Enrol for Release Prior to Payment
How to enrol

How to enrol in a CBSA program

Once your business is registered, you have the option to enrol in any of the CBSA programs that define the kind of business you do. You can enrol in more than one program.

Each program that you register for has its own program account number, which is added as a suffix. Your first program account will be numbered RM0001. Any additional accounts will be numbered sequentially, that is, RM0002, RM0003, and so on.

As a commercial import business, you must enrol in the Importer Program.

Note: If you are a Canadian resident company, you may initiate the request if you do not yet have a BN9 (business number) and you have not made a request for a BN15 (importer account). For details, consult section 2 of the User guide: Enrol in the Importer Program.

If you do have a BN9 and a BN15, sign in to the CARM Client Portal and follow these steps:

1. Select Setup my portal at the top right of the homepage.
2. A dropdown menu will appear, click Enrol in a CBSA program.
3. Select the Importer Program and click Enrol in program.
4. Under the Program information tab, the program account name can be the same as the legal entity name. You may also enter a custom name to differentiate between your accounts (for example, ABC Imports West Coast and ABC Imports East Coast).
5. In the next section, select Commercial as the importer type if you are an importer or select Non-commercial if you are a customs broker enrolling in the Importer Program.
6. Under the Address tab, select the legal entity address in the Same as field or enter a different physical address and complete the remaining required fields
7. Complete the required fields under the Books and records section. Please note that your books and records must be kept within North America.

   Important: You must complete a books and records agreement if your books and records are not kept at your place of business.

8. After completing the remaining required fields, certify that all information entered is accurate and click Submit.

Confirmation of enrolment will depend on your eligibility for a BN9 and whether your books and records are located at your place of business or elsewhere in Canada. Learn more about the maintenance of records for Canadian imports: Memorandum D17-1-21: Maintenance of Records in Canada by Importers. If the enrolment is automatically approved, your program account number will show on the screen. Note that the CBSA must review and approve any cases not automatically approved and it can take up to 30 days.

Once approved, use the program account number to enrol for Release Prior to Payment.

How to enrol for RPP

With your Importer Program account number available, the business or program account manager can now enrol for Release Prior to Payment. To do so, sign into the CARM Client Portal and follow these steps:

1. Go to the Accounts and profiles page
2. Select Program account profile
3. Select the Sub-programs tab
4. Click Enrol in a sub-program at the bottom left of the page
5. Select the Release Prior to Payment sub-program

   Note: If this option is greyed out, you are already enrolled. To confirm enrolment, check the Accounts and profiles tab for the list of programs in which you are enrolled.

6. Scroll down to the Calculated security requirement section, which indicates your system-calculated security requirement based on the highest amount of accounts receivable incurred during the 12 months prior to the date of enrollment
7. Respond to the following Security requirement self-assessment question: "Are you requesting a modification to the security requirement calculated by the CBSA?":
   • Respond "No" if no modification is required
   • Respond "Yes" only when you think the requirement calculation by CARM is inaccurate
     • You will be prompted to provide an amount in the Updated requirement field based on your self-assessment
     • If your self-assessment is lower than the requirement calculated in CARM, the reduction must be approved by the minister's delegate within the CBSA

     Note: You may need evidence to support your request. You will receive a notification with a case number through the CARM Client Portal. Submit the additional information or documentation as directed. The service standards to provide a decision may take up to 25 business days during which RPP will not be active.

8. If you are a new importer without a transaction history, the system should indicate $0. You will need to respond to the security requirement self-assessment question:
   • Respond "Yes" if you plan to have transactions in your account. Then, you must provide an updated requirement based on your self-assessment.
   • If you don't plan to have any amount owing in your account, for example, your imports are exempt from duties and taxes, you can select "No". Your security requirement will remain $0 and you can finalize the RPP enrolment without posting a security.
9. Proceed to post security by selecting Start

Once you have posted security, you will return to finalize your RPP enrolment. If you require further guidance on the enrollment process, you may refer to User guide: Enrol in a CBSA sub-program.