Precautions for exporting to Canada

Precautions for exporting to Canada

Canada is located in the northern part of North America, is one of the world's most developed economies, manufacturing, high-tech industry, service industry developed, resource industry, primary manufacturing and agriculture are the main pillars of the national economy. It mainly exports automobiles and spare parts, other industrial products, forest products, metals, energy products, etc., imports machinery and equipment, automobiles and spare parts, industrial materials, food, etc.

1. Customs clearance requirements

   
   

1) Customs clearance documents

Bill of lading, invoice, packing list, Certificate of origin, import license (required for some products) and other documents stipulated by the government;

Canada Customs does not accept the following cargo packaging units: Pallet; Box Pallet;  Pallet Box;  Paper Pallet;  IBC;  Container;  Poly Container;  Steel Container;  Wire Container;  Wooden Container;  Plastic Film Bag;  A Plastic Bag.

If the goods are household goods or personal effects, the name of the owner or importer of the goods should be provided.

A clear and detailed description of the goods must be displayed, not a generic name such as "FOODSTUFF".

2) Product label

Canada has clear legal provisions on product identification and marking, must be done according to the provisions of the product label, the information on the label must be in English or French.

3) Wood packaging 

If wood bedding, palettes, crates, or other wood product packaging materials are used, they must be specially treated or accompanied by a fumigation certificate, phytosanitary certificate or other treatment certificate issued by the competent authority of the exporting country.

4) FBA e-commerce goods clearance requirements:

Canada Customs is increasingly strict in the governance of e-commerce goods and non-resident companies as importers, reference:

① In the delivery of Canadian FBA goods, it is necessary to review the sender's information to ensure the validity of the shipper's company (including relevant company registration documents, such as providing import and export number/business registration number, one of them);

② Correct and complete product information must be provided;

③ Customers are required to provide AMAZON product links for customs reference;

(4) The information of non-resident import names on all import documents must be consistent with the information at the time of registration; However, it is no longer enough for Canadian non-resident importers to enter into a document keeping agreement with Customs, and any unregistered/approved company may result in the seizure of goods (including US companies).

5) General goods import clearance requirements:

A. After the goods arrive at the port of destination, the consignee (i.e. the consignee listed on the original bill of lading) shall clear the customs.

B. In Canada, the consignee can use the following four ways of customs clearance for imported goods:

For goods entering the country in different ways, the customs will give different HCG cargo control code (CCN), according to which the customs agent will select PARS or RMD, and use the customs form B3-3 for customs declaration.

(1) Direct release form: (ImmediateReleaseEntry)

(2) confirm the direct customs declaration form (ConfirminglmmediateReleaseEntry)

For those goods that do not require inspection or clearance, customs will complete the clearance procedures within the established time: electronic data interchange (EDI) : 45 minutes; EDI machine release: 5 minutes.

Release of commercial carry-on goods. Under this model, importers or customs brokers are allowed to choose between using the Pre-arrival Review System (PARS) or minimum Document Release (RMD) for customs declaration of goods brought into the country by individuals, but such declaration must be completed at the first port of entry.

(3) complete declaration: (FullCompletedEntryorPerfectEntry)

The following documents need to be submitted:

Two copies of Form A8A-B and the Cargo Control Document (CCD) provided by the carrier;

Two copies of customs invoices (CI1 form);

A copy of all import permits, certificates, licenses or other documents required by government departments and agencies related to imported goods must be provided, and electronic copies can also be provided.

Some customs ports also provide a computerized self-service system, the Commercial Cash Entry Processing System (CCEPS), which will assist customs agents in completing Form B3-3 and automatically calculate the required taxes and fees.

Payment of taxes: cash; Debit card (most ports can be used); Certified cheque or bank draft; Traveler's cheques; Credit cards with a limit of $500 or more; Uncertified cheques may be used for goods under $2500 if certain conditions are met.

④ Temporary declaration :(BillofSightorSightEntry)

This model allows importers to use temporary, incomplete documents for inspection, and no tax payment is required at the release stage, but it needs to be made up within a specified time. The application of this model usually requires prior application, but certain guarantees must be provided. It is usually mainly applicable to some importers with large trade volume.

Due to different customs declaration methods, the color and format of the declaration form filled by the importer and the number of copies submitted are not the same. If the customs declaration method filled in by the importer does not match the specified format, color or number of copies, the customs will not accept the declaration.

C. The value of the goods declared by the importer:

① According to the commercial invoice issued by the exporter.

