The CERS portal: sign in, register and file an export declaration
Most commercial goods leaving Canada have to be reported to the CBSA before they go. The Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) is how you do it. This guide covers who has to file, the exemptions that let most exporters skip it, the deadline for each mode of transport, and how to register.
- Free portal
- BN15 with an RM export account
- Deadlines from 2 to 48 hours
Customs rules change — confirm with the official sources on this page or with a licensed customs broker before you ship.
Looking for the CERS portal?
The portal is run by the CBSA, not by CustomsHero. You sign in there with a GCKey or a Sign-In Partner. If your business has no CERS account yet, register it first; the steps below explain what you need.
Two ways to get this done
Do it yourself
Everything you need is on this page, step by step, from official government sources.
Read the guideLet a broker handle it
A licensed customs broker files your export declarations in CERS for you, before the deadline. Free quote, no commitment.
Get a free quoteIn short
What CERS actually is
CERS is a free, web-based portal run by the CBSA for submitting electronic export declarations and Summary Reporting Program monthly reports. It replaced the old Canadian Automated Export Declaration (CAED) software and the B13A paper form. It is one of two ways to file: the other, G7 EDI, lets software send declarations straight to the CBSA.
Read the details
The obligation it serves is older than the portal. Under section 95 of the Customs Act and the Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations, the exporter — not the carrier, not the freight forwarder — must report goods being exported. CERS is simply the prescribed way to do it in writing.
Filing is only part of it. You also need a business number with an RM program account that is active for export, which is a different enrolment from the RM account used for importing even though the number looks the same.
How to file, start to finish
Check you need to file
Confirm you actually need to file. If your goods are non-restricted and destined for consumption in the United States, or the shipment is worth less than CAD$2,000, you almost certainly do not — see the exemption codes below.
Get a BN15 for export
Get a BN15 that is active for export. That is your nine-digit business number plus an RM program identifier enrolled in the CBSA's Exporter Program.
Create your user account
Create a CERS Portal user account, signing in with a GCKey or a Sign-In Partner (your online banking credentials).
Create the business account
Have someone create the CERS Portal business account. That person becomes the account owner and can then add other users.
File before the deadline
Submit the declaration before the deadline for your mode of transport, and give the carrier your proof of report so they can present it at the border.
Ship often? Report monthly
If you ship constantly, apply to the Summary Reporting Program instead and file one monthly report rather than a declaration per shipment. It is by application, not by right.
The deadline for each mode of transport
Minimum lead times set by the Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations. These are the latest you can file, not targets.
- Marine vessel
- 48 hours before the goods are loaded onto the vessel
- Air
- 2 hours before the goods are loaded on board the aircraft
- Rail
- 2 hours before the railcar is assembled into the train
- 2 hours before the goods are delivered to the post office
- Highway and any other mode
- Immediately before the goods are exported
The mistake that catches exporters
"Exempt from the declaration" does not mean "exempt from the permit". Restricted goods going to the United States need no export declaration, but the export permit, certificate or licence still has to be presented to the CBSA within the same deadlines. Skipping the permit because you skipped the declaration is how a shipment gets held.
Common questions
Where do I sign in to the CERS portal?
On the CBSA's website, on the page titled "Sign in to the Canadian Export Reporting System portal (CERS)", linked at the top of this guide. You sign in with a GCKey or a Sign-In Partner such as your online banking credentials. CustomsHero has no access to CERS and cannot file a declaration for you.
When is a CERS export declaration required?
Whenever no exemption applies. In practice that means commercial goods worth CAD$2,000 or more going to a country other than the United States, restricted goods going to a country other than the United States at any value, and goods that only transit the US on their way elsewhere (CAD$2,000 or more for one consignee, or restricted at any value). Goods for consumption in the US and commercial shipments under CAD$2,000 are exempt; the NDR exemption codes list every case.
Do I need a CERS declaration for goods going to the United States?
Usually no. Non-restricted goods exported for consumption in the United States are exempt — that is exemption code NDR1. The exceptions are trains (railcars and locomotives), which are reported directly to Statistics Canada, restricted goods, and goods merely transiting the US on their way somewhere else, which are treated as exports to the final destination.
What is the value threshold for a CERS declaration?
CAD$2,000. Non-restricted commercial goods worth less than that do not need a declaration (exemption code NDR2). The threshold applies to the shipment, and restricted goods need a declaration at any value.
What is a CERS number?
There is no single "CERS number". People usually mean one of three things: the proof of report (PoR) number you get once a declaration is submitted, which you give the carrier before the goods leave Canada; the No Declaration Required code you give the carrier when no declaration is needed; or the BN15 — your business number with an RM export account — that you need to register.
Who is responsible for filing — me or my freight forwarder?
The exporter is legally responsible. You can authorise a customs service provider such as a broker or freight forwarder to file on your behalf, and most exporters do, but the obligation and the penalty exposure stay with you.
What happens if I file late or not at all?
Failure to report, late reporting and inaccurate reporting are all contraventions under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS). Penalties escalate with repetition, so a pattern of late filings costs considerably more than a single one.
Is CERS the same thing as CAED or a B13A?
It replaced both. CAED, the old desktop declaration software, and the B13A paper form are no longer in use. If a guide or a forwarder still refers to either, it is out of date.
Is there another way to file besides the CERS portal?
Yes. G7 EDI lets software send declarations straight to the CBSA, which suits high-volume exporters and brokers. The CBSA recommends CERS if you are unsure. Our G7 EDI vs CERS guide compares the two.
Check where you stand
See which export requirements apply to your shipments, CERS included.
Keep reading
The next steps most people take from here.
CERS exemption codes
All sixteen NDR codes — the reasons no export declaration is needed.
Read →G7 EDI vs CERS
The two ways to file an export declaration, and which one fits you.
Read →B13A form
The old paper export form, why it ended in 2020, and what to file now.
Read →Export to the USA
Canada to the United States: CERS exemptions, CUSMA origin, entry on the US side.
Read →Get a quote
Describe your shipments and we will connect you with a licensed customs broker.
Read →