A bulletin has been received from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) regarding Importer Account Balance Overview Reports. This information will be applicable to trade chain partners and is of national interest.
Please find the information from this bulletin below.
Issue:
With the introduction of ARL in January 2016, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has moved to an account based structure for the tracking and reconciliation of duties and taxes payable (outstanding balance) and payments received.
To allow visibility into account status for importers who do not directly receive a monthly statements of account (SOA) through electronic data interchange (EDI), the CBSA will provide an Importer Account Balance Overview Report. This report details the accounting activity, including open and cleared receivables from January 2016 to the date of request.
Details pertaining to open and/or cleared receivables are subject to change, based on account activity.
To ensure confidentiality, this report can be requested by importers only.
Resolution / Action Required:
To obtain an Importer Account Balance Overview Report, submit your request through an email, at the legal entity level (i.e. Business Number 9 digits), to the CBSA through the CARM generic mailbox (cbsa-asfc_carm.gcra@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca). The subject line of the email must read “Importer Account Balance Overview Report Request/<Importer BN9> (the BN of the importer requesting the report).
Upon receipt of a request, the importer will receive a consent form to be completed, signed and returned to the CBSA, and will be subsequently contacted by phone to verify company information. The following information will be required on the consent form:
- Name of the Importer
- Business number at the nine digit level
- RM account(s) number(s) for this BN9
- Importer’s complete business address
- Name and contact information, including the business email and phone number, of the individual authorized to receive such information (for example, an owner, partner of a partnership, corporate director, corporate officer, or an individual with delegated authority)
An encrypted report will be sent to the importer by email. The importer will be contacted by phone to be provided a password to unlock the encrypted file.
If there are any issues receiving the report due to file size or with opening the encrypted file, the importer should contact the CARM generic mailbox at cbsa-asfc_carm.gcra@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca using the original ticket number issued at the time of the initial request in the Subject field.
Contact Information:
For questions about the contents of ARL statements, contact the CARM mailbox at cbsa-asfc_carm.gcra@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca. For technical issues related to receiving electronic statements, contact the CBSA’s Technical Commercial Client Unit (TCCU) by phone at 1-888-957-7224 or by email at tccu-ustcc@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.
We are sharing this update with you as a valued Buckland customer and hope that this information will be useful and beneficial. As a customer-focused company, we provide you with a single source of unmatched Customs Brokerage (Canadian, US, Mexican), Trade Managed Solutions, Freight Forwarding, Trade Technologies and Warehousing/Distribution Services. If you have questions, please reach out to Buckland today.