Customs duties and other taxes are levied at this value, and if there is any disagreement with the price assessed by the Customs, a certain amount of deposit sufficient to ensure the submission of official documents or relevant certificates may be paid in advance. If these documents are not submitted within one month of the importation of the goods, the deposit is forfeited (a six-month extension is granted if the importer can prove that it is making efforts to obtain the documents before the deadline).

6) Other precautions

In particular, CANADA has a HEALTH CANADA department that regulates products involving medical/HEALTH care/baby products/food/cosmetics, etc., which require CFIA or HEALTH CANADA licensing.

② Log/solid wood products need to be fumigated to clear customs.

③ If the customer uses the BN(Business Number) number of a non-Canadian company to clear customs, he must make a record in Canadian customs; Canadian companies are not required to file.

④ To the non-Amazon address in Canada, you can borrow the importer of a third-party company, but you must sign a non-Amazon customs clearance guarantee. At the same time, it is necessary to confirm with the Canadian operation team leader which port to clear customs in advance.

⑤ P.O.OX addresses (post office box addresses) are not accepted for all express deliveries in this country.

2. Tariff requirements

Tax advance can be selected before the goods are exported, and tax advance is not accepted after export. For example, DHL or UPS is sent to Canada, the goods are picked up and transferred on the way to the destination, and the customs is cleared in advance. How much tax needs to be paid by the consignee or what customs clearance information needs to be provided can be known in advance.

1) The Canadian tariff threshold is 20 Canadian dollars, equivalent to about 15 US dollars. Therefore, if you send an express from China to Canada and overdeclare more than 20 Canadian dollars, the consignee needs to pay import duties, and the tariff bill is subject to the judgment of the local customs.

2) In the case of ordinary imports, when the declaration exceeds the tariff threshold of 20 Canadian dollars, the consignee can pay the tax according to the requirements of the import release, without providing other information, which is also very simple; Another situation is that the value of the goods is too high, and under normal circumstances, when the declaration exceeds $2,500, the Canadian Customs will require the consignee to make a formal import declaration. In this case, the consignee should contact DHL whether it can entrust customs clearance or not. If not, it is necessary to find a local customs clearance agent to make formal import declaration.

3. Canadian shipping channel operation process

1) Send the goods to the warehouse designated by Canada Ocean Freight forwarder in China;

2) Packaging and container loading will be arranged by the Canadian shipping forwarder;

3) The next is to declare exports;

4) Shipping from China to a designated destination in Canada;

5) Complete customs clearance, tax payment and other procedures in Canada.

4. Precautions for Canadian shipping channels

1) China Customs can provide paid customs declaration for companies or individuals without import and export rights (China encourages exports), resulting in legal export of goods;

2) After customs declaration, the LCL company can arrange cabinets to assemble multiple people's goods into a cabinet, thus reducing costs for customers;

3) After China's shipping release, you can arrange to board and sail to the Canadian port (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, etc.);

4) After the ship arrives at the port of destination, the Canadian agent will unload the container and arrange the warehouse according to each order;

5) After the goods arrive at the Canadian warehouse, they can be cleared in accordance with customs requirements, and after paying taxes, Canadian Customs will release them, and customers can pick up the goods themselves or arrange delivery by the freight forwarding company.

5. What certifications do you need to export to Canada

Common certifications include CSA, IPPC, and UL certifications. If there is certification, it is less likely to be inspected.

1) CSA

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) was established in 1919 as Canada's first non-profit organization dedicated to the development of industrial standards. Electronic, electrical and other products sold in the North American market need to obtain safety certification. CSA is the largest safety certification body in Canada and one of the most renowned safety certification bodies in the world. It can provide safety certification for all types of products in machinery, building materials, electrical appliances, computer equipment, office equipment, environmental protection, medical fire safety, sports and entertainment. CSA has provided certification services to thousands of manufacturers around the world, and hundreds of millions of products bearing the CSA mark are sold in the North American market every year.

2) IPPC

If the export of goods packaging is natural wood packaging, according to the export destination countries to add IPPC, such as exports to the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and other countries if the goods packaging for coniferous wood packaging, you must do fumigation.

3) UL certification

UL certification is a more famous certification in the United States, general laboratories have done, companies generally export to the United States more or less also have some understanding of this certification, of course, export products are also very miscellaneous, may have any products, but the product will have the corresponding testing standards, for product standards may be companies really do not understand, Because even engineers don't always remember. Therefore, the quotation must provide specifications, instructions, product drawings in order to confirm product certification standards! When the Consumer Safety Commission (CPSC) in the United States and Health Canada and other departments check, if the product does not meet their safety standards, there is a risk of product recall.

* The above content is collated from the network for reference only, because national policies and customs requirements will be adjusted from time to time, it is recommended to communicate with the importer to confirm the details in advance.