EDI/Portal Clients
Communication Methods

Three options exist for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) clients to transmit electronic commerce data to CBSA's host system. To participate in EDI, one of these methods must be implemented.

Customs Internet Gateway

CBSA developed the Customs Internet Gateway (CIG) to provide clients with a method to transmit and receive data over the Internet. CBSA adopted a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of the data. Clients are required to purchase specific software for encryption and decryption and to develop, or purchase, the protocol software to connect to the CIG. Clients would need to transmit the data from a Canadian office as the certificate is only assigned to a device in Canada.

Direct Connect to the CBSA

The Direct Connect is an alternative that provides clients with a dedicated direct connection to CBSA. All new connections require an initial investment of $25,000 (+/-$5,000) to set-up.

Third Party Service Provider

For those clients who do not wish to transmit electronic commerce data directly to the CBSA, there exist many third party service providers who currently transmit data to the CBSA on behalf of trade chain partners. These entities are known to offer various EDI software packages that have been tested and registered with the CBSA, as well as play a variety of roles and generally offer a wide range of EDI services, such as Value-added Network (VAN) services, software provider services and EDI service providers, as well as various other solutions.

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