Canada export declaration exemption numbers: the full NDR code list
When no export declaration is required, the exporter gives the carrier a "No Declaration Required" (NDR) code instead. There are sixteen. This page lists all of them, in full, with what each one actually covers.
- 16 codes
- Set by D20-1-1
- Give the code to your carrier
Customs rules change — confirm with the official sources on this page or with a licensed customs broker before you ship.
Most exporters only ever need two: NDR1 for non-restricted goods going to the United States, and NDR2 for commercial shipments worth less than CAD$2,000. Give the code to your carrier; nothing is filed in CERS.
All sixteen NDR codes
As set out in Appendix B of Memorandum D20-1-1. Every entry below applies only to non-restricted goods unless it says otherwise.
- NDR1
- Non-restricted goods exported for consumption in the United States, excluding trains (railcars and locomotives)
- NDR2
- Non-restricted commercial goods worth less than CAD$2,000
- NDR3
- Non-restricted personal and household effects, other than an emigrant's, not for resale or commercial use (except permanently exported conveyances)
- NDR4
- Non-restricted goods exported temporarily under an A.T.A. Carnet — the carnet number forms part of the code
- NDR5
- Non-restricted goods that were temporarily imported on a form E29B or an A.T.A. Carnet and are now being exported — the E29B or carnet number forms part of the code
- NDR6
- Non-restricted cargo containers, skids, drums, pallets, straps and similar reusable goods used by a carrier in international transport
- NDR7
- Non-restricted goods exported by diplomatic embassy or mission personnel for personal or official use (except permanently exported conveyances)
- NDR8
- Personal gifts and donations of non-restricted goods (except permanently exported conveyances and commercial goods)
- NDR9
- Arms, military stores and munitions that remain the property of a designated foreign country, temporarily imported by a visiting force
- NDR10
- Non-restricted goods exported for repair or warranty repair, at any value, that will be returned to Canada
- NDR11
- Non-restricted goods temporarily imported for warranty repair; or for additions, non-warranty repairs or processing worth less than CAD$2,000
- NDR12
- Non-restricted goods for use as ship's stores by a Canadian carrier
- NDR13
- Non-restricted goods made outside Canada and removed for export from a bonded or sufferance warehouse
- NDR14
- Non-restricted goods, other than goods exported for further processing, that will return to Canada within 12 months of export
- NDR15
- Non-restricted goods exported because of an emergency, or exported by the Department of National Defence and reported orally
- NDR16
- Other — unique situations. The reason must be pre-authorised by the CBSA before you use this code
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
Not sure which code applies, or whether you need a declaration at all? A licensed customs broker can tell you, and file it if needed. Free quote, no commitment.
Get a free quoteIn short
What an NDR code is for
A carrier presenting goods for export has to account for every shipment. When the exporter is exempt from filing a CERS declaration, the carrier still needs something to show why nothing was filed. The NDR code is that something.
Read the details
You give the code to your carrier or freight forwarder, who carries it with the cargo documentation. It is not filed in the CERS portal and it is not a permit — it is the stated reason no declaration exists for this shipment.
Two codes cover most Canadian exports. NDR1 handles non-restricted goods going to the United States for consumption, and NDR2 handles non-restricted commercial shipments worth under CAD$2,000. If you are reaching for a third, read the list carefully rather than picking the nearest fit.
Using a code correctly
Check the goods are non-restricted
Confirm the goods are non-restricted. Almost every code begins with that word, and it does the heavy lifting — restricted goods are outside this list entirely.
Pick the exact code
Pick the code that describes your actual situation, not the closest available one. NDR16 exists for genuinely unusual cases and must be pre-authorised by the CBSA before use.
Add the number if required
Where the code requires a number — the A.T.A. Carnet under NDR4, the E29B or carnet under NDR5 — supply it. The code is incomplete without it.
Give it to the carrier in time
Give the code to the carrier in time to travel with the cargo documentation, not after the truck has left.
Keep a record
Keep your own record of which code you used and why. Export records must be retained, and an NDR you cannot justify later is a contravention you cannot defend.
No code fits your shipment?
Then it needs a CERS export declaration, filed before the goods leave: 48 hours ahead by sea, 2 hours by air, rail or mail, and immediately before crossing by road. A customs broker can file it for you.
The exemption that is not an exemption
NDR1 covers goods going to the United States for consumption there. Goods that merely pass through the United States on their way to a third country are not covered — they are exports to that final destination, and they need a declaration. Shipping through Buffalo to reach Europe is not a shipment to the United States.
Common questions
Is an NDR code the same as a CED exemption number?
In practice people searching for a "Canada export declaration exemption number" are looking for these NDR codes. The CBSA's own term is "No Declaration Required", abbreviated NDR, and it is what appears in Memorandum D20-1-1.
Where do I enter the NDR code?
Nowhere in the CERS portal. The code is given to the carrier, who uses it in the cargo reporting that accompanies the shipment. If you are filing anything in CERS, you are not using an NDR.
Does NDR2 apply per item or per shipment?
Per shipment. The CAD$2,000 test looks at the goods being exported together, not at individual line items, so four items worth CAD$700 each are over the threshold.
My goods need an export permit but qualify for NDR1. What do I do?
Restricted goods are not covered by NDR1 at all. Goods restricted under the Export and Import Permits Act that go to the United States need no export declaration, but the permit itself must still be presented to the CBSA within the normal reporting deadlines.
What is the carrier code CERS asks for?
For a shipment to a country other than the United States, the declaration asks for a "unique carrier-assigned code" that the exporting carrier (UPS, FedEx, a trucking company) gives you, so the CBSA can locate the goods. It is not an NDR code: if an NDR code applies, there is no declaration and no carrier code to enter. If the carrier cannot produce one, Memorandum D20-1-1 lets you use an identifier such as a trailer or container number with the export date and a shipment number.
Check where you stand
See which export requirements apply to your shipments.
Keep reading
The next steps most people take from here.
CERS declaration
When a CERS export declaration is required, and the deadline for each mode.
Read →Export to the USA
Canada to the United States: CERS exemptions, CUSMA origin, entry on the US side.
Read →Exporting
What you need in place before shipping commercial goods out of Canada.
Read →Export readiness
Check your export readiness: export account, CERS reporting, permits, origin.
Read →