01
CBSA entry
Canadian customs entry, PARS and PAPS release, GST and duty accounting, and CARM portal guidance.
Service 03 — Customs
Customs cleared
before it lands.
CBSA and US Customs entry filing, HS classification and duty optimisation on both sides of the border. We surface classification risk before the container sails, not after it is sitting on a hold.
Most delays are paperwork, not ships.
Importers tend to picture customs as a checkpoint the cargo either passes or fails on arrival. In practice, the outcome was decided weeks earlier — in how the commodity was classified, what the commercial invoice said, and whether the origin documentation actually supported the duty treatment being claimed.
That is why we review classification at quoting time rather than at clearance time. A wrong HS code found before the container sails is a five-minute correction. The same error found at the border is a hold, an exam fee, demurrage and possibly a penalty.
Two borders, one file
With offices in Toronto and Batavia we file into both CBSA and US Customs. If you are importing into Canada, selling into the US, or moving goods across the border in either direction, the same coordinator handles both sides — so nothing gets lost in the handover between a Canadian broker and an American one.
- Canada — CBSA entry, PARS and PAPS release, GST and duty accounting, CARM registration guidance
- United States — CBP entry, ISF 10+2 filing, continuous and single-entry bonds
- Cross-border — in-bond movements, CUSMA qualification, transload documentation
CARM — if you import into Canada, read this
CBSA's Assessment and Revenue Management system moved the responsibility for duty and tax accounts onto importers directly. You need your own CARM Client Portal account and your own financial security; you cannot simply sit behind your broker's bond the way many importers used to. If you have not set that up, we will walk you through it — it is not difficult, but shipments do get held up over it.
Where duty savings actually come from
Correct classification first, because a code one digit off can move the duty rate several points. Then trade agreement qualification — CUSMA can take eligible goods to zero, but only with origin documentation that survives an audit. Then, where it applies, duty drawback on goods that are re-exported. We will look at all three; none of them involve anything clever or aggressive.
What's included
What clearance covers
Every item below is handled by the same coordinator who quoted you — there is no hand-off to a different desk once the booking is confirmed.
02
US entry & ISF
CBP entry filing plus ISF 10+2 submitted inside the 24-hour deadline to avoid the penalty exposure.
03
HS classification
Commodity classification reviewed at quoting time, with binding ruling applications where the treatment is genuinely uncertain.
04
CUSMA qualification
Origin analysis and certification so eligible goods actually get the duty treatment they are entitled to.
05
Duty drawback
Recovery of duties paid on goods subsequently exported, where the volume makes the claim worth filing.
06
OGD requirements
Other government department permits — CFIA, Health Canada, FDA and similar — identified before the cargo moves.
Questions
Before you book
The things clients ask us most often on this service. If yours is not here, call or email — you will get a real answer, not a callback form.
Legally you can self-clear, but almost no commercial importer does. The classification, valuation and origin rules are detailed enough that errors are common, and the penalties for a pattern of errors are meaningful. A broker also gives you someone accountable when something is held.
CARM is CBSA's system for assessing and collecting duty and taxes. If you import into Canada you need your own CARM Client Portal account and your own financial security — you can no longer rely solely on your broker's bond. We will walk you through registration.
Most entries release within hours of filing when documentation is clean and the entry was prepared ahead of arrival. Exams and referrals add days. The single biggest determinant is whether the paperwork was right before the cargo arrived.
A US requirement to file ten data elements about your shipment at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto the vessel at origin. Missing it carries penalties per shipment. We file it as part of the booking rather than treating it as a separate step.
Yes. Customs brokerage is available standalone if you already have freight arrangements you are happy with.
Get started
Tell us the lane.
We'll price it today.
Origin, destination, commodity and volume is all we need. A coordinator replies with an all-in rate inside one business day — with their name and direct line on it.
Phone
Offices
Toronto, ON · Canada
Batavia, IL · United States
Batavia, IL · United States