E-Manifest mandatory electronic house bills implementation timeframes

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are providing  a specific implementation timeline which require freight forwarders to electronically transmit advance house bill data on consolidated freight to the CBSA within prescribed mode-specific time frames, as follows:

  • November 7, 2016, to January 10, 2017, the CBSA will provide freight forwarders with a period of transition during which penalties for non-compliance will not be issued and the CBSA will work closely with freight forwarders on corrective measures.
  • January 11, 2017, to July 11, 2017, freight forwarders deemed to be non-compliant with eManifest requirements may be issued zero-rated penalties (non-monetary) under the CBSA’s Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS).
  • Beginning July 12, 2017, freight forwarders deemed to be non-compliant with eManifest requirements may be issued monetary AMPS penalties.

The CBSA has also provided detailed information through Customs Notice 16-17 Mandatory Electronic House Bills.

Additional information provided by CBSA:

  • Until the transmission of advance house bill data becomes mandatory on November 7, 2016, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) supplementary reports will continue to be required in the air and marine modes.
  • Once the transmission of advance electronic house bill data becomes mandatory on November 7, 2016, consolidated freight remaining on board (FROB) shipments will require supplementary data in the air and marine modes.
  • Until the transmission of advance house bill data becomes mandatory on November 7, 2016, freight forwarders choosing to transmit house bills on a voluntary basis for in-transit and import movements are not required to submit supplementary reports for shipments with a house bill on file.
  • For more information on house bills and supplementary reports, please refer to mode-specific chapters of the Electronic Commerce Client Requirements Document (ECCRD).
  • Bay Plan requirements for marine carriers – A voluntary compliance period remains in effect for Bay Plan requirements.  The CBSA will communicate the implementation timeline for Bay Plan requirements once confirmed.

The CBSA remains committed to supporting clients in their transition to eManifest through online resources and dedicated client support activities.

CBSA Message to Industry
As most of you will know, the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Technical Commercial Client Unit (TCCU) has been working with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) clients over the past several months to build and test (onboard) their respective systems to receive eManifest Notices.

I am writing today to advise that the CBSA will be delivering eManifest Notices in phases. The first phase includes the Deconsolidation Notice and the Document Not on File Notice related to the house bill close messages only. These notices were made available to clients on Thursday June 30th, 2016.

Testing of the full suite of eManifest Notices will continue as it is done today during the onboarding process. Clients who have already completed testing of the full suite of notices do not have to retest when new notices become available.

The CBSA will communicate information about the remaining eManifest notices and release dates once confirmed.

Zaina Sovani
Director General, Information, Science and Technology Branch
Canada Border Services Agency