The Non-Resident Importer program was developed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to help exporters gain access to Canadian markets. Learn all about the NRI program with these slides.

1. The Non-Resident Importer Program

2. What Is a Non-Resident Importer – a “NRI”
• A Commercial Importer ( a company) not located in Canada that
imports into Canada and is the responsible party for all import
related costs
• CBSA developed the Non-Resident Importer concept – specifically
to help exporters gain access to Canadian markets
• A NRI is both the ‘exporter’ as well as the ‘importer of record’

3. Importer of Record
• IOR is defined as an individual or business entity that is responsible
for the payment of duties and taxes on imported goods
• IOR is the usual party billed by the CHB for all services related to the
import
• IORs name is noted on the customs accounting document
• The IOR can be either a resident or a non-resident (NRI)

4. Benefits to the Canadian Purchaser
• One price - An ‘all-in’ pricing at the time of purchase
• No stress - Goods received without tracking / managing the
import process
• Timely delivery – A&A with NRI control movement – customer trust
• Overall shopping experience – Seamless – a ‘local’ feel

5. Benefits for the NRI
• Profit management – You control the delivered pricing
• Documentation control – how many importers? Brokers? Carriers?
NAFTAs?
• Importation accuracy - Consistency
• Your sales team can focus on product & price! - Not explaining
importation processes to potential customers
• BEST customer service experiences – Simplified purchase to delivery
• Sales reach expanded – access to a greater share of the Canadian market

6. NRI Responsibility at the Border
• NRI is the ‘Importer of Record’ for customs purposes
• Responsible to pay all import duties & taxes
• Accuracy and availability of required import documents
• Liaises with A&A in advance of shipping for ‘smooth clearance flow’
at FPOA (first point of arrival )

7. Steps to Take
1. Registration with CRA for a Business Number (BN) for ‘import
purposes’
2. Determine if registration as a business with CRA for taxation is
required or voluntary
3. Review NAFTAs for applicable goods – create ‘one’ blanket
certificate
4. Adjust documentation - to identify IOR as different than purchaser
5. Build your ‘all-in’ cost with A&A’s assistance for Brokerage, Freight
or Warehousing costs
6. Secure customers and export to Canada

8. Taxes
Canada supports three types of taxes - billed at different levels
1. Federal
GST – Goods & Services Tax (GST)
2. Provincial
Provincial Sales Tax (PST)
3. GST + PST combined as a single tax
Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

9. What is GST?
GST is a Value Added Tax (VAT) that is charged on a product at each
stage of its manufacture or sale
• The consumer or purchaser is the entity who pays the final and
highest amount
• GST in Canada is a ‘fixed’ federal tax of 5% regardless of Province of
business/residency
• Applies to the supply of most goods and services in Canada
• Collected at the border on commercial imports on most goods
• Collected at the border on casual imports on most goods

10. What is PST?
• Provincial tax collected which varies in rate by Province
• Four Provinces collect this tax: Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec
& Saskatchewan
• Collected on casual imports of most goods at the border
• What does this mean?
Consumer (casual) purchases from residents in these Provinces are
charged both taxes separately - the GST and the PST on import
• PST does not apply to commercial importers (businesses) on import

11. What is HST?
• HST is a combined tax – GST + PST as a single ‘harmonized’ tax
• Six Provinces collect this tax: Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador
• GST is the constant at 5% + Provincial Rate (varies) = HST charged
at import
• Collected on casual imports for most goods at the border
➢ HST does not apply to businesses on import
• What does this mean?
Consumer (casual) purchases from residents in these Provinces are
charged as a single ‘Harmonized Tax” on import

12. Tax payable
• Consumers ultimately pay the tax – yet businesses, as Registrants,
are generally the responsible party for collecting and remitting tax to
the government - the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on most
goods
• Commercial Importers – Businesses, are generally responsible for
collecting & remitting tax to the CRA as Registrants or to CBSA at
time of import on most goods

