Canada Border Services Agency Red Tape Progress Report

Plain language summary

The CBSA eliminated paper-based processes for imports through the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management system (2024).

Short-term initiatives: digitizing commercial processing, streamlining border partner processes, and improving CBSA's Trusted Traveller programs.

Medium-term initiatives: Trusted Trader modernization, updates to Free Trade Agreement regulations, and simplified reporting for cruise ships.

Long-term initiatives: Traveller Modernization, Amendments to Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations, and streamlined traveller data frameworks.

Outcomes: greater efficiency, reduced burden for trade and travellers, and modernized CBSA operations.

On July 9, 2025, the President of the Treasury Board launched a 60-day Red Tape Review, asking Ministers with regulatory responsibilities to review the relevance, operations, and impact of their regulations and their administration in an effort to remove regulatory red tape. Regulatory red tape refers to regulatory requirements, processes, or administrative obligations that impose unnecessary or disproportionate burdens on individuals, businesses, or organizations without delivering a commensurate benefit to public health, safety, security, the environment, or other policy objectives. While not all regulatory obligations are "red tape," the term generally applies to those elements that could be streamlined, modernized, or eliminated without undermining the core protective purpose of the regulation. Following this 60-day review, Ministers were asked to publish public progress reports that outline immediate achievements on eliminating regulatory red tape, and set out priorities, plans and targets to deliver ambitious progress over the short, medium, and long term.

The CBSA plays a vital role in national security and economic prosperity by providing integrated border services. While the CBSA administers several of its own regulations under the Customs Act and the Customs Tariff, it is also responsible for administering over 100 acts and regulations at the border on behalf of other federal departments and agencies.

Executive summary

The CBSA has already been looking at opportunities to reduce regulatory burden through its implementation of regulatory changes in support of the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management system in October 2024. As part of this initiative, nine regulations under the Customs Act and three regulations under the Customs Tariff were amended, and new Financial Security (Electronic Means) Regulations were introduced. The regulatory amendments and introduction of new regulations allowed the CBSA and industry to move away from paper-based requirements, and a number of processes associated with the importation of commercial goods were simplified.

The CBSA also made several key updates to its Delegations and Designations documents over the past year to help align authorities with operational needs, streamline processes, reduce delays, and maintain both the efficiency of day-to-day activities and compliance with legislative requirements.

Going forward, the CBSA plans to advance a number of initiatives in an effort to address regulatory red tape in the short, medium and long term.

Short-term initiatives

Within the next 12 months, the CBSA will work to advance the following initiatives:

1. Addressing Inefficient Regulatory Requirements Related to Commercial Processing

   To address inefficiencies and challenges with processing routine commercial goods at the border, the CBSA will analyze opportunities to digitize processes and move work away from ports of entry, and to simplify regulations. Through this initiative, the CBSA will seek to make the process of crossing the border with commercial goods much more efficient, which would give CBSA officers more time to focus on high-risk activities to intercept goods that present risks to the health, safety and security of Canada.

2. Federal Border Partners Initiative

   To address friction that comes with the administration and enforcement of the regulations of other departments at the border, the CBSA is implementing the Federal Border Partners Initiative. As part of the Federal Border Partners Initiative, the range of regulations maintained by other departments will be examined to identify opportunities to streamline and simplify processes at the border.

3. Free-Flow International-to-International Transit

   To build upon the CBSA's existing pilot for inbound international travellers transiting through Canada to another international destination, the CBSA is proposing amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Passenger Information (Customs) Regulations and the Exit Information Regulations to remove the requirement for international transiting travellers to appear for an examination with the CBSA (either in person or via kiosk) before proceeding to their departing flight. Through these amendments, the CBSA anticipates growth in the volume of transiting passengers, minor cost savings for airports and operational efficiencies for the CBSA.

4. Improvements to CBSA Trusted Traveller Programs

   The CBSA has reviewed its Trusted Traveller Programs to increase efficiency and address concerns raised by the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations. As a result of this review, the CBSA is proposing amendments to the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Returning Persons Exemption Regulations and the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations to replace the term "good character" with specific eligibility criteria, and add clarity to the regulatory provisions related to the CBSA's Trusted Traveller Programs. This initiative would create more transparency for individuals applying for participation in these programs, and would ensure that applicants and existing members of these programs are better informed about the application process, membership roles and responsibilities, and program conditions.

