eManifest Portal

The eManifest Portal is an option developed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to allow the trade community to electronically transmit their pre-arrival information through the Internet. The eManifest Portal was developed primarily for small- to medium-sized businesses to facilitate their compliance and ease the transition from paper reporting to pre-arrival electronic data transmission. The eManifest Portal is available for highway carriers and freight forwarders to transmit pre-arrival data. Warehouse operators and brokers have access to the Portal to view data they have received from the CBSA. To access the Portal, select the eManifest Portal Sign in link in the right hand menu.

Main Features

The eManifest Portal features many self-serve functions such as the ability to:

• securely transmit trade data to the CBSA;
• confirm receipt of information and receive notifications from the CBSA;
• verify status of the trade data, whether it is transmitted through the Portal or by electronic data interchange (EDI);
• receive system messages from the CBSA updating users on important information related to their cross-border activities; and
• access online help and reference material.

Consult the CBSA Web site regularly for updates on the eManifest Portal or subscribe to the CBSA news feed.

Requirements

Business Requirements

There are two types of accounts in the eManifest Portal – the Business Account and eManifest Portal User Account.

Each person who works in the Portal must first set up an eManifest Portal User Account. To set up a User Account, the user will need to provide information such as their name, e-mail address and telephone number.

The Business Account is set up by an authorized representative of the business, called an Account Owner. They will need a valid client identifier and Shared Secret.

Client Identifier

A client identifier is a unique number that identifies the trade chain partner. For highway carriers and freight forwarders, the client identifier is a carrier code. For warehouse operators it is a sublocation code and for brokers it is an account security number.

A carrier code is a four-digit unique identifier that is assigned by the CBSA to a carrier.
Use of the generic itinerant highway carrier code 77YY was eliminated on March 31, 2011. All highway carriers must have a valid, CBSA-issued carrier code. For information on obtaining a CBSA-issued carrier code, visit the Commercial Carriers section of the CBSA Web site. For information on how this may affect the release of goods in all modes, contact the Import Program Unit at release.

Shared Secret

A Shared Secret is a temporary access code that a business requires to create a Portal Business Account in the eManifest Portal. The CBSA issues it to businesses that request access to the Portal and must be used within 90 days of the issue date. The Shared Secret is used to authenticate and validate a client when creating an eManifest Portal Business Account. Only the CBSA and the authorized representative of the company have access to this information.

Please refer to How to Apply for a Shared Secret.

Technical Requirements

eManifest Portal users must use a computer that meets the following technical requirements:

• Internet Access
• One of the following supported Web browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox

Additional eManifest Portal web browser requirements:

• Use Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption. TLS 1.2 (recommended) or TLS 1.0.
• Enable your browser's cookies.
• Enable JavaScript. Refer to your web browser's help section for information on enabling JavaScript. 

Note: users may access the Portal using other Web browsers and recently released versions of supported browsers; however they may not have been fully tested with the CBSA sign in services. If you encounter difficulties while using these browsers, it is recommended that you try using one of the supported browsers listed above or an earlier version of a supported browser.

Data Transmission Requirements

For eManifest data transmission requirements, please refer to the client-specific chapters of the Electronic Commerce Client Requirement Document available on the eManifest Portal Help and Support page.