Why You Need An ACI eManifest Contingency Plan
The July 10, 2015 deadline for ACI eManifest compliance has come and gone and we are now into the 6-month "zero-rated penalty" phase. During this period, carriers will not be denied entry into Canada or be subject to monetary penalties for reasons associated with ACI eManifest non-compliance.
By now, proactive carriers have already registered with a third party service provider, or directly with CBSA with the intent of using their web portal. These early adopters are filing ACI eManifests and have used the informed compliance period and zero-rated penalty phase to work the bugs out of their systems without the fear of monetary fines. Other carriers are scrambling to become compliant while some others are taking the ostrich approach and have buried their heads in the sand.
So, let's say that you are one of the proactive carriers who has gotten their ducks in a row and is already filing ACI eManifests. What happens if your primary service provider has a system outage, or if the CBSA web portal is down for some reason? This is where the Canadian ACI program differs from the US-bound ACE program? you cannot just contact another service provider and have them act on your behalf. CBSA requires that you register each and every service provider with them.
5 Frequently Asked Questions About ACI eManifest | Part 1
So what can you do in the event of the previously mentioned system outage or connectivity issue? This is where a contingency plan comes in. There is no cost to register with Pacific Customs Brokers as your secondary service provider. If your primary service provider performs the way they are supposed to, or the web portal proves to work flawlessly, you will never need this option. However, in the event that you require emergency assistance, it will be at your finger tips and be available 24/7.
If you are still a little uncertain about ACI eManifest and how it will affect your business, attend the next ACI eManifest Seminar or Webinar. In these 90-minute sessions we answer questions around the ACI eManifest regulation and offer practical solutions. For details and to register »
This post is co-authored by Darren Turnbull and Jan Brock.
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