How to Complete and Submit Form BSF831 for CERS Registration

Form BSF831 is the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) application you complete to register your business for the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) or the G7 Electronic Data Interchange (G7-EDI). Filing Form BSF831 for CERS registration is a one-time setup step; the actual shipment declarations happen later, inside CERS, once your account is active.¹

The form itself is short. Most of the work is knowing which boxes apply to your operation and having your Business Number in the right format before you start.

Do You Need to File BSF831

Any person or company exporting goods from Canada must report those goods to the CBSA, regardless of whether the exporter is based in Canada or abroad.² Reporting is done electronically, and to file electronically you need a CERS account, which starts with BSF831.

A declaration is required for most commercial goods valued at $2,000 CAD or more.³ Two boundaries matter here. Non-restricted goods shipped to the United States for consumption there are generally exempt, so a business that only sells non-controlled products into the US market may not need to register. But goods moving in transit through the United States on their way to a third country still need to be declared, and any item on Canada’s Export Control List requires an export permit regardless of value or destination.⁴

If any of your shipments fall inside the reporting requirement, you need a CERS account, and BSF831 is the first step.

Before You Start the Form

Have your 15-character Business Number ready. The nine-digit Business Number issued by the Canada Revenue Agency is not enough on its own; BSF831 requires the full 15 characters, which means the nine digits plus a six-character alphanumeric program account identifier such as the “RM0001” suffix that indicates enrollment in a CBSA program.¹

You will also need a working email address for the business. The CBSA sends your activation code to that address after the form is approved, so use one you monitor.

Decide in advance whether a customs broker or service provider will be filing your declarations for you. That answer determines whether you complete Part B. And decide whether you will use CERS or G7-EDI. The CBSA recommends CERS for most exporters, and unless your business has an existing system reason to use G7-EDI, CERS is the simpler choice.²

The form is available as a PDF download or as an HTML version you can fill in directly on the CBSA website.¹

Completing the Four Parts of BSF831

Part A: Exporter Information

Choose your language preference and enter the application date. Then provide your company’s legal name, operating name if it differs, and the full 15-character Business Number. Enter the business email address where the CBSA should send your activation code.¹

Part A also asks whether this account will be used to provide customs services for other exporters. Answer “Yes” only if you are a customs service provider filing on behalf of third parties. A typical exporter filing for its own shipments answers “No.”

Part B: Customs Service Provider

If a customs broker or service provider will submit export declarations on your behalf, Part B captures their legal name, operating name, Business Number, and licence number (the last is used for G7-EDI associations).

If you plan to file your own declarations through CERS, select “No” at question 8 and skip the rest of Part B.

Part C: Reporting Method

Part C asks whether you will use G7-EDI. Most exporters select “No” here and use CERS.² If you do select G7-EDI, you also need to complete the Annex at the end of the form, which covers software details, communication method, and sender identification.

Part D: Signature

Part D is completed by the authorized signatory and includes name, title, phone number, email, signature, and date. If a customs service provider is signing on your behalf rather than an employee of the exporting company, indicate that at question 14.

Submitting the Form and Waiting for Approval

Once complete, submit BSF831 to the CBSA. Approval generally takes up to five business days. Missing or incomplete information can extend that timeline, so double-check Part A and the Business Number format before you send it.⁵

When your application is approved, the CBSA emails a shared secret code to the address you gave in Part A. That code is the activation key tied to your business account, and you will need it to finish registration inside the CERS portal.

Activating Your CERS Business Account

With the shared secret code in hand, you finish registration inside CERS itself.

Check your browser. CERS supports Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.⁵
Create a user account. Sign in to the CERS portal and set up your personal login credentials. This is the individual login, separate from the business account.
Create the business account. Enter your Business Number, including the RM account portion, along with the shared secret code from the CBSA email. Whoever completes this step becomes the account owner.⁶
Add other users and a proxy owner. The account owner assigns roles to staff who need to view or submit declarations. The CBSA recommends adding at least one proxy account owner in case the primary owner is unavailable.⁵

Once the business account is active, users you have authorized can begin submitting export declarations.

What Comes After Registration

BSF831 registers your business. Each qualifying shipment still needs its own electronic export declaration filed through CERS, and each declaration captures shipment-level details: the consignee’s name and address, country of final destination, Harmonized System classification, value, country of origin, mode of transport, and port of exit.² G7-EDI users enter the full 10-digit Tariff Classification Number.

Submission deadlines vary by transport mode, and declarations must reach the CBSA before the goods leave Canada.⁷ After you submit, CERS generates a proof of report number that you pass to your carrier as confirmation the shipment has been reported.²

One other obligation to be aware of before your first shipment: you must retain your export records, whether paper or electronic, for at least six years after the goods are exported.⁸ The CERS portal is not treated as a record-keeping system, so keep your own copies of invoices, bills of lading, proof of report numbers, permits, and supporting documents outside CERS.

1
Canada Border Services Agency. BSF831 Exporter Reporting Application Form
2
Canada Border Services Agency. Exporters’ Guide to Reporting
3
Justice Laws Website. Reporting of Exported Goods Regulations (SOR/2005-23)
4
Canada Border Services Agency. Memorandum D20-1-1 – Exporter Reporting
5
Canada Border Services Agency. Register Your Business for an Account
6
Canada Border Services Agency. How to Register Your Business Account in CERS
7
Canada Border Services Agency. Technical Guide for the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) Portal – Business Rules
8
Canada Border Services Agency. Record Keeping Requirements for Exporters