After several years of
planning and significant consultations, the Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA) is set to launch eManifest – one of the
Agency’s largest undertakings to strengthen our nation’s
security and at the same time modernize and improve commercial
border processes.
When fully implemented,
eManifest will require all commercial import trade partners
(carriers, freight forwarders and importers) in all modes of
transportation (air, marine, highway and rail) to electronically
submit advance trade data to the CBSA for risk assessment
purposes.
By risk assessing pre-arrival
information, health, safety and security threats related to
commercial shipments can be identified before the goods arrive
in Canada. The CBSA can then focus its resources on those
people, goods and conveyances posing the greatest risk to the
security and prosperity of Canada.
eManifest will result in an
improved commercial process that rewards compliance with
predictable and expedited processing at the border.
eManifest - Advance
Trade Data Requirements
In order to reduce the
administrative burden on businesses, eManifest advance trade
data requirements will build on existing Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI) data sets and have been harmonized to the
greatest extent possible with the World Customs Organization and
the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The CBSA will publish the
required data element details and guidelines in Electronic
Commerce Client Requirements Documents (ECCRDs) a minimum of six
months before the respective implementation timelines begin. The
ECCRD for the highway mode is available on the CBSA Web site at http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/prog/manif/menu-eng.html
"Electronic Commerce
Client Requirements Document (ECCRD) for Highway” in the “In
Focus” box).
eManifest – Before
the Border
The CBSA must receive highway
carrier’s electronic cargo and conveyance data a
minimum of one hour in advance of goods arriving at the border
using either:
o An existing EDI
method:
• Value Added Network (VAN): a public EDI network
used to exchange data through a single communication interface.
• Third Party Service Provider: a CBSA-approved
third party that transmits data for their clients using a
variety of communication modes.
• Customs Internet Gateway (CIG): a gateway used
by the trade community to transmit cargo, release and accounting
data over the Internet to the CBSA.
• Direct Connect to the CBSA: an alternative that
provides trade partners with a direct connection to the CBSA.
or
o The eManifest
Portal, a secure, Web-based reporting option developed
by the CBSA to facilitate compliance and to make the transition
from paper to electronic reporting more manageable for small-
and medium-sized enterprises.
Small- and medium-sized
carriers may find an eManifest Portal Account is sufficient for
transmitting mandatory trade data to the CBSA. Larger carrier
companies may choose to use eManifest EDI service options, but
may also wish to have a Portal Account as an alternative method
of communicating with the CBSA. The ECCRD is a source of
information for companies deciding between EDI and/or the
eManifest Portal.
eManifest -
Implementation Timeline
Recognizing that it will take
time to adjust to the new reporting requirements, eManifest will
be implemented over a number of years, by client type, using an
18-month implementation timeline. There will be an initial
12-month period to allow clients to incorporate eManifest
requirements into their business processes followed by a
six-month period of informed compliance. After this period,
clients may be subject to administrative monetary penalties (AMPs)
for non-compliance.
eManifest - Key
Implementation Dates
• September 2010 –
Highway carriers may begin EDI transmission of cargo and
conveyance data *
• Winter 2011 – Highway carriers may begin to use the
eManifest Portal for transmission of cargo and conveyance data
• Winter 2011 – Rail carriers may begin transmission of
cargo and conveyance data
• Summer 2011 – Freight forwarders may begin
transmission of secondary cargo / house bill data
• Spring 2012 – Importers may begin transmission of
importer data in the marine mode
* Although EDI users can begin
transmitting eManifest information in September 2010, the
18-month implementation timeline for all highway carriers to
transmit cargo and conveyance data will only begin once the
eManifest Portal is publicly available in early 2011.
eManifest - Early
Adopters
The CBSA encourages clients to
adopt eManifest requirements early within each implementation
timeline. Being an ‘early adopter’ will allow clients time
to streamline business practices and operational efficiency
before requirements become mandatory.
With the implementation of
eManifest in the highway mode beginning in September 2010, all
carriers will be required to use carrier codes
assigned by the CBSA. The use of the itinerant highway
carrier code “77YY” will be eliminated on March 31, 2011.
For further information on the
process for obtaining a carrier code, visit the CBSA Web site at
www.cbsa.gc.ca (click on
“Commercial sector” then “Commercial carriers”).
eManifest – Client
Support
The CBSA will provide ongoing
support to clients by telephone and e-mail – before, during
and following the implementation of eManifest.
For general questions about
eManifest policy or operations:
Call the Border Information Service (BIS) at:
From within Canada (toll free): 1-800-461-9999
United States: (long distance charges apply)
East 506-636-5064
West 204-983-3500
TTY within Canada (toll free): 1-866-335-3237
(for those with hearing or speech impairments)
OR
e-mail the eManifest External Help Desk at: eManifest@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Technical Support Unit
The CBSA will offer EDI
technical support by e-mail and telephone to those highway
carriers that choose to use the EDI reporting option. Support
will be extended to eManifest Portal users when that reporting
system becomes available in early 2011.
For EDI technical
support, contact the Technical Support Unit
by:
E-mail: tsu.ust@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Phone:
Calls within Canada and the U.S: 1-888-957-7224*
Callers outside Canada and the U.S. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
ET: 1-613-946-0762
Callers outside Canada and the U.S. between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.
ET: 1-613-946-0763*
*TSU support will be available 24/7 beginning October 2010.
The TSU will expand to include
technical support for the eManifest Portal when it becomes
publicly available in early 2011.
