eManifest System Upgrades Scheduled For July 2014

Our Carrier Assistance staff recently sat in on a CBSA hosted webinar where the topic was the pending system upgrades to the ACI eManifest program.

The primary purpose behind these system enhancements is to allow CBSA to integrate their decision-making process with respect to risk assessment. Where previously the Agency had to make multiple decisions on multiple documents for a single shipment, the proposed upgrades will allow CBSA to assess all documents submitted by clients on the same shipment, collectively. In order to achieve this, system changes are required.

Expected Changes:

1. Release Notification System

The biggest and most noticeable change will be that CBSA's Release Notification System (RNS) messages will be replaced by pre-arrival "completeness notices" and post arrival "disposition notices".

2. EDI Map To The ACI 309 Cargo Transmission

While the current system does not comply with the World Customs Organization standards, the CBSA will introduce new ACI EDI multimodal cargo maps that conform to international standards and offer clients increased functionality.

Impact On Carriers:

The good news for carriers that file ACI eManifest cargo and conveyance data through the CBSA web portal, or utilize a third party service provider, is that will not have to make any changes to their systems. However, carriers that interact directly with CBSA via EDI will be affected and will need to make the necessary changes to their systems.

Expected Timeline:

The new functionality will be available in July 2014, but carriers and service providers will then have one full year to transition from their current systems to the new system.

If you have any questions about ACI eManifest, or any other cross-border transportation matters, please do not hesitate to contact our Carrier Relations Liaison at 855.542.6644  or via email at carrierhelpdesk@pcb.ca.