Canada belongs to the same club as the US, Japan and China: the cargo data has to reach customs before the box is loaded. Canada's programme is Advance Commercial Information (ACI) / eManifest, run by the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency). For ocean freight the marine carrier files 24 hours before loading, and (the part that's distinctly Canada) the freight forwarder is solely responsible for transmitting the house bills electronically. Nexport Logistics files the ACI/eManifest data for your Canada shipments in the Nexportal platform.
What ACI / eManifest is
ACI is CBSA's advance-data programme; eManifest is the phase that extends it from carriers to freight forwarders and importers, across air, marine, highway and rail. The goal is the same as elsewhere: let CBSA risk-assess cargo before it arrives, and for marine, before it even loads.
The marine deadline
For containerised imports, the marine carrier must transmit the cargo and conveyance data to CBSA 24 hours before the goods are loaded onto the vessel at the foreign port (with a 24-hours-before-arrival rule for certain non-containerised cargo). It's a pre-load rule, like the US AMS and the Japan AFR.
The forwarder's house bills: your responsibility
This is the Canada-specific weight: freight forwarders must electronically transmit advance house-bill data on consolidated freight to CBSA, and the House Bills and "Close Messages" must be received and validated by CBSA within the prescribed time frames. CBSA is explicit that it is solely the freight forwarder's responsibility to ensure these are submitted in compliance. The carrier's master filing does not cover your house bills.
Same family, different border
| Country | Programme | Marine deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | ACI / eManifest | 24 h before loading |
| USA | AMS / ISF | 24 h before loading |
| Japan | AFR | 24 h before departure |
| China | CCAM | 24 h before loading |
What non-compliance costs
CBSA enforces with monetary penalties (AMPS, the Administrative Monetary Penalty System) for late, missing or inaccurate data, and cargo that is not released until the manifest is right. An AMPS notice plus a container waiting on release will eat any margin the shipment had; the house bills themselves are a routine transmission when you do them on time.
How Nexport Logistics handles it
We transmit the eManifest house-bill data and Close Messages to CBSA within the time frames, alongside the carrier's marine filing, so your Canada cargo is reported and released without a hold. It runs with your B/L, Customs and booking in Nexportal.
Shipping to Canada? Email info@nexportlogistics.nl.
Official sources: CBSA — Advance Commercial Information (ACI) / eManifest · CBSA — eManifest House Bills (Chapter 8). Related: Usa Import Filings · Japan Afr · China Ccam · Customs