December 1, 2020

Marine Container Examination Process

marine container examination process

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has a mandate to ensure that all goods entering Canada do not pose a risk to the health, safety, and security of Canadians, while facilitating the free-flow of legitimate goods.

The vast majority of marine containers shipments are processed and authorized by the CBSA to enter Canada without delay. A small percentage of containers is selected by the CBSA for examination, based on a comprehensive risk assessment and random selection, using state of the art technology to facilitate the examination process at no cost to the importer.

The commercial examination process consists of key stakeholders with distinct roles in moving containers into Canada. The CBSA is responsible for the examination of marine containers, but does not control, influence, or charge for the:

  • movement of containers to and from the CBSA; and
  • offloading and reloading of containers.