5. Transporter Obligations

   The CBSA is proposing amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to ensure that transporters are assessed administration fees only in cases where the CBSA provides notice that a foreign national does not hold a required digital travel document.

Medium-term initiatives

Within one to two years, the CBSA will work to advance the following initiatives:

1. Trusted Trader Modernization

   To simplify processes for the CBSA's Trusted Trader Programs, the CBSA is exploring amendments to the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations. These amendments are expected to reduce administrative burden and lower costs for industry, and make it easier for Trusted Trader Program applicants and participants to understand and meet their program requirements with the CBSA.

2. Canada's Free Trade Agreements

   To ensure that Canada's commitments under its Free Trade Agreements are reflected in regulation, amendments to existing regulations and the introduction of new regulations related to verification of origin are required for several Free Trade Agreements.

   While the CBSA administers all Free Trade Agreements once they are implemented, amendments to Canada's regulatory framework are required to establish in domestic law the customs procedures agreed to in each agreement.

3. Simplified Reporting for Cruise Ships and other Conveyances

   To relieve presentation, goods reporting, and examination requirements for travellers who incidentally cross into and out of Canadian waters with no intention of seeking admission into Canada, the CBSA is proposing amendments to the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Cross-border Currency and Monetary Instruments Reporting Regulations and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. These changes would allow the CBSA to remove unnecessary and complex requirements for travellers that do not need to be examined again.

Long-term initiatives

In two years or more, the CBSA will work to advance the following initiatives:

1. Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations – Receipt and Refusal of Goods

   To ensure that the requirement for customs sufferance warehouse operators to electronically acknowledge receipt of a shipment by way of a Warehouse Arrival Certification Message electronically transmitted to the CBSA, the CBSA is proposing amendments to the Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations. These amendments would allow shipments to be released or authorized to move without CBSA intervention, which would result in reduced storage fees and a more efficient release process.

2. Traveller Modernization

   The CBSA is working to modernize the experience for travellers to respond to an increased number of travellers; economic and migratory trends; security threats, such as terrorism and organized crime; and travellers' needs for easier and faster self-service processing. The current regulations do not allow for more modernized means of presentation (such as digital, self-service tools) and limit the information that the agency is able to collect in advance. Duplicative and antiquated requirements also cause delays at the border and burden for our frontline officers.

3. Passenger Name Record and Booking Reference Information

   To simplify the advance passenger/traveller data framework that outlines the collection, use, retention, sharing and disposal of traveller information, including Passenger Name Record data, and mandate the collection of Booking Reference Information from commercial cruise ships operators, the CBSA is considering regulatory amendments. While still under development, these amendments are expected to remove duplication of information that must be submitted to the CBSA for the air industry, improve data quality, and align the marine traveller processing framework with air mode practices, supporting the CBSA's broader objectives of modernizing border operations, increasing consistency across travel modes and strengthening targeting and intelligence activities.

4. Flexibility for Presentation and Reporting Obligations

   The CBSA is examining ways to make presentation and fulfilling border obligations more flexible for low-risk travellers and industry. As a result of this review, the CBSA may identify a need for regulatory changes to help reduce burden on both the CBSA and low-risk travellers.

Progress achieved

Prior to the launch of the 60-day red tape review, the CBSA recently completed the following initiatives that address regulatory red tape:

CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management

Prior to the implementation of the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management system, the processes and systems in place to support the importation of commercial goods into Canada were burdensome for the CBSA and trade chain partners alike. They required substantial manual processing and paperwork, and relied on an assortment of aging IT systems, some of which were more than 30 years old. The processes were inefficient and costly for trade chain partners, as accounting for imported commercial goods and assessing the applicable duties and taxes involves considerable administration by importers and other trade chain partners.

Alongside the outdated processes and systems, the previous regulatory framework for the importation of commercial goods required the submission of paper-based documentation to the CBSA; required financial security to be provided in the form of cash, certified cheque or paper bond; and prescribed multiple payment due dates for various amounts associated with the importation of commercial goods. This led to inefficiencies, confusion, and administrative burden for trade chain partners.

Actions

To support implementation of the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management system, nine regulations made under the Customs Act and three regulations made under the Customs Tariff were amended to support electronic communication between the CBSA and trade chain partners, transition to an electronic process for financial security and implement simplified billing cycles, including a harmonized payment due date. New regulations for electronic financial security were also introduced.

