Helpful Information

ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shipment reporting regulation. Highway carriers are required to send crew, truck, trailer and shipment details over the Internet to U.S. Customs using ACE eManifest at least one hour before reaching the U.S. border. Carriers must submit electronic manifest submissions by ACE eManifest and have them accepted by U.S. Customs (CBP) prior to truck arrival at first U.S. port of entry. When driver arrives at U.S. border he must have an ACE Cover Page indicating that all information has been entered and finalized in the CBP ACE eManifest system. If you need help please try our ACE eManifest Service Centre. We make ACE easy.

(Customs Broker Information - US Customs brokers are private agencies licensed by the US government to clear goods being imported into the United States. Customs brokers are responsible for preparing entry forms, collecting and submitting duties and other costs to obtain clearances for the goods to enter the US.
Important note: Customs brokers will submit entry forms to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) using a Shipment Control Number (SCN). Electronic Manifests (eManifest) will also be submitted to CBP using a SCN. The SCN submitted by the customs broker must match the eManifest. To ensure corresponding entries it is suggested to use PAPS (pre approval processing system) barcodes. CBP, customs brokers and eManifest universally recognize PAPS Barcodes.
For government approved PAPS/ACE SCN Barcodes - Barcodes Pro can assist you.

ACI (Advance Commercial Information) is the NEW Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) shipment reporting regulation. Highway carriers are required to send crew, trucks, trailer and shipment details over the Internet to Canada Customs at least one hour before reaching the Canadian border. If you need help please try our ACI eManifest Service Centre. We make ACI easy.

(Customs Broker Information - Canada Customs Brokers are private agencies licensed by the Canadian Government to clear goods being imported into Canada. Customs brokers are responsible for preparing entry forms, collecting and submitting duties and other costs to obtain clearances for the goods to enter Canada.)
(Important note: Customs brokers will submit entry forms to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) using a Cargo Control Number (CCN). Electronic Manifests (eManifest) will also be submitted to CBSA using a CCN. The CCN submitted by the customs broker must match the eManifest. Highway carriers must submit customs documents using PARS (pre arrival processing system) Barcodes. The PARS Barcode number is the CCN. To ensure corresponding entries the same PARS Barcode / CCN should be sent to the customs broker and eManifest.
For government approved PARS/ACI CCN Barcodes - Barcodes Pro can assist you.

Summing Up eManifest
eManifest (electronic manifest) is using the Internet to send shipment information to the border. Governments need to identify shipments entering their country that may pose risk or cause harm to their citizens. This is accomplished by screening shipments arriving at the border, accessing risk levels and inspecting accordingly.

Before eManifest drivers arriving at the border would give the Border Services Officer their shipment information and wait for the officer to decide how to proceed. eManifest gives highway carriers the ability to send all their information to the border before they arrive. Advance access to manifest information enables Customs Agents to pre-screen trucks, equipment, crews and shipments allowing more time for the inspection of high-risk cargo without delaying the border crossing of legitimate carriers.

eManifests provide Customs Agents with cargo information, such as crew, conveyance, equipment, and shipment details so they can begin processing the truck before it arrives at the gate. When a truck arrives at the primary booth the emanifest is retrieved along with the matching pre-filed entries, in-bond requests and other release declarations for the Border Services Officer to view and process. The officer will either release the truck or refer it to secondary inspection for further processing.

Carriers basically have three options for filing eManifests:
1) Government Portals: American and Canadian governments provide highway carriers the ability to submit truck, crew, equipment and shipment details directly to the border via the Internet. Governments do not charge to use the portal however the costs in time can be considerable. Portals provide very basic functions that require repetitive data entry while navigating numerous computer screens. As one government official stated, “You get what you pay for”.
2) Third Party Service Providers: These are companies approved to submit electronic manifests in behalf of highway carriers. Third Party Service Providers charge a nominal fee to gather the needed information to submit an eManifest to the border and provide the necessary documentation the driver needs upon arrival at the border. This is a popular option for small to medium sized operations faced with the choice of adding more workload to an already busy dispatch or hiring additional personal.
3) Purchase or Develop Custom Software: EDI (electronic data interchange) software may be purchased, leased or developed specifically tailored to your emanifest requirements. This option may be good for larger organizations with the resources to have an in-house emanifest department.

PARS LABELS - Used by Canada Customs (CBSA) for importing goods into Canada. The PARS Barcode is used on the Commercial Invoice at the time the shipment is picked up in the United States. A PARS barcode is attached to the Commercial Invoice. The Commercial Invoice with PARS label is sent by Fax or email to Customs Broker who enters information, including PARS number, in Canada Customs computer system. Our eManifest Service Centre also uses the PARS number to enter information in the ACI (Advanced Commercial Information System) with CBSA. When driver arrives at Canadian Border, Canada Customs scans the PARS label on Invoice and driver proceeds. PARS Labels can be used in sets of 1, 2, 3 or more of each sequential number.

PAPS LABELS - Used by U.S. Customs (CPB) as a shipping control number for Customs Brokers and ACE eManifest number. The PAPS Barcode is used on the Commercial Invoice at the time the shipment is picked up in Canada. The PAPS Barcode is attached to the Commercial Invoice. The Commercial Invoice with PAPS label is sent by Fax or email to Customs Broker who enters information, including the PAPS number, in U.S. Customs computer system. Our eManifest Service Centre also uses the PAPS barcode number as a shipping control number (PAPS / ACE SCN) in the ACE eManifest submission to U.S. Customs. IMPORTANT NOTE: U.S. Customs does not want to see the PAPS / ACE SCN barcode on Commercial Invoice at the crossing. Driver should have documentation in his possesion, including Commercial Invoice and ACE Cover page. Only the ACE eManifest Cover page is requested by U.S. Customs. The PAPS / ACE SCN number is printed on the ACE Cover page. PAPS Barcodes can be used in sets of 1, 2, 3 or more of each sequential number.