Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) Sets CARM Go Live Date For May 13, 2024

The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) posted the following important information to their website:

• On May 13^th, CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) will become the official system of record for the collection of duties and taxes.
• Registering for an importer or exporter account (RM) will only be available via the CARM Client Portal.
• There is an expected blackout period from April 26^th to May 12^th, during which time the CARM portal registration will be cut off and no new registrations will be accepted.
• Payment reconciliation will start May 13^th.

What you need to do:

1. Assign a Business Account Manager (BAM) who will register your business on the Portal and is automatically granted full access and control over the Portal;
2. Identify other individuals in your company requiring access to the Portal and the level of access they will need (read only, access to perform operations, etc.);
3. Register your company on the Portal and delegate authority to your employees, customs broker and/or customs consultant with the necessary access to assist in managing Portal activities.
   • It is paramount that prior to registering on the Portal, every employee must have a “GCKEY” or be authenticated via a “Sign-In Partner”, such as a financial institution;
4. Understand how to navigate the Portal and make duty and tax payments directly to the CBSA monthly.  Electronic payments will need to be set up with your financial institution. Ensure your Canadian or U.S. (non-resident importers) bank is set up for electronic payments to the CBSA;
5. Obtain your customs surety bond; and
6. Submit a request to the CBSA for authorization to ‘Maintain Records at your Place of Business or other Location Outside of Canada’, more specifically, in the United States of America or Mexico or designate an agent to keep records on your behal