On March 13, 2024 the regulatory amendments and new Financial Security (Electronic Means) Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The regulatory changes then came into force on October 21, 2024.

Outcomes

The regulatory changes made in support of the implementation of the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management system enabled the CBSA and trade chain partners to move away from costly paper-based methods of communication and payment to more modern, electronic communication and transaction methods. The changes also modernized and simplified processes associated with the importation of commercial goods for trade chain partners and the CBSA.

Delegations and Designations

Delegations and Designations documents set out which positions within the CBSA are authorized to exercise specific statutory and regulatory powers, ensuring that decision-making and enforcement occur at the right level of the organization.

Delegations and Designations documents are living instruments that evolve alongside the CBSA's mandate. They are revised to reflect legislative or regulatory amendments, policy changes, or the creation of new positions. Each revision ensures that authority is vested in the positions best suited to carry it out, based on expertise, responsibility, and operational context—maximizing operational effectiveness while safeguarding legal integrity.

All Delegations and Designations documents are publicly accessible and can be consulted on the CBSA website (Acts, Regulations and Other Regulatory Information). They are published to ensure transparency in the exercise of delegated and designated authorities, and to make them easily accessible to stakeholders, partners, and the public. This approach supports accountability and facilitates understanding of the scope and distribution of authorities within the agency.

Actions

Over the past year, the CBSA has made several key updates to its Delegations and Designations documents, including:

• Amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations Delegations and Designations to incorporate authorities specific to officers working at designated immigrant stations operated by the CBSA, as well as to add the newly created Border Case Officer position. These changes ensure that authorities are exercised at the appropriate operational level.
• Updates to the Special Import Measures Act and Regulations Delegations documents to lower the level of authority required to issue ministerial specifications and to revise position titles to reflect the current CBSA organizational structure.
• Modifications to the Customs Act Delegations and Designations documents to grant additional authorities to CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management officers.

Outcomes

The CBSA's updates to various Delegations and Designations documents help align authorities with operational needs, streamline processes, reduce delays, and maintain both the efficiency of day-to-day activities and compliance with legislative requirements. Ensuring that the right officers hold the right authorities at the right time is key to sustaining the CBSA's efficiency, compliance, and public trust. When authorities are delegated or designated to the appropriate positions, workflows are seamless, operations run efficiently, and administrative processes remain streamlined.

Ongoing and future initiatives

Going forward, the CBSA plans to advance five initiatives over the short-term, three initiatives over the medium-term and four initiatives over the long-term. The completion of these initiatives would increase efficiency, modernize and simplify processes, reduce administrative burden, and generate cost savings for the CBSA and its stakeholders.

Short-term (within the next 12 months)

Addressing Inefficient Regulatory Requirements Related to Commercial Processing

There are a number of inefficient regulatory requirements and processes that CBSA officers must follow when processing commercial goods at the border. The lack of digitization and complexity in these processes takes officers away from being able to focus on higher-risk examinations at the border.

Actions

To address the challenges with processing routine commercial goods at the border, the CBSA will analyze opportunities to:

Digitize processes and move work away from ports of entry

The CBSA will look to use electronic systems to digitize processes wherever possible and consider whether certain work can be moved away from being conducted by CBSA officers at a port of entry and have it take place before the goods arrive at the border.

Simplify regulations

The CBSA will identify existing regulations that can be simplified through regulatory amendments to create fewer categories and overlapping requirements.

The CBSA expects to identify opportunities to increase digitization and simplify regulations related to the processing of commercial goods within the next year. However, if significant systems or regulatory changes are required, these changes may take longer to complete.

Expected outcomes

Following the digitization, reallocation and simplification of regulatory requirements for processing commercial goods, the CBSA expects that importers and other members of the trade community (e.g. carriers) will be able to cross the border with their commercial goods much more efficiently. The CBSA also expects that its officers will have more time to focus on high-risk examinations in order to intercept goods that present risks to the health, safety and security of Canada.

Federal Border Partners Initiative

The CBSA is responsible for administering over 100 acts and regulations at the border on behalf of other federal departments and agencies. Administering and enforcing the regulations of other departments can be difficult and time consuming for CBSA officers, often due to the fact that the CBSA does not have resident expertise of the laws of all Other Government Departments. To address challenges associated with the CBSA's administration and enforcement of the regulations of other departments, and to reduce red tape wherever possible, the Federal Border Partners Initiative is being pursued by the CBSA.

