (House Bills message (Option 950) & House Bill Close message (Option 968). The current Supplementary Cargo Report (SCR) is not needed anymore.
• For FROB or in-transit Cargo, you need to send current SCR (Supplementary Cargo Report) messages.

Timelines :

1. Starting, 4 January, 2021, the use of electronic house bills must be used for all consolidated shipments, if not exempted. A 6 month period of informed compliance and zero-rated penalties will begin as of this date.
2. Starting, 4 July, 2021,  the zero-rated compliance period will cease and full monetary penalties will then be issued going forward. 

CHAMP is already offering an eManifest reporting solution for forwarders. TGC as a service is technically capable to transmit the aforementioned messages, HWB message, and HWB close message but this is specifically for customers being forwarders and in consequence, is currently limited to only send the forwarder-related messages.

TGC needs to be adjusted such that carriers also can use the Canada forwarder functionality. CHAMP’s TGC team is currently assessing how to add this functionality for carriers in line with the new regulation. We will provide an update within the next 2 weeks on the timelines and implications.