Canada Border Services Agency, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Transport Canada (TC) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) are proceeding with the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) implementation. The IID declaration requires Importers and Customs Brokers to provide CBSA and the respective Participating Government Agency/Agencies additional information prior to release.
Shipments involving CFIA (all programs), NRCan (Energy Efficiency Program) and TC (Tires Program) must be declared using IID declarations. CBSA notified all importers and brokers in message TCC10-028 they will begin a phased in decommissioning of the legacy service options (i.e. OGD PARS and OGD RMD) on April 1st. The notice also advises CBSA will actively monitor and identify certified Trade Chain Partners (TCPs) who continue to use the legacy service options and advises they will no longer be available after several months.
CFIA also published a Notice to Industry regarding the decommissioning of the legacy import declaration systems. CFIA’s notice notified their clients to switch to the updated IID as soon as possible and they would continue to support the two legacy systems for a short period of time.
The CFIA notice also notified clients they will be focusing their resources on the IIDs process and will no longer be maintaining the 4-hour informal service standard for OGD PARS and OGD RMD declarations. The notice also stated their service level announcements will only be sent out for delays pertaining to IID declarations.
What does this mean for the international highway carriers transporting cargo into Canada? Overall the mandate means importers and customs brokers workload will be increasing by as much as 10 to 20 percent. The additional workload could increase delays for carriers.
What can a carrier do to address potential delays? Ensure the importers and customs brokers receive the customs documents associated with their shipments as early as possible. This will allow importers and customs brokers additional time process their declarations.
Carriers can also monitor what type of release declarations importers and customs brokers are submitting for their shipments and work with their trade chain partners to ensure they are aware of the IID mandate and the potential border delays. Carriers who do not have that capability can contact us to subscribe to a service which provides the release information.