There are numerous Other Government Department regulations that require the CBSA to inspect controlled, prohibited or regulated goods at the border to ensure they meet Other Government Department import requirements. For example, CBSA border services officers will refer shipments of drugs to Health Canada for an admissibility determination. Health Canada will often require that the officer provides them with photos and documentation so they can make an admissibility determination, which usually takes time, and results in wait times and space restrictions at the border. Exploring opportunities to move this type of regulation away from the border will reduce the potential for slowdowns at the border and free time for CBSA officers to focus on higher risk examinations.

Actions

To address friction that comes with the administration and enforcement of the regulations of other departments, the CBSA is implementing the Federal Border Partners Initiative whereby individual departments will provide a dedicated employee to work at the CBSA with a focus on identifying opportunities to streamline regulatory enforcement issues. To date, the President of the CBSA sent out letters to multiple departments to request their participation in the initiative. There are currently 11 departments and agencies that are in active discussions with the CBSA to pursue this initiative.

While there have been introductory meetings in July and August, the initiative will fully commence in September 2025. The CBSA will continue to engage with partners to advance this effort, with a view to accelerating the identification of regulatory irritants or inefficiencies that impact the border.

Expected outcomes

Following the completion of the Federal Border Partners Initiative, the CBSA and participating departments will have identified key enforcement and operational challenges and proposed recommendations on how to mitigate them. The proposals coming out of this initiative are expected to streamline regulatory enforcement by creating efficiencies and implementing simplified processes for the CBSA, participating departments and stakeholders.

Free-Flow International-to-International Transit

In 2018, the CBSA launched the International-to-International transit pilot, whereby travellers transiting internationally through Canada at certain airports may disembark from their inbound flight, scan their passport at an International-to-International-specific kiosk, and proceed directly to the international departures area where they remain until boarding their international flight.

The International-to-International pilot has been a success, so the CBSA is proposing regulatory amendments to create an exemption to formalize the pilot where international transiting travellers would not need to interact with the CBSA, either in person or via a kiosk, as long as they remain in a "designated holding area" or "sterile transit area."

To allow the CBSA to reconcile data on passengers entering and exiting Canada, and identify when international passengers are transiting through Canada, regulatory amendments are also being proposed to mandate the collection of additional information from air carriers, including a travellers' place of onward foreign destination, and the date and time of their arrival. To facilitate the CBSA's reconciliation of this data, the CBSA is seeking to adjust the retention period of Advance Passenger Information.

Actions

A regulatory package that proposes amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Passenger Information (Customs) Regulations and the Exit Information Regulations is expected to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public consultation in Fall 2025.

Following the pre-publication period, the CBSA will consider comments received by stakeholders, amend the regulations, if necessary, with a view to targeting publication of final regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part II as early as the end of 2025.

Expected outcomes

Once implemented, the free-flow International-to-International process is expected to encourage growth in the volumes of transiting travellers as it will enable faster connections at airports and faster movement of travellers through the airport. The proposed regulatory amendments are also expected to generate minor cost savings because airports that currently operate the International-to-International pilot would be able to decommission International-to-International kiosks and repurpose them as Primary Inspection Kiosks. This would allow airports to create resource efficiencies in the Customs Hall by creating the capability to process more travellers.

The proposed amendments are expected to increase operational efficiency in the targeting processes employed by the CBSA's National Targeting Centre as officers will be able to shift their focus away from known transiting travellers and towards high-value business activities, such as risk assessment of travellers seeking to enter Canada. The amendments would also improve operational readiness at airports of entry, since officers at the arriving airport would have greater awareness of whether a traveller requiring interception is in the process of transiting.

Lastly, the proposed amendments to require new Advance Passenger Information and Air Exit Information data elements are expected to enable the CBSA to conduct compliance verification with a free-flow model for international transit since it would be able to reconcile the associated inbound and outbound traveller data and confirm that a transiting traveller has complied with program conditions and departed Canada on their scheduled international flight. Aligning the retention period for these data sets would also establish a more accurate travel history that may be used to facilitate future entry to Canada by allowing the CBSA to determine that the traveller is low risk via their history, as well as support requests from travellers seeking to access records of their travel history.