13. Tax Exceptions
Zero Rated Goods
• Basic Groceries
• Drugs and Biologicals
• Medical and Assistive Devices
• Exports from Canada
• Certain Agriculture and Fishing goods
Tax Exempt Goods
• Replacement goods under warranty
• Canadian Goods Returning (CGR)
• NRI goods consigned to postal or courier for distribution (magazines)

14. Registering for GST
‘Registrants’ are those businesses that are required to have a GST/HST
Registration Number (or who have voluntarily registered) and for
applicable goods will
✓ Collect the GST/HST on most of their sales – taxable supplies they
make in Canada
✓ Pay the GST/HST on purchases made to operate their business
✓ File returns on a regular basis
✓ Claim through an Input Tax Credit (ITC) to recover GST/HST paid or
payable on those purchases they use in their commercial activities
✓ Remit any resulting net tax owing

15. When Must an NRI Register?
Registration for GST/HST MUST occur if your business:
• Has total worldwide taxable supplies of goods and services
exceeding $30,000 in a single calendar quarter OR in four
consecutive calendar quarters
• Is deemed to be carrying on business in Canada
➢ Provides taxable, incl. zero-rated, goods or services in Canada
… You can be carrying on business in Canada even if you do not have a
permanent establishment in Canada

16. ‘Carrying on Business in Canada’ Consideration Factors
• Place where agents or employees of the non-resident are located
• Place of delivery, payment
• Place where purchases are made or assets are acquired
• Place from which transactions are solicited
• Location of bank account, assets or an inventory of goods
• Place where business contract are made
• Place where the non-resident’s name/business are listed in directory
• Location of a branch or office place where the service is performed
• Place of manufacture or production
‘Carrying on business’ typically means the business activity in question
is done regularly or continually

17. Place of Supply
For HST purposes – four General Place of Supply rules are used:
Rule 1: Based on the address obtained for the ‘recipient’ of the service
➢ If obtained address is in a participating province, HST will
apply
➢If more than one address, determine the address most
closely related to the supply
➢If no home/business address obtained, there is no
requirement for address to be obtained, where recipient is
located. Use address most closely related to the supply

18. Place of Supply
Rule 2 – Generally based on where the service is performed if Rule 1
does not determine that the supply is made in a province
➢ If the Canadian element of the service is performed mostly
in participating provinces, the supply is considered to be
made in particular participating province if the same amount
or more of the Canadian element is not performed in another
participating province

19. Place of Supply
Rule 3 – If Rule 2 cannot determine place of supply. This rule states IF
performed equally in two or more participating provinces use Rule 3
➢ Considers the service to be supplied in the participating
province among the provinces that has the highest rate for
the provincial component of the HST

20. Place of Supply
Rule 4 – If by applying Rule 1 the supply of service is not considered to
be made in a province and the Canadian portion of the service is
carried out other than primarily (50% or less) in the participating
provinces
➢ The supply is considered to be made in a non-participating
province and therefore not subject to HST
Rule exceptions – Customs Brokerage services

21. Place of Supply Rule Exceptions - CHBs
2 Categories:
Category 1: Customs Brokerage Services
Those made in respect of importing goods, of arranging for the release
of goods, or fulfilling of any requirement to account for the goods,
report, or provide information or remit any amounts
Category 2: Other Services
Not included in the term Customs Brokerage Services, can include the
filing of appeals, adjustments, reviews, drawbacks, rulings,
objections, redeterminations, refunds, abatement, remissions or
anything related to these services

22. Place of Supply Rule Exceptions - CHBs
Casual Goods:
Category 1 - Deemed made in a participating province if the provincial
component of the HST is imposed on the goods at the time of import
Category 2 - Relies on the ‘Place of Supply’ Rules
If the supplier of the service (CHB) has a recipient address of the
supply of the service (the client), and that address is a participating
province, HST will apply

23. Place of Supply Rule Exceptions - CHBs
Commercial Goods:
Category 1 – Considered made in the province in which the goods are
situated at the time of release regardless of where the importer or
the broker are located
Category 2 – Relies on the ‘Place of Supply’ Rules
If the supplier of the service (CHB) has a recipient address of the
supply of the service (the client), and that address is a participating
province, HST will apply

