How to Fill Out and Submit the B13A Export Declaration Form

The B13A export declaration is Canada’s record of commercial goods leaving the country, and it is now filed electronically through the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) operated by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The paper B13A form is no longer in regular use, but the name still gets attached to the electronic declaration that replaced it. You must file if you are shipping commercial goods worth $2,000 CAD or more to a destination outside the United States, or if the goods are controlled, regulated, or prohibited under an Act of Parliament regardless of value or destination.¹

When a Declaration Is Required

Two triggers under the Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations decide whether you file. The first is value and destination: commercial goods shipped to a single consignee outside the United States must be reported when the total shipment reaches $2,000 CAD or more. The second is the nature of the goods: anything controlled, regulated, or prohibited under Canadian law must be reported no matter what it’s worth or where it’s going.² That second rule pulls in military equipment, certain technologies, and chemical precursors listed on Canada’s Export Control List.

Goods moving in transit through the United States to a third country also need a declaration if they meet either trigger, and the filing has to be done before the goods cross into the U.S.³

Shipments That Are Exempt

The CBSA publishes a set of “No Declaration Required” (NDR) codes. You give the appropriate code to the carrier in place of a Proof of Report number. The most common exemptions:

NDR1: non-restricted goods exported for consumption in the United States (railcars and locomotives excluded).
NDR2: non-restricted commercial goods under $2,000 CAD.
NDR3: non-restricted personal and household effects not for resale (permanently exported vehicles excluded).
NDR7: non-restricted goods exported by diplomatic embassy or mission personnel.
NDR8: personal gifts and donations of non-restricted goods.
NDR10: non-restricted goods sent out for repair or warranty repair that will return to Canada.
NDR14: non-restricted goods, other than those sent for further processing, that will return within 12 months.

The full CBSA list has 16 categories covering temporary exports under an A.T.A. Carnet, reusable cargo containers, bonded warehouse removals, and emergency shipments.⁴

One trap to watch. Restricted goods shipped to the United States are exempt from the export declaration itself, but you still have to present the applicable permit, certificate, or licence to the CBSA before the goods leave. Missing that step is where exporters get penalized even when the declaration wasn’t required.

Accounts You Need Before You File

Two setups have to be in place before you can log into CERS.

Business Number and Import-Export Account

Start with a nine-digit Business Number (BN9) from the Canada Revenue Agency.⁵ Then register for an import-export (RM) program account through the CARM Client Portal.⁶ Do this well ahead of your first shipment. If the RM account isn’t active, goods sit at the border.

CERS Portal Login

You reach the CERS portal with either a GCKey (a Government of Canada online credential) or a Sign-In Partner login through your bank. New users create a GCKey on the login screen and set recovery questions. The first time you sign in, CERS walks you through building a user account: profile information, time zone, preferred language, and email verification.⁷

Information to Have Ready

Have all of this in front of you before opening the declaration. Missing fields stall the submission:

Your BN15: the nine-digit Business Number plus the six-character RM suffix.
Harmonized System (HS) code for each product in the shipment. HS codes are internationally standardized and identify goods for customs and statistical purposes.⁸
Shipment value in Canadian dollars.
Total weight in kilograms.
Destination country.
Consignee name and address (the final recipient).
Carrier name and expected departure date.
Mode of transport and port of exit.
Evidence of the applicable permit, certificate, or licence if any goods in the shipment are restricted.¹

Filing Deadlines by Mode of Transport

Your deadline depends on how the goods leave Canada. The regulations set fixed windows:

Air: at least 2 hours before goods are loaded onto the aircraft.
Sea: at least 48 hours before goods are loaded onto the vessel.
Rail: at least 2 hours before the railcar is assembled into a train for export.
Mail: at least 2 hours before the goods are delivered to the post office.
Highway or any other means: immediately before exportation.

These times come straight from the Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations and the CBSA’s exporters’ guide.¹² The 48-hour marine window is the one first-time exporters most often miss. Plan your filing around the vessel loading schedule.

Submitting and the Proof of Report

After you enter the required data in CERS and hit submit, the system validates it and, if accepted, issues a Proof of Report number. The number runs 15 to 25 characters and combines your authorization ID, the submission date, and a sequential number.⁹ Pass this number to your carrier. It is what proves the shipment has been reported, and the goods will not clear the exit point without it.

You can also hand the filing off to a customs service provider. The provider submits under your BN15, not theirs, and you remain legally responsible for accuracy and completeness of every declaration filed on your behalf.³

Amending or Voiding a Filed Declaration

To correct a filed declaration, open it in CERS and select “Amend.” You’ll pick a reason from a prioritized list; if more than one reason fits, choose the one nearest the top. You have 90 days from the original submission to make amendments.¹⁰

If the shipment never happened, void the declaration instead. A void is permanent. It cannot be amended afterward, so if plans change you would need to create a fresh declaration. After the 90-day window, any corrections or voids have to go through the CBSA’s Voluntary Disclosure process.

When the CERS System Is Down

The CBSA treats any processing delay longer than one hour as a full system outage.¹¹ During an outage you present two identical copies of Form BSF844 (Exporter Contingency Form) to the CBSA export reporting office nearest the point where goods will leave Canada. A border services officer stamps both copies with the date and time. You then give the carrier the generic code “ECD” instead of a Proof of Report number, and carriers who have a memorandum of understanding with the CBSA enter that code on the waybill or electronic cargo control document. Some offices that run the Electronic Longroom service also take the BSF844 by email.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

The CBSA enforces export reporting through its Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS). Penalty amounts scale with the type, severity, and frequency of the violation, and the Master Penalty Document lists each contravention and its fine.¹² First-time violations attract lower fines; repeat contraventions escalate quickly.

Beyond fines, the Customs Act lets the CBSA seize goods that were not properly reported, and intentional misrepresentation can lead to prosecution. Exporting controlled items without the required permits can trigger both CBSA enforcement and separate action under whatever Act of Parliament governs the specific goods.

Keep Your Records for Six Years

You have to keep all export records, on paper or electronic, for six years after the goods are exported.¹³ That covers Proof of Report confirmations, commercial invoices, shipping documents, and any permits or licences tied to the shipment. The CBSA can audit within that window, and not being able to produce the records is itself a contravention.

1
Government of Canada. Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations
2
Canada Border Services Agency. Exporters’ Guide to Reporting
3
Canada Border Services Agency. Memorandum D20-1-1 – Exporter Reporting
4
Canada Border Services Agency. Goods That Do Not Need an Export Declaration
5
Canada Revenue Agency. Getting or Making Changes to a Nine-Digit Business Number for Importing and Exporting
6
Canada Border Services Agency. Register for or Modify an Import-Export Program Account
7
Canada Border Services Agency. How to Access CERS and Create Your User Account
8
International Trade Administration. Harmonized System (HS) Codes
9
Canada Border Services Agency. Technical Guide for the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS)
10
Canada Border Services Agency. Create, Amend and Void Rules for Export Documents
11
Canada Border Services Agency. System Outage Contingency Plan – CBSA Commercial Systems
12
Canada Border Services Agency. Administrative Monetary Penalty System
13
Canada Border Services Agency. Record Keeping Requirements for Exporters