The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) monitors the extent to which commercial goods are compliant with revenue and accounting requirements by conducting trade compliance verifications.
Because traditional CBSA trade compliance verifications are lengthy and labour-intensive, they are not the most efficient means for trade chain partners and the CBSA to identify and address instances of non-compliance. They are also generally initiated and concluded well after the importations have occurred, which can result in mounting industry costs, particularly when recurring non-compliance is confirmed.
As part of its Trade Compliance Strategy and to supplement trade compliance verification efforts, the CBSA is deploying three new trade compliance tools to enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of CBSA’s compliance regime by promoting voluntary compliance, enabling early correction of errors, and mitigating future costs of non-compliance:
- Trade Advisory Notice (TAN)
-provides guidance to assist importing community when potential for non-compliance
-Letter to importer containing request to review declaration and public resources for guidance
-no monetary assessment issued as a result
- Compliance Validation Letter (CVL)
-Addresses instances of suspected non-compliance
-Letter to importer with request to provide information to the CBSA within 30 days
- Directed Compliance Letter (DCL)
-addresses instances of known non-compliance
-letter to the importer accompanied by a monetary assessment
The new tools are in effect as of January 1, 2022. For more information please visit the Government of Canada website.