Mandatory ACI eManifest Rapidly Approaching
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is now only a couple of steps away from the implementation of mandatory ACI eManifest reporting for carriers. On February 15, 2014, proposed eManifest regulatory amendments were published in Part I. of the Canada Gazette. The proposed amendment reinforces that mandatory requirements for carriers to supply advance conveyance and shipment information to CBSA will soon be implemented.
This pre-publication provides a 30-day period for public and industry stakeholders to comment or pose questions on the proposed regulatory amendments. Once confirmed, the CBSA will inform the trade community of when regulations to enforce the eManifest requirements are expected to be in place, with a 45 days notice in advance of the mandatory compliance date.
What this means is that full compliance could be mandatory 75 days from February 15th, 2014.
Once full compliance is mandatory, there will be a six month period where those who do not comply will be subject to zero-rated Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS). After which, carriers who have not met all of their obligations with respect to this program, will be assessed AMPS penalties.
A word of caution to those carriers that wait until the 45 day notice period to sign up - they may get caught up in the rush of last minute registrants and find it difficult to be fully set up by the deadline. Those carriers that have chosen to wait until the eleventh hour need to act swiftly to ensure they are ready for the cutoff date. Acting now may allow you to fine tune your processes and work out any bugs before the due date, without fear of Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS).
Pacific Customs Brokers' Border Pro for Carriers offers a full and self eManifest filing service option that can take the hassle of getting registered with CBSA off of your plate.
If you have any questions about ACI eManifest, how to register or how it will affect your business, please contact our Border Pro eManifest Team at 855.542.6644 or via email at carrierhelpdesk@pcb.ca. For the latest updates on eManifest visit the Trade Regulations News section of our website regularly or sign up for our weekly Border Pro newsletter. Additionally, you'll find the Your Broker Knows YouTube channel to be an excellent resource.
5 Frequently Asked Questions About ACI eManifest | Part 1