ACI Air Implementation in Canada effective June 26, 2006 (French)

Issue 518, June 21, 2006

On June 26, 2006, the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) will begin enforcement of the Advance Commercial Information (ACI) regulations for the air mode. This will require all airlines to supply shipment manifest information electronically to the CBSA at least 4 hours prior to arrival of the aircraft at any Canadian airport (or at departure if the flight is less than 4 hours in length). The ACI program is being implemented to identify unknown and high-risk shipments that enhance the CBSA's ability to protect the Canadian border; while at the same time, facilitate the legitimate flow of goods and trade.

DHL Global Forwarding, in co-operation with our partner airlines, is prepared to meet the regulatory requirements, as dictated by the CBSA. Data Quality is critical to the success of this endeavour, and in that regard, we are asking for your help. Below, is a list of critical data elements that CBSA will require for ACI. Please ensure this information is provided to your local DHL Global Forwarding agent when tendering freight to us.

1. Complete Shipper name and address. This includes the city and country name. If the address is in the U.S.A., the state name and zip code is also required.
    
2. Complete consignee name and address. This includes the city and country name. If the address is in Canada or the U.S.A., the provincial / state name and postal / zip code is also required.
    
3. Detailed commodity description. CBSA requires a description of an item that is clear and concise. The description should be in plain language and detailed enough to allow Canada Customs to identify the size, shape and characteristics of the commodity. Superfluous information, not relevant to the commodity description i.e., type of packaging, carrier disclaimers, etc., should not be used. The link below provides a sample list of acceptable and unacceptable commodity descriptions, as outlined by the CBSA.
   
   http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/advance/faqs-e.html#5a
    
4. Quantity of goods. CBSA requires all manifests to report the number of pieces being shipped. Their criteria is defined by stating "the Number of packages per nature of commodity packed in such a way that they could not be divided without first undoing the packaging."
    

Should the information not meet ACI data requirements, or if a perceived security threat exists, CBSA can issue a "risk assessment" status, placing the goods "on hold" at the Canadian airport of first arrival or final destination. Only when the non-compliant information is corrected, or the perceived security threat is eliminated, will CBSA cancel the hold status and allow the goods to continue to be transported. In addition, failure to comply with the ACI timeline regulations or if the information is determined to be incomplete or inaccurate, a fine may be imposed, as dictated by the "Administrative Monetary Penalty System" of the CBSA.

DHL Global Forwarding reserves the right to deny the loading of any cargo tendered to us for which we have not received all the required data within the required times. Costs or damages related to these regulations associated with Administrative Monetary Penalties shall be for the account of the importer or exporter, as applicable.

ACI FEE
ACI regulations will increase operating costs for carriers and forwarders in the following manner:

	Increased EDI messaging costs
	Software development costs to meet CBSA requirements
	Labor costs associated with process changes including documentation and freight validation
	Increased liabilities

We therefore will begin charging an ACI fee of 12.00 Euros (or local equivalent) for all shipments destined to or transiting via Canada as of June 26, 2006. This ACI Fee is not applicable to US origin Customers utilizing the DHL Global Forwarding Surface Tariff.

We thank you for your understanding. Should you have further questions regarding ACI, please do not hesitate to contact your nearest DHL Global Forwarding office.

Sincerely,

Brian Lindholm
Executive Vice President Operations, North America