1. The purpose of this customs notice is to provide clarification on the required timeframes for the submission of ACI for ferry operators and highway carriers when transporting commercial goods onboard a ferry.

2. Ferries are required to transmit pre-arrival cargo and conveyance information as well as a Conveyance Arrival Certification Message when transporting commercial goods for which the ferry conveyance operator has a contract of carriage.

3. Commercial cargo placed onboard a ferry, where the ferry operator maintains the contract of carriage to move those goods, is subject to Marine ACI reporting requirements and timeframes. Please see Memorandum D3-5-1, Marine Pre-load/Pre-arrival and Reporting Requirements.

4. Highway ACI reporting requirements and timeframes apply if a commercial highway conveyance is placed onboard a ferry and the highway carrier maintains the contract of carriage.  Please refer to the Memorandum D3-4-2, Highway Pre-arrival and Reporting Requirements for additional information.

5. Carriers, regardless of how often they cross the Canadian border with commercial goods, require a carrier code in order to transact business with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and transmit ACI.  Obtaining a carrier code is free and can be done by completing the form BSF329-4 and submitting it to the Commercial Registration Unit at [email protected].

6. In order to facilitate carrier compliance, the CBSA will not issue penalties for ferries not meeting marine ACI timeframes for 45 business days following the date of this publication.

7. For email support on eManifest policy and processes, contact the eManifest Help Desk at [email protected].

8. For additional information regarding eManifest requirements clients may visit the CBSA website.

This notice is available on the CBSA website at:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn17-01-eng.html