Who publishes CustomsHero
CustomsHero is a free, independent resource for Canadian importers and exporters. It is not affiliated with the Canada Border Services Agency, the Canada Revenue Agency or any government body. This page sets out who is behind it, how it is funded, and what it is not.
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Why it exists
The official guidance on importing into and exporting from Canada is accurate, exhaustive and almost impossible to act on. Someone importing for the first time who simply wants to know what they have to do is sent across CBSA memoranda, CRA business-number pages, CARM portal documentation and a dozen D-Memos, none of which were written for them.
Every guide here answers one question in plain language and links the official source for each requirement, so you can verify any of it yourself. The compliance checkers turn that same material into a short questionnaire and return only the requirements that apply to your situation.
Who writes it
CustomsHero is written and maintained by its publisher, an independent operator based in Québec, Canada. It is a one-person project — not an agency, and not a brokerage.
We are not licensed customs brokers, and nothing here is reviewed or endorsed by one. That is worth stating plainly: this site compiles and explains published CBSA and CRA requirements. It does not apply the professional judgment a licensed broker brings to your specific shipment, and it cannot transact business with the CBSA on your behalf.
How it is funded
The guides and tools are free and carry no advertising. When you request a quote, your request goes to licensed Canadian customs brokers, and we may receive a referral fee if you go on to work with one.
That is the entire business model, and it creates one obvious bias: we benefit when you conclude that you need a broker. So the guides are deliberately explicit about when you do not. Self-clearing, casual imports and low-value courier shipments are all covered here, and none of them earn us anything.
What this is not
Nothing on CustomsHero is legal advice, nor a substitute for a licensed customs broker, a trade lawyer or a ruling from the CBSA. Requirements change, and an interpretation that holds for most shipments may not hold for yours.
Use these guides to understand the landscape — so that when you do talk to a broker, the CBSA or the CRA, you already know what to ask.