Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements (CMAAs)

Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements (CMAAs) are legally binding instruments between the Government of Canada and other foreign governments. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is responsible for negotiating and implementing CMAAs on behalf of the Government of Canada.

CMAAs are an important part of the CBSA's international efforts to enhance global border management. They provide the legal basis to help prevent, detect, investigate and combat customs offences – such as fraud and drug smuggling – through the sharing of customs information with foreign partners, helping to ensure the security of the international trade supply chain.

All of the CMAAs that Canada signs include data confidentiality and data safeguards to protect the privacy rights of Canadians.

Canada currently has CMAAs in force with France (1979), the United States (1985), Germany (1986), Republic of Korea (1986), Mexico (1990), the European Union (1998), the Netherlands (2010), South Africa (2010), Israel (2013), China (2015), Chile (2017), Argentina (2018), and the United Kingdom (2022).

Canada signed a CMAA with Ukraine on August 24, 2025 and its ratification process is underway.