How to export from Canada
Exporting has two halves: satisfying Canadian rules before the goods leave, and satisfying the destination country's import rules when they arrive. The Canadian half is the same wherever you ship — permits, reporting, origin, records — so start there, then pick your destination.
- Permits before shipping, never after
- CERS: CAD $2,000+ to non-US destinations
- Keep records 6 years
How exporting from Canada works
Confirm your goods can legally leave Canada
Most goods leave freely, but some need an export permit under the Export and Import Permits Act. Check your goods against the Export Control List — military and dual-use items, certain technology and software, and some agricultural and forestry products all appear on it — and check whether your destination sits on the Area Control List or under sanctions. Permits come from Global Affairs Canada and can take weeks, which makes this the first thing to check, not the last.
Register for an export account
If you have to report your exports, you need a Business Number from the CRA with an import/export (RM) program account attached — the same BN15 identifier importers use. You can add an RM account to a business number you already hold; you do not need a separate one.
Work out whether you must report the export
Canadian export reporting runs through the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS). Goods exported to the United States for consumption in the United States are generally exempt. Goods bound anywhere else must be declared once the shipment reaches CAD $2,000. Permit-controlled goods override both rules: they always require a declaration, at any value, to any destination — the United States included.
Classify your goods and establish origin
Classification drives everything downstream: whether a permit applies, how the export is reported, and what duty your buyer pays on arrival. If Canada has a trade agreement with the destination — CUSMA, CETA, CPTPP among others — your goods may enter duty-free, but only if they meet that agreement's rules of origin. Those rules are product-specific, and being manufactured in Canada is not sufficient on its own.
Meet the destination country's import requirements
Your goods are cleared by an importer of record in the destination country, under that country's rules rather than Canada's: their classification, their duty rates, their agency requirements, their paperwork. Settle in advance who acts as importer of record and who pays the duty. The Incoterm on your invoice decides it, and getting that wrong is the most common way a first export goes sideways.
Keep your records
Export records must be kept for six years following the year of export — the declaration, permits, commercial invoices, transport documents, and any origin certification you issued. If you certified origin under a trade agreement, your buyer's customs administration can ask you to substantiate that certification years after the shipment cleared.
Exporting from Canada FAQ
Do I need a business number to export?
You need a Business Number with an import/export (RM) account if you have to report your exports. Because most US-bound shipments are exempt from reporting, a business shipping only to the United States may never need one. The moment you ship elsewhere at CAD $2,000 or more, or ship anything permit-controlled, you do.
When do I have to file a CERS declaration?
When the goods are bound for a destination other than the United States and the shipment is worth CAD $2,000 or more, or whenever the goods require an export permit — in which case the value and destination do not matter. Goods going to the United States for consumption there are otherwise generally exempt.
Does “made in Canada” make my goods duty-free under CUSMA?
No. Duty-free treatment depends on meeting the rules of origin in that specific agreement, which are set per product — typically a tariff shift, a regional value content threshold, or both. Goods assembled in Canada from non-originating parts often fail them. Certifying origin you cannot substantiate exposes your buyer to a duty reassessment and you to their claim.
Who clears the goods on the other side?
An importer of record in the destination country, who may be your buyer, their customs broker, or you if you have agreed to act as importer there. That party files the entry, pays the duty and taxes, and carries the compliance risk under local law. Decide who it will be before the goods move.
What happens if I export controlled goods without a permit?
Exporting goods on the Export Control List without the required permit is an offence under the Export and Import Permits Act, and can lead to seizure, monetary penalties and prosecution. The obligation sits with the exporter, and not knowing the goods were controlled is not a defence — check the list before you ship.
How long do I have to keep export records?
Six years following the year of export. That applies to the export declaration, any permits, commercial invoices, transport documents, and origin certifications. Keep them retrievable, not just stored — the point of the rule is that you can produce them on request.
Know what applies to you before you ship
A few questions, a checklist in plain language, and the official source for every step. Or skip straight to a broker.