Today is October 4, 2024 and we’re now only TWO WEEKS away from CBSA’s next CARM release. Release 3 will go live on October 21 and brings big changes for all importers to Canada. We want to thank all our clients who have worked with us to prepare for this Release by registering for the CARM Portal and providing Buckland with the delegation of authority.
Cutover Period
To prepare for the changes coming into place with CARM Release 3, CBSA is removing access to the CARM Portal from October 4, 2024 at 4pm ET to October 21, 2024 at 3am ET. Any Buckland clients that still need to register for CARM or who have registered but not provided Buckland with their delegation of authority will not be able take any action on the CARM Portal until CBSA restores access on October 21. CBSA has shared more details about the cutover period in Customs Notice 24-27 and Customs Notice 24-29.
Buckland has created a CARM Registration Help Request Form to handle all CARM registration requests for clients that have not registered by the start of the cutover period on October 4. This will allow Buckland to help clients that still need to register when CARM Portal access is restored on October 21 or after.
Release Prior to Payment Transition
CBSA will make changes to the Release Prior to Payment (RPP) program which allows importers to have their shipments released from the border into Canada in advance of submitting final accounting and payment for shipments. The new rules for RPP require all importers to enroll in RPP and provide CBSA with financial security in the form of a bond or cash deposit to be eligible for the program.
As this is a BIG change for importers, CBSA is providing a 180-day transition period starting on October 21. Importers who have registered for CARM or who are in good standing with CBSA and have imported commercial goods into Canada in the past 4 years will be automatically enrolled in the RPP program for 180 days starting on October 21.
This 180-day transition period allows existing importers additional time to secure their RPP enrolment by obtaining a bond through a financial institution or by making a cash deposit equal to the amount required by CBSA on the CARM Portal. You can find more details about Buckland’s new digital bond partnership below.
Fees to Support Changes to Entry Processing
CARM also brings changes to how Buckland is able to process shipment paperwork. To support the changes and additional work required to continue to provide our clients with outstanding service on their Canadian brokerage entries, the following fees have been added to our Canadian Brokerage rate schedules and will be applied where applicable:
1113 – CARM Portal Entry Processing Fee (applies only when an entry has to be done through the CARM portal)
1114 – CARM Admin Fee (applies to all entries)
Next Steps After R3 Goes Live
Buckland wants all our clients who import to Canada to be aware of the next steps they need to take once Release 3 goes live on October 21.
The action you need to take as an importer depends on which client group is most applicable to your business:
Next steps for clients who have already registered for CARM and provided Buckland with DOA:
- Determine the value of your system calculated security requirement with the help of new features available on the CARM Portal
- Decide whether you company will provide financial security by making a cash deposit or a bond
- Ensure that your chosen form of financial security is updated in the CARM Portal by April, 2025
Next steps for clients who have already registered for CARM but not provided Buckland with DOA:
- Log into the CARM Portal on October 21 and approve Buckland’s DOA request
- Determine the value of your system calculated security requirement with the help of new features available on the CARM Portal
- Decide whether you company will provide financial security by making a cash deposit or a bond
- Ensure that your chosen form of financial security is updated in the CARM Portal by April, 2025
Next steps for clients who have not registered for CARM:
- Register your company on the CARM Portal on October 21 (clients who need help with registration can get help using Buckland’s CARM Registration Help Request Form)
- Once registration is complete, approve Buckland’s DOA request
- Determine the value of your system calculated security requirement with the help of new features available on the CARM Portal
- Decide whether you company will provide financial security by making a cash deposit or a bond
- Ensure that your chosen form of financial security is updated in the CARM Portal by April, 2025
Digital Bonds Through Buckland’s Surety Partner
Buckland has worked with our surety partner to update our bond application process to take advantage of the new functionality that CBSA will launch as part of Release 3. Our underwriting partner is able to communicate bond details for RPP bonds directly to CBSA through the CARM Portal, so Buckland clients that work with our underwriter to obtain their RPP bond will not need to take extra steps to enter their bond details into the CARM Portal.
Buckland will be sending out more details about our new bond process in the first week of November 2024, once we have verified that the new RPP features being added in R3 can be used to easily view the system calculated security requirement CBSA has determined to use in your bond calculation.
If you are interested in working with Buckland’s surety partner to obtain your RPP bond, please watch for the email that we send from canadianimportbonds@buckland.com with more details in early November 2024!