Importing into Canada

This guide, prepared by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), provides you with an overview of the commercial importation process for businesses importing goods into Canada.

It is intended to complement and not replace existing regulations, acts and references detailed in Memoranda Series D1 to D22.

Learn more on the CBSA website.

'Ask CFIA' is a service to provide industry with one point of entry to ask questions to help you understand and comply with current regulatory requirements. Depending on the complexity of the question, this could include CFIA follow up with the requestor to better understand their question.

In cooperation with CBSA, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) has written a paper on commercial secondary examination policies and procedures in regards to the handling of produce.

Moreover, this paper contains industry best practices and information on what to expect at the border, the reasoning behind the examinations and how to help streamline the process at the border. 

Importing is a complex process. More than 227,000 importers deal with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) annually. Most rely on the services of a licensed customs broker to get their shipments cleared at the border.

The following briefly describes steps on what you need to consider (courtesy of CBSA).

Before Importing

Before importing goods into Canada you must:

1. Obtain a Business Number from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for an import-export account.