CN 19-23, FAST Notices for Trusted Trader Programs

1. The purpose of this Notice is to advise that on December 9th, 2019, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) amended the eligibility criteria for Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Membership.

2. Under the expansion of the FAST Membership criteria, the CBSA will extend FAST lane eligibility to highway carriers and importers who are sole members of the Partners in Protection (PIP) program, rather than requiring them to also be members of the Customs Self Assessment (CSA) program.

3. The enhancement introduces two new notices that are generated pre-arrival to advise a carrier that a shipment is eligible or ineligible to use the FAST lane at the reporting port of entry.

  • FLE notice - informs the carrier they are eligible to use the FAST lane
  • FLI notice - informs the carrier they are no longer eligible to use the FAST lane

4. The scope of the enhancement applies to highway shipments only at the following participating (eligible) ports:

  • 0410 Fort Erie, ON
  • 0440 Sarnia, ON
  • 0502 Emerson, MB
  • 0813 Pacific Highway, BC
  • … Does not apply to highway shipments at other ports of entry, at this time
  • … Does not apply to air, marine or rail shipments

5. The following criteria is used to determine if a carrier receives a FLE or FLI notice:

  • The FLE and FLI notice are created on the highway conveyance document (SO 976).
  • The carrier (i.e. 4-character carrier code) on the highway conveyance document (SO 976) must be an approved member of the following Trusted Trader Programs:
    • PIP
    • PIP and CSA
    • Carrier cannot be CSA only
  • The Port of Report on the highway conveyance document (SO 976) must be one of the participating (eligible) ports:
    • 0410 Fort Erie, ON
    • 0440 Sarnia, ON
    • 0502 Emerson, MB
    • 0813 Pacific Highway, BC
  • All data required to determine FAST eligibility must be submitted electronically, pre-arrival, with the exception of the driver information. The following related documents must be on file, pre-arrival, and in good status:
    • Highway cargo document (SO 984)
    • Highway conveyance document (SO 976)
    • Pre-arrival release document (SO 125 or SO 911)
  • The importer (i.e. 15-digit Business Number with RM account) on the release document (SO 125 or SO 911) must be an approved member of the following Trusted Trader Programs:
    • PIP
    • PIP and CSA
    • Importer cannot be CSA only
  • If a conveyance is empty, only the highway conveyance document (SO 976) is required to be on file to determine FAST eligibility. The highway cargo document (SO 984) and release document (SO 125 or SO 911) are not required. For FLE eligibility, a highway conveyance is considered empty under the following conditions:
    • The Empty/Loaded indicator is set to “Empty”
    • The Empty/Loaded indicator is set to “Loaded” with exception code 02 for International Instruments of Trade (IIT)
  • An FLI (ineligible) notice is generated when changes are made to any of the related documents where an FLE (eligible) notice was previously generated. An FLI notice can be triggered by changes to the following documents such as:
    • Changing the Port of Report on the highway conveyance document (SO 976) to an ineligible port
    • Changing the Cargo Control Number (CCN) on the release document (SO 125 or SO 911), where the new CCN is on a different highway conveyance that is not eligible
    • Adjusting the Business Number (BN) on the release document (SO 125 or SO 911) to a BN that is not a PIP member
    • Cancelling the highway conveyance document (SO 976) or release document (SO 125 or SO 911)
  • Multiple changes made to pre-arrival data may trigger multiple FLE or FLI notices until the time the trip is considered arrived at the port of entry, after which no further FLE or FLI notices are generated.
  • If a pre-arrival highway shipment does not initially meet the FAST eligibility criteria, a FLE or FLI notice will not be created on the highway conveyance document (SO 976). Notification on the SO 976 remains status quo.
  • Notices for FAST eligibility/ineligibility are generated only for non-consolidated highway shipments.
  • The FLE and FLI notice do not contain Secondary Notify Party (SNP) or Automated Notify Party (ANP) information, therefore, the notices are not sent to SNPs or ANPs.
  • Notices for FAST eligibility/ineligibility will not be generated for CSA SO 497.

6. For general enquiries within Canada, call the Border Information Service at 1-800-461-9999. From outside Canada call 204-983-3500 or 506-636-5064 to which long distance charges will apply. Agents are available Monday to Friday (08:00 – 16:00 local time / except statutory holidays). TTY is also available within Canada: 1-866-335-3237.

This is a 9 December 2019 notice from the CBSA website.