What is ACI?
ACI (Advance Commercial Information) is an important Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) program affecting the importation of commercial goods into Canada. Using targeting tools, ACI enables Canada Customs to make informed decisions in order to protect Canadian society from shipments which may pose health, safety, security, terrorist or contraband threats. Under ACI, mandatory shipment-related information (“admissibility data”) must be electronically transmitted to Canada Customs before the goods arrive in Canada. This information includes cargo descriptions, quantity, weight, port of discharge, as well as the importer’s commercial data such as vendor/consignee name and address, detailed commodity descriptions and corresponding HS Codes. Depending upon the mode of transport, all required information must be transmitted within specified timeframes. Once it has been received and processed by Canada Customs, a customs release decision will be made prior to the arrival of the goods in Can
