In May, the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Canada Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) initiative opened an online portal that importers will have to register with to do business with the CBSA. PPAI affiliate partner FedEx has prepared several webinars and informational resources to educate businesses on the new program, which it says should simplify the importation of commercial goods into Canada.

The CARM Client Portal is now open for registration. FedEx suggests that U.S. companies selling commercial goods to customers in Canada consider confirming at the time of sale that the Canadian company is registered and ready to designate authority to the assigned broker. Use of the portal is required for all commercial goods being imported by Canadian importers and importers that reside outside of Canada that are established as a non-resident importer (NRI).

New features and functionality are scheduled to be added to the portal in Spring 2022. FedEx recommends importing companies register ahead of the update. Once registered with the portal, businesses can delegate access to service providers, make secure payments online, classify goods and estimate duties and taxes, and submit ruling requests and track their progress.

Information on FedEx’s webinars on CARM and other resources can be found here.