The CERS export declaration: when you must file, and when you don't
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
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.
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
- 01
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.
- 02
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.
- 03
Create a CERS Portal user account, signing in with a GCKey or a Sign-In Partner (your online banking credentials).
- 04
Have someone create the CERS Portal business account. That person becomes the account owner and can then add other users.
- 05
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.
- 06
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.
| Mode | File no later than |
|---|---|
| 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
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.
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.
Sources
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 →Exporting
What you need in place before shipping commercial goods out of Canada.
Read →Export to the USA
Canada to the United States: CERS exemptions, CUSMA origin, entry on the US side.
Read →Get a quote
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