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Basic Documentation Requirements Guide
Every Import is Regulated by CBSA and requires a minimum amount of information
Invoice
The Canada Customs Invoice is the most common form to use. Your commercial (sales) invoice can be used instead of a Canada Customs Invoice (CCI), provided the required data elements are included:
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Vendor, Exporter and Consignee name and addresses
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Importer of Record (if other than the consignee)
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Full Description of all items in layman's terms (what is it, what does it do, what is it made of? ect)
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Country of manufacture
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Properly completed free trade certificate to ensure duty free status
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Quantity (Packages and Weight)
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Value (Unit Price and Extension)
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Currency of Settlement
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Reason for shipment (sale/replacement/testing etc)
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Purchase Order or Invoice Number
Fillable Canada Customs Invoice (CCI)
Some Imports are regulated by CBSA & Other Government Agencies or Certificates
Permits, Certificates, and Licenses
It helps to know your HS Tariff Classification when you are trying to narrow down additional requirements, many agencies may provide information based on the tariff classification.
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CBSA
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Canadian Food Inspection Agency
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Transport Canada
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Health Canada
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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Global Affairs Canada
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Environment and Climate Change Canada
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Natural Resources Canada
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Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
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Public Health Agency of Canada
Find out what agencies regulate your product, what they need
Free Trade Agreements
You need to know the HS Tariff Classification to determine whether or not the goods are duty free.
If they are not duty free, were manufactured and are coming directly from a country that Canada has a free trade agreement with, then you will also need free trade certification in order to relieve yourself of any duty.
Countries that Canada has free trade agreements with:
Need CUSMA Certification?
Unlike the old NAFTA Certificate of Origin, the new CUSMA agreement does not require a specific format for proof and certification of origin. Instead the agreement requires that very specific data requirements be supplied on any of the shipping documents produced by a party to the transaction.
Ensuring that all of the specific data requirements are included can be confusing, so you can make it easy by continuing to generate a dedicated CUSMA certification document to accompany your imports.