Door‑to‑door freight to Canada
One request, from your supplier's door to yours, customs included.
- One request for transport and customs
- Answer usually within 1 business day
- Free, no commitment
Customs rules change — confirm with the official sources on this page or with a licensed customs broker before you ship.
In short. Door-to-door means one forwarder handles the whole chain: pickup at your supplier, export formalities abroad, the main transport by truck, ocean or air, the Canadian customs release and delivery to your address. The release request is filed while the goods travel, so it is on file when they arrive.
How a door-to-door shipment works
Describe the shipment
Tell us your supplier's address, your delivery address, what you are buying, the volume, the ready date and the incoterm on your purchase order.
Pickup, export and transport
The forwarder collects the goods at your supplier, handles the export formalities in the country of origin and books the main transport by truck, ocean or air. The advance cargo data goes to the CBSA before arrival.
Customs clearance in Canada
The same team sends the release request while the goods travel, from the documents it already holds, so the release is on file when the shipment arrives. With RPP security, the goods are released before duties and taxes are paid.
Delivery to your door
The freight is delivered to your address, with a liftgate or a delivery appointment if your site needs one.
Accounting and follow-up
Your broker files the final accounting in CARM and you pay the duties and taxes by the due date on your statement. Any correction later goes through the same contact.
What the price depends on
A door-to-door quote bundles charges that several companies would otherwise bill you: pickup, origin charges, the main transport, port or airport fees, customs brokerage and delivery. Each depends on the shipment, so it is quoted. Duties and taxes are separate, unless your supplier sells DDP and pays them.
- Pickup and delivery addresses
- Mode: truck, ocean or air
- Weight, volume and packaging
- Origin and export charges
- Port, airport or terminal fees
- Delivery extras: liftgate, inside delivery, appointments
- Customs brokerage
- Duties and taxes, unless sold DDP
Door-to-door questions
What does door-to-door shipping include?
Pickup at your supplier, export formalities in the country of origin, the main transport, customs clearance in Canada and delivery to your address. Duties and taxes are usually billed separately. Unloading at your site and storage are often extra, so check what the quote covers.
DAP or DDP: what's the difference?
Under DAP (Delivered at Place), the seller pays to bring the goods to your named place, and you clear them through Canadian customs and pay the duties and taxes. Under DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), the seller also clears them and pays the duties and taxes, so it acts as the importer; a foreign seller then has to be set up as a non-resident importer.
Is door-to-door the same as DDP?
No. Door-to-door describes the service: who moves the goods, from where to where. DDP is an incoterm: who pays for what, and who imports. You can buy EXW or FCA and still get door-to-door service from your own forwarder (under FOB, the supplier's part ends on the vessel, so the forwarder's service runs from the port), while keeping control of the customs side.
Why use one provider for freight and customs?
Many border delays come from hand-offs: the truck or container arrives before the release request is filed, or the broker is missing a document the carrier had. When one provider handles both, the release is prepared from the same documents while the goods travel, and you have one contact when the CBSA asks a question.
Who is the importer of record?
The party that declares the goods to the CBSA and owes the duties and taxes, usually your business. It needs a business number with an RM import/export account and must keep the import records. Under DDP, it is the seller instead.
Can you also check what I paid on past imports?
Yes. Our partner offers a free duty recovery review of your last 12 months of imports, looking for duty you may have overpaid. It is separate from the freight quote and stays free whether or not you ship with them.
- Sources:
- Guide to importing commercial goods into Canada (CBSA)
- Memorandum D17-1-4: Release of Commercial Goods (CBSA)
- Memorandum D17-1-8: Release Prior to Payment Privilege (CBSA)
- Memorandum D1-4-1: CBSA Invoice Requirements (CBSA)
- Memorandum D3-3-1: Freight Forwarder Pre-Arrival and Reporting Requirements (CBSA)
- Incoterms rules (International Chamber of Commerce)
One provider, dock to dock
One request covers pickup, transport, customs and delivery. We usually reply within 1 business day.
Keep reading
The next steps most people take from here.
Importing
The whole path to importing commercial goods into Canada, in order.
Read →Do I need a customs broker?
No law requires one. What a licensed broker does, and what importing on your own involves.
Read →Non-resident importer
Importing into Canada as a business based outside Canada.
Read →Duty recovery review
A free review of 12 months of entries to find duty you can still get back.
Read →