Improvements to CBSA's Trusted Traveller Programs

In 2007, the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations and the Department of Justice provided the CBSA with recommendations to improve the clarity and coherence of the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, which regulate the CBSA's Trusted Traveller Programs (e.g. NEXUS, CANPASS).

Currently, "good character" is one of the criteria used in the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations to determine eligibility for membership in the CBSA's Trusted Traveller Programs, though it is not defined in the regulations. The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations has recommended that the CBSA repeal the term "good character" and replace it with specific criteria that an individual must meet to be admitted in a program.

While seeking to define the criteria that an individual must meet to be admitted into a Trusted Traveller Program, the CBSA is also reviewing the administration of the programs more generally to reduce red tape for program participants and applicants. As part of this initiative, the CBSA is proposing additional amendments to the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, as well as amendments to the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Returning Persons Exemption Regulations and the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations to add clarity to regulatory provisions associated with Trusted Traveller Programs.

Actions

A regulatory package that proposes amendments is currently under development by the CBSA and is expected to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public consultation in Winter 2026.

Expected outcomes

The proposed amendments would improve the clarity and coherence of the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations by removing any ambiguity associated with the term "good character." This would create more transparency for individuals looking to apply for participation in the CBSA's Trusted Traveller Programs by allowing them to better understand the eligibility requirements.

The proposed amendments to the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Returning Persons Exemption Regulations and the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations would better reflect the operational environment of the CBSA's Trusted Traveller Programs. This would ensure that applicants and existing members of these programs are better informed about the application process, membership roles and responsibilities, and program conditions. In turn, it is expected that there will be fewer rejections and cancellations of program memberships, which will reduce lost application fees for stakeholders and recourse costs for the CBSA.

Transporter Obligations

The proposal would ensure that the relevant CBSA regulations, such as those that outline obligations for transporters, remain consistent and do not unfairly affect transporters' obligations due to the lack of physical Temporary Resident Visa counterfoils following the introduction of the digital visa by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Without an amendment, the CBSA could face situations where they must assess an administration fee against transporters when a Government of Canada system has not transmitted a 'no board' message for an individual who is improperly documented. This would create a situation where the transporter is responsible for a fee in circumstances that are outside of their control. This regulatory amendment would mirror existing provisions for Electronic Travel Authorizations and apply those to the future implementation of digital visas. In this way, the amendment would reduce red tape for transportation companies and the CBSA.

Actions

A regulatory package to update the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations is currently under development by the CBSA. The implementation of this proposal should coincide with the full implementation of digital visas by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Expected outcomes

The proposed regulatory amendments would support broader Government of Canada efforts to modernize Canada's immigration system, such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's Digital Platform Modernization program. In addition, the amendments would eliminate negative consequences for transporters in situations beyond their control, such as government systems outages thereby reducing burden on business.

Medium-term (within one to two years)

Trusted Trader Modernization

The CBSA's Trusted Trader program, the Customs Self-Assessment Program, is voluntary and has no membership fees. As a member of the Customs Self-Assessment Program, importers and carriers can benefit from a simplified and expedited border process including access to Free and Secure Trade lanes at the border, lower examination rates and longer accounting timeframes. The sections of the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations that dictate the rules around how the Customs Self-Assessment Program operates have not been significantly updated since the creation of the Program in 2001. This has resulted in some of the Customs Self-Assessment Program requirements outlined in the regulations being outdated and not in line with the transformation of trade, and the needs of importers/carriers and the CBSA.

The current Customs Self-Assessment Program requirements included in the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations need to be amended to align program requirements with those of the CBSA's other Trusted Trader Program, the Partners in Protection Program, to:

• simplify the process for businesses that want to be members of both programs;
• clarify certain eligibility criteria to remove compliance challenges;
• create efficiencies for applicants by removing certain information requirements that have become redundant;
• update certain program processes to better align with CARM system functionality, including the provision of Customs Self-Assessment-required information and communication with between the CBSA and importers/carriers; and,
• pave the way for the adoption of more modern tools and practices.

Actions

Initial informal consultations for an update to Trusted Trader Programs and the regulations could occur in Fall 2025, with the regulatory amendment process expected to begin in 2026 to 2027.

