Deadline to obtain your own financial security: April 17, 2025
Register before :
Updated 20/12/2024
The CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) program is a governmental initiative that transformed the collection of duties and taxes for goods imported into Canada.
Release 2 of the CARM Client Portal currently in effect allows importers, customs brokers and trade consultants, among others, to view their transactions and account statements.
Release 2 of the CARM Client Portal introduced significant changes to the requirements for importers to post financial security prior to the importation of goods into Canada using a surety bond or cash security.
To obtain your bond, please contact your Axxess representative or send an email to infocarm_gcra@axxessintl.com.
For more details on financial security, please see Release Prior to Payment (RPP)
Learn more about the Features and benefits of the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management initiative and how to get prepared
Stay informed!
- To register your company, please see the following page
- You can also view the CBSA Video Gallery:
- For assistance with your registration, contact CBSA Customer Support immediately
- For any other request for information, do not hesitate to contact us by email: infocarm_gcra@axxessintl.com.
Question and Answers
CARM Client Portal
- Configure your user account on the CARM customer portal
- Create your business account on the portal and delegate!
- Talk to your customs broker to get a bond.
For details, visit the CBSA website
The CARM Client Portal will provide trade chain partners with the ability to view information about their accounts, make payments, to view the status of their declarations. It is intended to replace paper and manual processes and to provide transparency to trade chain partners.
Yes, all companies having a commercial relationship with the CBSA are required to create an account in the CARM client portal before the implementation of Release 2.
Login information for the CARM Client Portal can be found here.
You will be able to view your declaration data upon the implementation of CARM release 2.
You can obtain a business number through the Canada Revenue Agency
For more information see Canada Revenue Agency
No, it is very important to contact your customs broker before changing your current process for paying duties and taxes on your imports into Canada to avoid any duplicate payments.
You must be registered to the CARM portal, to grant the necessary authorizations for your customs broker to file your customs declarations in CARM Release 2. Without these authorizations, your shipments will not be able to be customs cleared.
Delegation of authority
Delegation of authority functionality will be available with Release 2 for importers and customs brokers.
Business Account Managers should be an active operational user, and not necessarily the owner of the company. Furthermore, it is strongly encouraged to assigned multiple Business Account Managers.
You will be able to manage access to your portal account by assigning specific roles to users, with the additional ability to set visibility rules to control how much information a third-party service provider can see
Without delegation to your customs broker, he will not be able to make customs declarations on your behalf.
Financial Security, Canadian Customs Bond
Simply put, a surety bond is a credit instrument. This guarantees the payment of duties and taxes to the government when you import goods into Canada.
In the industry, they are often simply referred to as a “Bond”.
The insurance company undertakes to pay in the event of non-compliance by the importer with its obligations.
You can buy your bond directly from a surety company, but the easiest way is through Axxess, your customs broker.
Please contact your Axxess representative for more details or email infocarm_gcra@axxessintl.com
For Release 2, the importer must post security using one of the following two options to be eligible for Release Before Payment (MAP):
- a surety bond for 50% of their highest monthly accounts receivable with a minimum bond of $25,000; or
- a cash security for 100% of their highest monthly accounts receivable
Highest monthly accounts receivable period is the 12-month period between July 25 of the previous year to July 24 of the current year.
To determine the amount of customs bond required, call us! Axxess will review the transactions for your imported products and can determine the amount of bond required based on your import history.
Benefits of using the Importer’s Direct Security (Direct Security) option include a monthly payment covering the full amount of your duty and GST on your government account statement.
On the 25th day of each month, you will receive a duty and GST payable report by email. Payment is due directly to the Canada Border Services Agency on the last business day of the month.
Payment must be made through online banking with your financial institution.
This bond also avoids having to deposit a cash security deposit or certified checks with the CBSA to receive the release before the payment of the duties, tax liens on your imports into Canada.
Please call your Axxess representative or email infocarm_gcra@axxessintl.com and we will contact you to begin the process.
All importers will be required to post security to participate in the Release Prior to Payment (RPP) program and will no longer be able to use their customs broker’s security.
Not having a financial guarantee for your company before the entry into force of version 2 could lead to delays at the border and/or the refusal of your goods in Canada.
Source: CBSA (October 2024)