24. Key Questions – Conversation & Document Review
• Commodities being imported
• Country of manufacture(s)
• Number of entries per month – LVS, HVS & CLVS
• Average Duty outlay per month – entry types
• Average GST/Tax outlay per month
• Average Number of Invoice lines – SKUs/entry –
Available Database?
• Port(s) of clearance, mode(s) of transport
• Current payment terms
• Current customs broker
• Disbursements? ie: Transport- average outlay monthly

25. Red Flags - Payouts
May include:
• Duty; Tax; SIMA; Excise; Surety Bond
• OGD requirements
• Freight payments or similar

26. Red Flags - Concessions
May include:
• Trade Agreements simplified -> ONE blanket
• End Use
• Temporary Imports
• Consolidations
• Database import
We will review your opportunities to save you where it counts

27. Provincial Tax
• NRI MUST invoice the GST/PST/HST at the time of import on
casual goods
• NRI must invoice the GST at the time of import on commercial
goods if deemed to be doing business in Canada

28. Provincial Tax – Casual Goods
CBSA has agreed with provinces to collect Provincial Tax on casual goods
– even casual goods imported through the commercial stream
• PST is collected only on goods subject to GST or other federal duties
• PST or HST is only collected on taxable goods imported by, or released
to, residents who ordinarily reside, or carry on business, in these
provinces
• PST exemptions at the provincial level for certain goods by Quebec,
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, BC and the participating HST provinces
• Port of entry, or where customs clearance takes place, has no bearing
on the tax status of the goods

29. Provincial Tax – Casual Goods
• Province of Quebec collects Quebec Sales Tax (QST) –differently
administered
– QST is applied to the selling price (excluding GST)
– GST is then calculated on the same selling price
• Alberta and Territories (Yukon, NW Territories, Nunavut) collect PST
– GST at time of import applies
• Imported casual goods, under agreement with provinces, CBSA will
collect PST if applicable on GST goods

30. Provincial Tax Snapshot – Casual Goods

31. ITCs – Input Tax Credits
ITC is for the GST one pays on legitimate business expenses
• A ‘registrant’ can, in most cases, claim an ITC for GST they have paid
on both goods and services used during the course of their
commercial operations
• ITC identifies how much GST has been charged or collect and how
much GST has been paid or owed to suppliers
• A GST Registrant claims ITCs on their GST/HST return
• ITCs returns are filed according to a specified ‘reporting period’

32. Reporting Periods - ITCFiling is either
• Monthly - $6m or more
• Quarterly - $1.5 to $6m
• Annually - $1.5 or less
Based on the total of
• Annual taxable supplies of goods and services made in Canada
• Zero-Rated Supplies of goods and services
• Annual taxable supplies of all your associates
Amount determined will result in either an
• Assigned or Optional reporting period

33. Filing ITCs
• Mandatory electronic filing for most registrants since July 1, 2010
• 4 filing methods:
– GST/HST NETFILE
– GST/HST TELEFILE
– GST/HST EDI filing and remitting
– GST/HST Internet File Transfer (GIFT)
• CRA has a Q&A link which will help determine filing requirement
• If there is nothing to report, tax returns must be filed timely

34. ITC Processing
• CRA will Assess or Reassess the processed return
• Contact CRA first – may vacate or confirm assessment or
reassess decision
• Formal objection process is available
• Formal subsequent appeal process available

35. Review
Outcomes ensure:
✓ Specific needs of the customer
are always met
✓ No delays at the border – proper
documentation and financial
arrangements are in place
✓ Smooth, stress-free, accurate
transactions
✓ BEST BROKERAGE Solution!
Builds an accurate history:
• Insight Information for
– Release staff
– Confirming (drafting) staff
– Post review & projection
• Payment methods / timelines
• Rulings – CBSA / CRA
• Red Flags & Concessions

36. Email customerservice@aacb.com
Phone 1.800.663.4270
Web aacb.com
Contact us for
solutions tailored
to your needs.