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.
   Note: 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 approve and it can take up to 30 days for it.

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

Books and records agreement

1. Download the form and complete it electronically
   Note: Do not print forms to be filled out by hand. Scans are not accepted.
2. Save the form to your local drive
3. Scroll down to Upload files, click the box and attach your form/documents
4. Select the document type from the dropdown menu and click Upload

You can then confirm that your documents were uploaded by selecting View confirmation. A green checkmark indicates that each file was uploaded successfully. Once fully submitted, your case status will change from “open” to “in progress.” This is the indicator that the CBSA can start reviewing the case.

For screenshots and a more detailed description of these steps, refer to:

User guides: Enrol in the Importer Program