All importers who import goods commercially into Canada, must be registered on the CARM Client Portal (CCP) before April 25, 2024.

Once registered on the CCP, by using the portal the importer must delegate authority to its acting customs broker before April 25, 2024. The broker’s delegation request sent to your business via the portal must be approved if you want the customs broker to continue to account for customs declarations on behalf of your business.

Time is moving swiftly! If your business is a client of W2C, you must register your business on the CCP and approve W2C’s request for delegation that is waiting for you on the portal, as soon as possible but no later than April 25, 2024.

What happens if my business is not registered on the CCP before the deadline, and my customs broker’s delegation request has not been approved?

1. The customs broker cannot account for your import declarations.
2. Your business will not be eligible to the 6-month grace period to post security for Release Prior to Payment (RPP) privileges. That is, your business will need to post security (in the form of cash or bond) immediately starting May 13, 2024, to maintain RPP privileges. Importers not registered on the CCP before the deadline will not be eligible to the extension (up to November 13, 2024).

To minimize border delays, to benefit from the grace period for RPP security, to ensure your import shipments continue to clear customs efficiently, and that W2C can properly account for your declarations, it is primordial that your business carry out these two vital steps before the deadline of April 25, 2024.

While CARM R2 will become the official system of record on May 13th, it has been announced that CBSA will shutdown its existing commercial accounting systems on or about April 26th. We are told there will be a blackout period between April 26 and May 13. Release of goods will continue during this period, but registrations are expected to be put on hold and accounting of released transactions will be suspended temporarily.

If your business has not approved W2C’s delegation request via the portal, which requires first that you register on the portal, then after the deadline W2C will not be able to account for your released shipments, but more importantly, staring on May 13th your shipments will simply not get released until your business has posted adequate RPP security (cash or bond) with CBSA or paid CBSA for all duties and taxes before the release of live shipments at the border.

Now is the time to contact W2C. We are ready for CARM R2. If you require assistance with the registration of your business unto the CARM Client Portal, please contact your W2C representative today.