If you import industrial goods into Canada, even a few shipments a year, CARM has changed how your customs process works. The CBSA's Assessment and Revenue Management project is now the single system for how duties and taxes are accounted for, and the grace period that let small importers coast on their broker's setup is over.
This is a practical rundown of what changed, what you need in place, and the mistakes we see Alberta businesses making.
What CARM is, in plain terms
CARM is the CBSA's own accounting and payment platform. Before CARM, duties and taxes ran through a patchwork of broker systems and paper processes. Now every importer is expected to have a CARM Client Portal account linked to their business number, and the portal is where your statements of account, payments, and rulings live.
The CBSA did not do this to make your life harder, but it does shift real responsibility onto the importer of record. That is you, not your broker.
The biggest change: your own financial security
For years, most small importers released goods under their customs broker's bond through the Release Prior to Payment program. That arrangement has ended. Importers must now post their own financial security, either a surety bond or a cash deposit, to keep releasing goods before paying duties and taxes.
If you have not posted security, your shipments can be held until duties and taxes are paid in full at the border. For a business waiting on a container of consumables for a project deadline, that delay is expensive and entirely avoidable.
What you need in place
If you import anything into Canada, work through this list:
- Register your business on the CARM Client Portal and link your import/export program account (your RM number).
- Post your own financial security. A surety bond is the common route and is typically sized to your expected duties and taxes over a period.
- Delegate portal access to your customs broker so they can still file on your behalf, but understand that the account and the liability are yours.
- Move your duty and tax payments into the portal or set up electronic payment with your bank. Paper-era processes no longer apply.
Mistakes we see
The most common one is assuming the broker handles everything. Brokers still classify goods and file entries, but they cannot post your security for you and they cannot register your portal account on your behalf without your delegation. The second is waiting until a shipment is in transit to sort this out. Portal registration and a bond can take days to weeks depending on the surety, and none of it can be rushed at the border.
The third is ignoring the portal after setup. Your monthly statement of account lives there now. Miss it and you are looking at interest and potential holds on future releases.
The bottom line
CARM rewards importers who are set up properly and punishes the ones who assumed nothing changed. If your goods arrive on time because your paperwork is boring, that is the goal.
Importing is a big part of how we keep pricing stable for Alberta customers, so we stay current on this stuff. If you are sourcing industrial consumables and want a supplier that already has the customs side handled, send us your list through the quote form and we will take it from there.
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