Also called CARM Client Portal, release prior to payment, RPP
What is CARM?
The Canada Border Services Agency system that made every importer hold their own account, their own security and their own liability.
What else it is called
- Other names
- CARM Client Portal, release prior to payment, RPP
- In French
- GCRA
Related entries
Understanding CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management
The Canada Border Services Agency replaced the way commercial importers are assessed and billed, and in doing so moved responsibility that brokers used to absorb onto importers directly. Every importer needs a CARM Client Portal account under their own business number, and has to delegate authority there to any broker acting for them. That delegation does not replace the general agency agreement or power of attorney; it is an additional step, and goods are not released without it.
The change with the most financial weight is release prior to payment. Getting goods released before the duty is paid used to run on the broker’s security. Since 20 May 2025 each importer has had to post their own, as a surety bond or cash deposit. Industry guidance puts the bond at half of your highest monthly amount owing to the agency over the previous year, with a minimum around $25,000 per program account, so confirm the current figure with your broker rather than relying on a number in an article.
Transition relief has been winding down. Penalty and interest waivers on late payments ended at the start of 2026, so overdue balances now carry the full consequences.
In practice
If your customs broker still handles everything and nobody at your company has logged into the portal, that is worth checking this week rather than at the border.
Frequently asked
Can our customs broker still handle everything?
They can still do the work, but not under their own business number and not on their own security. You need the portal account, your own release prior to payment security, and a delegation of authority to the broker recorded in the portal.
What happens without release prior to payment security?
Goods are not released automatically. Duties and taxes have to be settled before release, which in practice means delays at the border on every shipment.