Important Forms List
In this section, you will learn the primary forms used for setting-up client accounts for Canada, US or NRI (Non-resident importer). The descriptions for each document are provided below under the list.
Click a title from the list to find a form on this page.
Setup Forms List:
- New Account Info form
- Non-Resident Importer Certification
- US Customs Power of Attorney
- Continuous Bond application
- Credit Application
- Credit Card Authorization form (for one-offs)
- Bond Questions (for those with no Continuous customs bond)
Prior to setup:
Ask client if they have ever imported goods into the US before and acted as Importer of Record
· If yes, ask for US Federal Tax ID, or Customs Assigned Number:
o If they don’t have it or don’t know what it is, have them provide a copy of a 7501 Entry Summary of a previous shipment into the US. It will be noted on that form;
· If no, we can set them up with a Customs Assigned Number after the Customs Power of Attorney has been executed.
FORM DESCRIPTION
Account Profile
When a client is switching to Frontier, they need to inform their previous Custom broker that they are cancelling their services.
To fill out this form all that is needed is the company name, date and a signature from an officer at the company.
Cancellation Notice
Carrier Authority
Certificate of Origin
This form tells you where the imported products originated.
A Certificate of Origin Declaration of Origin (often abbreviated to C/O or CO or DOO) is a document widely used in international trade transactions which attests that the product listed therein has met certain criteria to be considered as originating in a particular country. A certificate of origin / declaration of origin is generally prepared and completed by the exporter or the manufacturer, and may be subject to official certification by an authorized third party. It is often submitted to a customs authority of the importing country to justify the product’s eligibility for entry and/or its entitlement to preferential treatment. Guidelines for issuance of Certificates of Origin by chambers of commerce globally are issued by the International Chamber of Commerce..
The country of origin determines the duty rate, what free trade may be applicable and if there are any anti-dump provisions on a product. Ensuring that certificates are accurately completed eliminates the worry that customs may disallow the use of the document after the fact, which would result in an unforeseen, unaccounted cost.
Certificate of Retrieval/Renewal
The USMCA Certificate of Retrieval is valid for one year and must be renewed annually.
Below is the attached the form that we send to clients for them to advise us how they want to go about providing their CUSMA certification. They have three (3) choices; (1) they can retrieve them and forward to us or (2) we can request the document on their behalf for a fee or, (3) we can retrieve the document and ensure that it is completed correctly for a retrieval and consulting fee for service.
Corporate Certification NRI
The purpose of this certification is to verify that the signature on the Power of Attorney is that of a bona-fide Officer of the Corporation. This certification must be signed by an Officer (President, Vice President, Corporate Secretary or Treasurer) other than the Officer who signed the U.S. Customs Power of Attorney.
Credit Application
Every new account will require a credit application and an account profile be filled out. Here are some helpful tips and the forms you’ll need to get started:
Required information on the credit application is basic but some issues can arise without having proper data.
- The first step in setting up a new account is a credit application with 3 references.
- The “credit limit request” field needs to be filled out with the amount the customer needs in credit.
- Exporter number, obtain a government issued document to ensure the Employer identification Number (EIN) matches the name of the company.
- Send the form to your client and ask them fill it out.
- Send the completed form to ar@frontierscs.com
- References will be checked and the credit claim will be approved or denied.
- Once approved the department manager and get a team and an individual assigned to the prospective client.
- Schedule an implementation meeting with the team.
Credit Card Form
- Ensure that all fields are filled in and writing is legible.
- Coutts and Relay process credit card payments at the time of shipment and forward back up to AR for cash application
- Send the completed form to ar@frontierscs.com for processing, once payment has been posted, A/R will advise that shipment can be scheduled for pre-paid accounts
- Customers may also call in directly to pay their account with credit card.
- Once payment has been posted, the customer will receive an emailed receipt
Daily Notice & SOA - (Previously Called EDI)
Here is the application Form for Daily Notices and Statement of Account (SOA) (also referred to as the EDI (Exchange Data Interchange))
The Daily Notice (DN) is a notice that lists all transactions posted on the importer account from the previous day (e.g. Transactions posted on the 7th of the month will show on the DN for the 8th). These transactions include debts, payments, penalties and all other document transactions.
Importer DN : Importer DNs include all transactions associated with the Importer Business Number, regardless of the broker that handled the transactions.
Statement of Account (SOA)
A Statement of Account (SOA) is a monthly statement which provides a summary of the daily information that was posted on the Daily Notice from the 25th to the 24th of the month (i.e. January 25th to February 24th). SOAs are sent out on the 25th day of each month. It includes the date that the importer SOA is issued followed by the payment due date which is the date that payment is due. Late or no payment will result in late payment interest charges and/or penalties. This statement may also show various types of transactions under the “Other Transactions Section.” If debts are left unpaid from previous months, or payments sent and not applied or used, they will show up in this section.
Importer SOA: The Importer SOA provides a summary of the transactions on the importer Daily Notice, which includes transactions managed by all brokers. The Importer SOA includes all transactions associated to your importer business number, regardless of the broker that handled the transactions.
FTA Certificate
FTA = Free Trade Agreement and USMCA is a Free Trade Agreement for North American countries.
A FTA can have multiple documents. Specifically, one for each party to a FTA (and there are many FTA’s). For example, Canada alone has 14 different trade agreements with 51 different countries.
General Agency Agreement (POA)
The general agency agreement is not as stringent as the US POA.
It is essential to ensure we have the correct legal name and legal number. The trade name of the company is not acceptable and will make the GAA void. Get the legal name registration from the client to ensure we have the correct information.
The business must activate their RM identifier if they have not done so already. This advises government officials that the organization is planning to import.
For a sole proprietorship the name listed should be the full legal name of the actual person not the business name.
Ex Tim Smith owns Tim’s flower shop, the name listed with be Tim Smith.
Release Prior to Payment Bond
If either the importer is a non-Canadian resident or there are a substantial amount of duty related to the import then a release prior to payment bond is needed.
With the release prior to payment bond the importer will also need to sign a direct security letter.
Guidelines and General Information
1. The Customs Act and the Accounting for Imported Goods and Payment of Duties Regulations establish the requirement to post security for release of goods prior to payment of duties.
2. An importer or customs broker who wishes to obtain the release prior to payment privilege shall:
(a) register for an importer/exporter account
(b) post security
3. The release prior to payment privilege entitles holders to:
(a) obtain release of goods from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) before paying duties and taxes;
(b) defer accounting; and
(c) defer payment of duties and taxes.
4. In addition to the security deposit, a letter with the following information should be provided when applying for this privilege:
(a) Name and address of importer or customs broker posting security;
(b) Contact name, telephone and fax numbers;
(c) Business number; and
(d) The central payment office, if requested.
Need descriptions for: Direct Security Letter (Maureen)