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. This financial guarantee is required to participate in the Release Prior to Payment (RPP) Program.
This program allows you to clear your goods before the final declaration and payment of duties and taxes. By no later than April 17, 2025, you must have your own financial guarantee in place to continue benefiting from this program.
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
- To view our video clips related to the CBAM, visit our YouTube channel
- 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
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.
Once you have logged in to the CARM Customer Portal, click on Financial Information on the home page, then click on Transaction History. Once on the transaction history page, you can view the Account Balance. To make a payment, enter the amount of your balance you wish to pay and click Make Payment.
For more information about making payments on the CARM Client Portal, click here to watch our video
You can obtain a business number through the Canada Revenue Agency
For more information see Canada Revenue Agency
Yes, you are responsible for paying your duties and taxes directly to the CBSA.
If your customs broker is currently making these payments on your behalf for your imports into Canada, please contact your broker to avoid any duplicate payments.
Without these authorizations, your shipments will not be able to be customs cleared.
Delegation of authority
The function allows you to delegate access to your CARM Client Portal account to employees or third-party service providers to manage commercial import activities on your behalf.
Business Account Managers should be an active operational user, and not necessarily the owner of the company. Furthermore, it is strongly encouraged to assign multiple Business Account Managers.
You are 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.
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
To verify this amount, log in to your CARM Portal, go to the Financial Information section, and click on Financial Security to view the Total Required Security.
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 $5,000; 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.
A customs bond is a legal document and a form of insurance. It must be authorized and signed by an official signatory of the company, typically someone with the authority to make financial commitments on behalf of the organization.
If you are unsure about your role or eligibility, feel free to contact us: our team is here to guide you through the process.
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 could lead to delays at the border and/or the refusal of your goods in Canada.
A bond is automatically renewed each year unless it is canceled by your company or the surety company.
If you have questions about the renewal process or would like to confirm the status of your bond, contact us: we will be happy to provide the details and assist with your needs.
If your financial security requirements change and you need to cancel your bond, you can notify your surety company directly.
However, to simplify the process, Axxess can handle this step for you. Reach out to us, and our team will coordinate everything to ensure the process is hassle-free.
Source: CBSA (October 2024)
