CARM: Rapidly Approaching

The 21st of October 2024 is supposed to see the Go-Live of CARM (CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management). It is a digital initiative that changes how CBSA will assess and collect duties and taxes on commercial goods imported into Canada. The goal is two-fold. One, to provide Canadian importers with a more stream-lined service and to allow them more insight into their transactions with the CBSA. Two, CARM will update the electronic systems used to communicate with CBSA. The new API is based on XML and is compliant with the standards held by the World Customs Organization.

The launch of CARM will be preceded by a transition period that commences on the 4th of October 2024. From the 4th until the 21st the CCP (CARM Client Portal) will be inaccessible. The testing environment (where importers, brokers and carriers can test their code and software) will be out of bounds from the 4th until the 28th of October 2024.

Despite having moved the Go-Live from mid-May to late October, CBSA has remained generally quiet about the upcoming launch. There are still questions left unanswered, especially for customs brokers. Many of these questions concern the responsibility of various parties regarding payment during the transition period.

The 4th of October will see the retirement of CBSA’s CCS and CADEX systems. The electronic submission of B3s will be held during this period until the launch of CARM functionality and the CAD (Commercial Accounting Document) on the 21st of October 2024. The retirement of CADEX also means that CADEX Release Notification messages will no longer be sent to importers and brokers as of October 4th. The Release Notification System (RNS) will continue to transmit messages during and post cutover. Importers and Brokers will need to investigate alternate ways of obtaining the information if they currently rely solely on CADEX. Post CARM implementation, TCPs will also be able to query transactions using the Application Program Interface (API) or refer to the transactional information available on the CCP.

 In addition to the cutover period there is also a grace period of 180 days commencing on the 21st of October 2024 and running until April 19th, 2025. This grace period sees importers who have already registered on the CCP automatically benefit from the RPP (Release Prior to Payment) program. They can then post their financial security, if needed, during these 180 days.   

To participate in CARM and to continue importing into Canada importers are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible to make the final transition run smoothly. If you would like more information on CARM, please contact Allyn International at sales@allynintl.com or 239-489-9900.

Contributor: Bronwynn Hayes

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About Allyn International

Allyn International provides high quality, customer centric services and solutions for the global marketplace. Allyn's core products include transportation management, logistics sourcing, freight forwarding, supply chain consulting, tax management and global trade compliance. Allyn clients range from small local businesses to Fortune 500 firms. Allyn conducts business in more than 20 languages and has extensive experience in both developed and emerging markets. Highly trained experts are positioned throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Allyn’s regional headquarters are strategically located in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.A., Shanghai, P.R. China, Prague, Czech Republic, and Dubai, U.A.E. For more information, visit www.allynintl.com.