Exporting to the United States – A Team Canada Inc Publication

8.5 The Canada Border Services Agency and exports

As an exporter, you'll have to deal regularly with United States customs regulations; sometimes, depending on your product, you'll have to comply with Canadian customs rules as well. This is because the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) requires you to file an export permit for goods classed as controlled, prohibited or regulated whenever you ship them to the United States.

You do not, however, have to file an export declaration to export them to the U.S., Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. (You're relieved of this paperwork by an agreement between the U.S. and Canada whereby Canada gets its export data directly from American import data.)

Note that you do have to report exports that are shipped through the U.S. to another country (referred to as "in-transit goods").

For a good general guide to Canadian customs regulations as they affect exporters, be sure to look at the CBSA's Handy Customs Guide for Exporters.