Electronic Data Interchange / Portal Clients

Overview

Electronic Data Interchange

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a standardized way of electronically exchanging information between and within businesses, organizations, government entities and other groups. These standards specify the formats, character sets, and data elements used in the exchange of business documents and forms.

Portals

A portal is a secure data submission option developed by the CBSA that will allow the trade community to electronically submit their information through the Internet. The CBSA offers different portal options to facilitate submission of different types of data:

The eManifest Portal was developed primarily for small- to medium-sized enterprises to facilitate their compliance and ease the transition from paper reporting to pre-arrival electronic data submission. The eManifest Portal is designed for highway carriers to submit pre-arrival cargo and conveyance data and to receive House Bill Manifest Forwards sent by other Trade Chain Partners (TCPs).

The Trusted Trader Portal (TTP) is a secure online tool that allows members of the trade community to complete and submit applications for membership in the Partners in Protection (PIP) program, as well as maintain their membership documentation online. The PIP program only accepts applications and updated Security Profiles through the TTP.

The Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) portal is a secure data transmission option developed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that allows the export community to submit electronic export declarations, bulk data uploads and Summary Reporting Program monthly reports to the CBSA.

The CARM Client Portal (CCP) is available to importers, customs brokers, and trade consultants. The CCP allows clients to view their financial account activities, submit rulings and access new electronic payment options. For more information on the CARM project, refer to Get started with CARM.

Differences between Electronic Data Interchange and Portal

Terminology, data requirements and business rules vary somewhat between EDI and the Portal. The differences between these two submission options are largely due to the fact that EDI and the Portal are based on different technologies and interfaces and face different technical constraints when interfacing with the CBSA system.

With respect to terminology, for example, EDI documentation often refers to transmission of commercial data while Portal documentation typically refers to submission of commercial documents. EDI refers to Statuses and Notices while Portal refers to Statuses.

Become a client

Information for new clients

Client resources

Business rules and coding

Troubleshooting

Frequently requested documents

Outages

General procedures to follow during system outages/interruptions

Consult the System Outage Contingency Plan for information on the release procedures to follow when a system outage occurs.

These procedures apply in all modes.

Sign up for EDI/Portal Bulletins for notice of system outages.

Scheduled maintenance outages for 2024

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), eManifest Portal and Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) Portal clients of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are advised that they can expect scheduled maintenance outages on the following weekends, generally in the early morning:

  • January 20-21
  • February 10-11
  • February 24-25
  • March 16-17
  • April 13-14
  • April 27-28
  • May 11-12
  • May 25-26
  • June 8-9
  • June 22-23
  • July 13-14
  • July 27-28
  • August 17-18
  • September 14-15
  • October 19-20
  • November 3
  • November 16-17
  • December 14-15

The dates of these outages are based on information available at time of publication and are subject to change. Updated and more detailed information will be communicated by bulletin in advance of the outage.

In addition, clients can expect additional outages for the migration of system releases, but exact dates/times have not been determined.

Holiday table for 2024

The following are the holidays recognized by the electronic commerce systems for the year 2024. The holidays mentioned below apply to all provinces except where indicated otherwise:

  • Monday, January 1, 2024
  • Monday, February 19 (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island)
  • Friday, March 29
  • Monday, April 1
  • Monday, May 20
  • Monday, June 24 (Quebec only)
  • Monday, July 1
  • Tuesday, July 9 (Nunavut Civic Holiday)
  • Monday, August 5 (all provinces/territories except Quebec and Yukon)
  • Monday, August 19 (Yukon only)
  • Monday, September 2
  • Monday, September 30
  • Monday, October 14
  • Monday, November 11
  • Wednesday, December 25
  • Thursday, December 26
  • Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Contacts

Before contacting the CBSA

The following resources may be helpful in addressing your questions:

  • Checklist
    A checklist of steps a clients should undertake before seeking technical assistance from the CBSA.
  • Frequently-Asked Questions
    A compilation of the most asked EDI questions, including suggestions of ways to resolve the problems.
  • Contact list
    List of useful contacts to troubleshoot and resolve certain EDI or portal issues.

Technical Commercial Client Unit

  •  Business hours
    • Monday to Friday (except holidays)
    • 8 am to 5 pm (Eastern time)
  •  EDI/Portal services
    • Refer to our Services document to find out more about support provided during and after business hours.
  •  Telephone:
    • Canada and the United States: 1-888-957-7224
      • Option 1 for EDI transactions
      • Option 2 for technical portal assistance
    • Overseas: 613-946-0762
  •  Email: tccu-ustcc@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca (for non-urgent correspondence only)
  •  Mailing address:
    • Canada Border Services Agency
      355 N River Rd 6th Flr Tower B
      Ottawa ON  K1A 0L8

CARM Client Support Helpdesk

Contact the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) Client Support Helpdesk (CCSH) if you are a current importer, customs broker or trade consultant and need support with:

  • accessing the CARM Client Portal
  • issues related to your payment processing, payment allocation, clearing, offsetting and reconciling
  • disbursement and collection activities
  •  Contact us online:
  •  Telephone :
    • Call 1-800-461-9999 (press 2) if you are experiencing any difficulties using the form
  •  Hours of operation:
    • Monday to Friday, 7 am to 8 pm ET

Stay informed

Business hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET). Refer to our Services document to find out more about support provided during and after business hours.

EDI/Portal Hotline

For up-to-date information about the status of EDI/Portal systems, call the EDI/Portal Hotline.

  • Canada and the United States: 1-888-957-7224
  • Overseas: 613-946-0762

A recorded message will play immediately after a language selection is made.

If this does not address your specific situation, stay on the line to speak to a technical support officer.

  • Option 1 for EDI transactions
  • Option 2 for Technical Portal Assistance

EDI/Portal bulletins

Subscribe

Sign up for email bulletins related to system outages, as well as holidays, exchange rates, tariff updates, interest rates, etc.

Complete the form below and select "Subscribe".

Please indicate the bulletins you would like to receive: (required) (select all that apply)

Unsubscribe

No longer want to receive our updates?

Complete the form below and select "Unsubscribe".

Electronic Commercial Client Requirements Document (ECCRD) updates

Sign up to receive email alerts when there are new or revised chapters of the Electronic Commercial Client Requirements Document (ECCRD).

Subscribe to the ECCRD Email Alert Service.

eManifest notices

New and enhanced eManifest notices are now available for EDI clients. These new notices offer benefits, such as:

  • notification of the completeness of advance data sent to us by various parties in the trade chain;
  • notification of the arrival and status of shipments as they move through the commercial import process; and
  • improved communication between businesses and the CBSA which allows clients to share information with other registered trade chain partners.

For more information on the new notices, request a copy of the eManifest presentation entitled Introduction to New and Enhanced eManifest Notices.

For information about registering, testing, EDI software/service providers, and Chapter 11 of the Electronic Commercial Client Requirements Document (ECCRD), email the TCCU.

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