Expected outcomes

Updating the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations would have significant, positive outcomes for both industry and the CBSA. These updates would reduce the administrative burden by clarifying requirements and expectations and would result in reduced wait times caused by the submission of incorrect or missing data. These updates would lower costs for industry by making it easier to understand and meet program requirements, which would reduce monetary penalties and require fewer CBSA resources to address non-compliance that could be avoided with clarified requirements. The updates would also increase voluntary compliance through clarified expectations, which would build stronger relationships for industry and the CBSA.

Canada's Free Trade Agreements

To ensure that Canada's commitments under its Free Trade Agreements are reflected in regulation, amendments to existing regulations and the introduction of new regulations related to verification of origin are required for several Free Trade Agreements.

While the CBSA administers all Free Trade Agreements once they are implemented, amendments to Canada's regulatory framework are required to establish in domestic law the customs procedures agreed to in each agreement. Paragraph 167.1(b) of the Customs Act allows regulatory changes that have previously been the subject of a public announcement to have a retroactive effect to the day of the announcement. Since all Free Trade Agreements are announced in a Customs Notice, the CBSA is making retroactive regulatory changes for each Free Trade Agreement that will be deemed to come into force on the date the agreement entered into force.

Actions

Next steps include an amendment to the Customs Act to provide the Governor in Council with clear authority to make regulations, on the recommendation of the Minister of Public Safety, for the purpose of implementing Canada's Free Trade Agreements. This amendment (formerly Part 8 of the Bill S-6) would simplify and modernize the legal foundation for developing customs-related regulations tied to international trade obligations. The amendment would resolve interpretive ambiguity and equip the Government with more responsive, agile tools to align customs rules with evolving trade frameworks.

Expected outcomes

These changes will accelerate the implementation of future Free Trade Agreements by removing regulatory bottlenecks and will ensure compliance with international obligations without requiring time-consuming legislative amendments for each agreement.

Simplified Reporting for Cruise Ships and other Conveyances

Current legislation states that all persons entering Canada are required to present themselves upon their arrival in Canada (pursuant to section 11 of the Customs Act) and to appear for examination (under section 18 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act). Persons are also required to report any goods that they are importing into Canada under section 12 of the Customs Act. Historically, exemptions to this requirement did not account for:

• conveyances departing from Canada that travel through international waters or airspace and return to Canada where the conveyance and its passengers do not land on foreign soil, water, or airspace; and,
• conveyances entering Canada from international waters or airspace and returning to international waters or airspace where the conveyance and its passengers do not land on Canadian soil, water, or airspace.

The Conveyance Presentation and Reporting Requirements Modernization Act, which received Royal Assent in 2017, amended the Customs Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to align with existing CBSA practices by relieving presentation, goods reporting, and examination requirements for travellers who incidentally cross into and out of Canadian waters with no intention of seeking admission into Canada. Regulatory amendments are now required to reflect the changes made to the Customs Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Actions

During development of the Conveyance Presentation and Reporting Requirements Modernization Act, the CBSA consulted with partners including Private Boaters, the Cruise Lines International Association, the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council, and the Shipping Federation of Canada.

The proposed regulatory amendments are expected to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public consultation in early 2026.

Expected outcomes

The proposed amendments to the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations, the Cross-border Currency and Monetary Instruments Reporting Regulations and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations would create consistency between legislative and regulatory authorities, and formalize processes to streamline the border crossing experience for persons completing an incidental border crossing. These changes will allow the agency to remove unnecessary and complex requirements for travellers that do not need to be examined again.

Long-term (in two years or more)

Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations: Receipt and Refusal of Goods

When cargo physically arrives at a Customs Sufferance Warehouse, the sufferance warehouse operator is obligated under Section 14.1 of the Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations to electronically acknowledge receipt of the shipment. An electronic means to acknowledge receipt of a shipment (Warehouse Arrival Certification Message) by a sufferance warehouse operator is available and described in CBSA policy as mandatory. The transmission of the Warehouse Arrival Certification Message to the CBSA triggers systems functionality to release shipments or authorize the movement of a shipment.

Given the broad interpretation on the term "electronic means" in the Customs Act and Regulations, it is not clear that a Warehouse Arrival Certification Message is the necessary means to electronically acknowledge receipt of a shipment based on the current wording in Section 14.1 of the Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations. Some warehouses have sent emails, which are also considered "electronic means," however this requires the CBSA to manually trigger notices and releases in the CBSA systems. This adds an unnecessary extra step that results in delayed releases of shipments for importers, and storage fees for carriers, freight forwarders and importers.

