Canada’s Aluminum Import Reporting Requirements Change October 1, 2026

What is changing

Effective October 1, 2026, Global Affairs Canada requires importers using General Import Permit (GIP) No. 83 to provide specific production details for aluminum imports. Importers must now report the country of smelt and the country of most recent cast for applicable goods as a condition of using this permit.

Required information

When filing your customs declaration (e.g., via the Single Window Integrated Import Declaration), you must include:

• Country of largest smelt, and country of second-largest smelt if one exists, for goods containing primary aluminum.
• Country of most recent cast for all covered aluminum products.

These details must be accurate. Failure to comply with permit terms can result in administrative monetary penalties from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) or prosecution under the Export and Import Permits Act.

Exceptions to declaration requirements

You do not need to report these specific fields at the time of importation if:

1. The total value for duty of the covered goods is C$5,000 or less.
2. The goods are released under a Customs Self-Assessment (CSA) service option.

Note: These exceptions do not remove the record-keeping obligations. Keep the required supporting records, including smelt and cast information for covered imports, for six years after the year of importation.

Recommended next steps

• Coordinate with your broker: Verify that your customs broker is prepared to input the new data fields accurately.
• Update your supplier data: Ensure your suppliers provide the specific countries of smelt and cast for your products. Keep this documentation readily available in case of an audit.
• Review your processes: Update your internal tracking to link this production data to specific customs entries.

For more details, refer to Global Affairs Canada Notice 1170. Contact Vectura if you need assistance updating your customs compliance procedures.