Clearit.ca's Blog on Customs Brokerage and News Updates

Information sharing with various government agencies and regulators is part of the import-export business, it's something many businesses feel like they can do with a blindfold on; include some shipping or invoicing data here, throw in the name of the shipper there and the consignee here and then send off the forms. It seems pretty easy and for businesses that do it on a regular basis it truly is routine, but what about the North American Free Tr...

According to the 2016 Small Business Exporting Survey, there is a significant knowledge gap among small and medium sized businesses in relation to understanding how current and future free trade agreements (FTAs) can benefit them and help them grow. The survey, conducted online in early 2016, was answered by 530 U.S. small-business owners. The survey, conducted by the U.S. National Small Business Association in partnership with Livingston Inte...

Although it seems like 2017 is just around the corner, it’s important to keep in mind that there are a few months still left in 2016 and that so much can happen, in so little time. There are major trade developments that have and will influence Canadian businesses that import or export goods and services. Many of these are the results on discussions and negotiations that have been going on for years and may well be in the implementation and rat...

In early July 2016, the Government of Canada signed a new free trade agreement with Ukraine, setting the cornerstone for better standing bilateral relations and mostly, creating exciting new opportunities for businesses in both countries. The Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) is presently in the hands of the respective law makers of both governments in order to follow through on domestic implementation processes. Like many other free...

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring Canadians can trust what's on their plates thanks to a world-class food safety net enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Thanks to the Safe Food for Canadian Act, tabled in 2012 by the Harper Government and adopted by the Senate later in October of the same year and royally sanctioned the following month – the modern requirements lay out the rules for imported and exported food...

Health Canada has released a guide on product labels to help better understand and safely use health products by making it easier for both consumer and professionals. The guidelines provided by Health Canada are included in two “Good Label and Package Practices” guides which cover both over the counter and prescription drugs. The combination of both guides will allow the industry to clearly follow mandatory labeling requirements to result ...

Hailed as an 'industry-first', an agreement between the largest online seafood trading platform in the world, Gfresh and the China Certification and Inspection Group Canada, was signed during the last edition of the BC Seafood Expo in early June. Thanks to the signed agreement, suppliers on Gfresh will have access to a Canada-based pre-inspection of their products heading to China. The inspection service is provided by a third party, which has...

When it comes to online shopping, Canadians have become accustomed to paying extra duties and fees to receive the goods they ordered from American and international sellers and as Canadians, they're not being too fussy about it. Unaware of what lies behind the online shipping industry, Canadians leave between the hands of government agencies and private lobby groups, a matter that is of economic self-interest. There's a back-alley fight going ...

As anyone who has ever ordered anything online from an American retailer knows, there are some risks when engaging in this adventure : extra duties! Canadian customs officers have the right to intercept and delay your shipment if it's over a $20 value and add on to it provincial and federal taxes and of course, extra duty charges. By the time you've received your order, it could double in price, making you ponder why you even bothered ordering o...

As an importer, the last thing you want to see are additional fees that add on to your already high operation costs; it’s even less amusing when those fees turn out to be penalties from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). The federal agency, when issuing a penalty, will do so through AMPS – the Administrative Monetary Penalty System – to clients for violating the CBSA’s trade and border legislation. Examples of the most common ...