Actions

The CBSA will issue an informal consultation welcoming feedback from sufferance warehouse operators on potential regulatory amendments that would mandate the Warehouse Arrival Certification Message as the only means to electronically acknowledge receipt of goods. Informal consultations may begin as soon as April 1, 2026. More details on how consultations will take place will be communicated through the Border Commercial Consultative Committee.

Expected outcomes

Proposing amendments to section 14.1 of the Customs Sufferance Warehouses Regulations to specify the Warehouse Arrival Certification Message as the only means to electronically acknowledge receipt of a shipment, would result in shipments being released or authorized to move without CBSA intervention. This would result in reduced storage fees and a more efficient release process.

Traveller Modernization

The CBSA is working to modernize the experience for travellers to respond to an increased number of travellers; economic and migratory trends; security threats, such as terrorism and organized crime; and travellers' needs for easier and faster self-service processing. The current regulations do not allow for more modernized means of presentation (such as digital, self-service tools) and limit the information that the agency is able to collect in advance. Duplicative and antiquated requirements also cause delays at the border and burden for our frontline officers.

As part of the Traveller Modernization initiative, the CBSA plans to bring about regulatory amendments that would enhance information gathering and improve data quality by obtaining verified advance information about travellers, while enabling travellers to use digital self-service tools. Included in this item are regulatory amendments to simplify the advanced passenger/traveller data framework that outlines the collection, use, retention, sharing and disposal of traveller information. The agency will remove or consolidate regulations that create redundant requirements for a traveller. In the absence of these regulatory amendments, the agency and travellers would continue to experience delays and difficulties associated with burdensome regulations (where there is either no flexibility offered, or travellers and Border Services Officers are required to adhere to duplicative or overly complex requirements.

Actions

The regulatory amendments associated with Traveller Modernization will be published by the CBSA for consultation in phases starting in 2026 and throughout 2027. The coming into force of these amendments will be closely tied to when the technology will be ready to be implemented at the border.

Expected outcomes

The regulatory amendments associated with Traveller Modernization would strengthen security and targeting efforts by the agency. The ability to collect data in advance will support informed decision-making by officers and will allow low-risk travellers that use these tools to benefit from a more streamlined and efficient experience while maintaining security at the border. These amendments would also improve the CBSA's Trusted Traveller Program regime to better inform and assist clients by clarifying membership requirements and fixing inconsistencies between the regulations and their application in practice.

Passenger Name Record and Booking Reference Information

The agency is pursuing regulatory amendments to simplify the advanced passenger/traveller data framework that outlines the collection, use, retention, sharing and disposal of traveller information. This will involve removing duplicate regulations and consolidating them under one legislative act. The CBSA is also exploring the ability to mandate the collection of Booking Reference Information from commercial cruise ships operators to support earlier, systematic screening of passengers arriving by cruise ship.

Actions

The regulatory amendments associated with these items are still in the policy development phase and further actions are being considered as analysis is completed. The agency expects to publish these amendments for consult in the Canada Gazette, Part I in late 2027 or early 2028.

Expected outcomes

The proposed changes associated with the Passenger Name Record regulatory change would remove duplication and improve clarity for the air industry that currently must follow two sets of requirements when submitting Advance Passenger Information to the CBSA.

The proposed change associated with the collection of Booking Reference Information would align the marine traveller processing framework with air mode practices, improve data quality, and support the CBSA's broader objectives of modernizing border operations, increasing consistency across travel modes and strengthening targeting and intelligence activities.

Flexibility for Presentation and Reporting Obligations

The CBSA is examining ways to make presentation and fulfilling border obligations more flexible for low-risk travellers and industry. This includes analysis into incorporating more virtual tools for clearing conveyances, as well as examining the cost-recovery regime and what changes can be made to better serve travellers at remote ports of entry.

Actions

Regulatory changes in regard to this item are still being developed and explored by the CBSA. The agency will be developing the policy to support recommendations and options within the next five years.

Expected outcomes

The options being analyzed as a part of this item are being designed to help reduce burden on both CBSA Border Services Officers and low-risk travellers reporting at sites that are either small or difficult to reach. Once changes are implemented, conveyances will have more options when deciding where and how to cross and the CBSA will be able to receive more information to assist officers in processing these travellers.