On September 8, 2026, Canada introduced 15%, 25% and 50% surtaxes on specified U.S.-origin goods. The order exempted goods already with a carrier, bound for Canada and not yet arrived on that date. Importers had to keep proof of that transit status, such as a bill of lading.
When you change brokers, send the records behind any tariff relief along with the shipping instructions. Pick the first booked load the new broker will handle, and follow it through the move. Keep the older files assigned to the broker finishing them.
1. List the shipments and files already in progress
Put that first booking on the list alongside the other shipments and files already in progress. For each one, record the country, importer account, shipment or entry reference and expected arrival. Add what has already been filed, the broker handling it and the next task or deadline. A truck can be on the road before a customs entry has been submitted, so record the filing status separately.
| Customs status | What to do before changing the broker |
|---|---|
| Booked; no filing started | Choose which shipments the new broker will handle. Get its confirmation before redirecting their documents. |
| Documents sent; filing status unknown | Find out whether the current broker has filed anything before asking the new broker to submit an entry. |
| Entry filed; awaiting release or held | Keep the assigned broker on that entry while you confirm its status and next action. Have the new broker review any proposed change before authorizing another filing. |
| Released; work still open | Name who will finish the accounting, payment, correction or refund work and record the next deadline. |
Your shipping and finance records can get this list started. Ask the current broker about any filing status or deadline you can’t verify, then send each broker the files and tasks you’re assigning to it.
2. Choose the first shipments the new broker will handle
Confirm that first load with the new broker using its shipment reference, expected arrival, country and importer account. Record the date, time and time zone when the instructions take effect, plus any shipments staying with the former broker. Use shipment references as well as a date so a delayed load doesn’t get reassigned by accident. Each filing needs one broker responsible for it.
Decide whether you’re changing brokerage alone or moving freight coordination too. Write down which carriers and forwarders stay, who handles each booking and any booking changes they need to confirm.
The new broker will need your regular routes and shipping frequency. Send a recent entry and invoice, with messages showing what needs to change. Ask who to contact outside office hours.
Before fixing the date, check your current agreement’s notice terms and get the new broker’s fees and scope of work in writing. Ask about setup or document charges, carrier fees for using another broker and work on older corrections. Government duties and taxes are separate.
3. Get the records and account access ready
The goods can be delivered while customs accounting and payment are still unfinished. In Canada, Release Prior to Payment (RPP) lets eligible importers defer accounting and payment beyond release. Decide who will finish the remaining accounting and payment work while the new broker prepares to clear your next load.
For that next load, the broker needs the records behind the product descriptions and declarations it will use. Ask how to send them securely. Start with what you already have:
- An export of your product list, if you have one, with part numbers, descriptions, suppliers, origins and existing tariff classifications. Show which products each origin document, ruling or customs verification finding covers.
- Origin documents, customs rulings and any permits or licences that apply to your goods and destination.
- Recent customs entry records for each country, invoices and transport documents. Include older entry records needed for unfinished work.
- Corrections, refunds or customs enquiries still open, including reference numbers and anything due next.
Have the new broker review the old classifications before using them.
Canadian clearances
If the legal entity doing the importing hasn’t changed, keep using its Business Number, RM import account and CARM registration. If your group has several companies or import accounts, tell the broker which ones it will handle. Your business still has to keep its customs records and pay its duties and taxes.
Sign the new broker’s agency agreement and approve its CARM access separately. The broker sends a business relationship request. The person who manages your account chooses which accounts and transactions the broker can access.
How to approve the new broker’s CARM request
Your business account manager (BAM), or program account manager (PAM) for the relevant program, can approve the request:
- Open Setup my portal, then Manage my business relationships.
- In Received requests, open Details for the new broker. Review the request, then select Approve.
- Choose All programs or Specific programs and the Transaction Visibility rules agreed for the work.
- Select Next, review the access details and select Approve again to finish.
Ask the broker to check that it can see and use the account it needs.
CARM access won’t show the new broker every old record. Get copies of the rulings and supporting documents it needs.
If you use Release Prior to Payment (RPP), check the enrolment and financial security already recorded for your business. Your broker may have helped arrange it. A broker change doesn’t automatically require a replacement bond; check the existing security before changing or cancelling it.
Decide who will pay duties and taxes to the CBSA and how finance will check what’s been paid and what’s still owing. Financial security doesn’t pay the bill. Welke can help with CARM setup, broker delegation and training.
U.S. clearances
Sign the customs power of attorney directly with the new broker. Have it check the importer-of-record details and the business names under which it will file.
Give it the details of any existing customs bond. Review the coverage with the broker and bond provider before changing or cancelling it. Agree who will pay CBP and how finance will check the payments. The importer remains responsible for duties, including when a broker pays on its behalf.
4. Confirm the first shipments, then send the instructions
Before redirecting that first load’s documents, get the new broker’s written confirmation that it’s ready for the countries involved:
- The broker has the shipment records it needs and has confirmed the shipment references it will handle.
- For Canada, the agency agreement is signed and the broker can use the required CARM account. If you use RPP, its enrolment and security have been checked.
- For the U.S., the direct power of attorney is in place and the broker has checked what bond coverage is needed, including any existing bond.
- Shipping and finance know who will pay customs and how they will check payments.
If the broker is still waiting for something, resolve it before assigning those shipments to it. Record who will supply any missing item and by when.
To the former broker
Subject: Customs work moving to [new broker]
From [date/time/time zone], the new broker will handle [country/importer account and shipment references].
Please finish [listed open files and remaining tasks]. Confirm their filing status, next deadlines and any outstanding charges, and send the related records to [secure destination].
Please flag any shipment you receive outside this assignment. Questions: [name/contact].
When ending the former broker’s authority, follow the country-specific cancellation steps as well:
For Canadian accounts, notify it when cancelling its authority and remove or change its CARM access accordingly. Unless you give different instructions, it is assumed to have authority to finish transactions it started before cancellation. Check what access it needs for those files first.
For U.S. work, written notice revoking a customs power of attorney must be received by CBP. Agree how the notice will be filed and who will finish the open entries before ending the former broker’s work.
To suppliers and carriers
Subject: Customs broker change for [importing business]
From [date/time/time zone], please send clearance documents for [country/importer account and affected shipment references or agreed scope] to [new broker/contact/email].
Shipments staying with the former broker: [references, or “none”].
Freight bookings: [providers staying and agreed changes].
Please update your saved shipping instructions and reply to confirm. Questions: [name/contact].
For the affected loads, name who sends the commercial documents and who sends the carrier’s customs reference and arrival updates. Set a deadline with each sender and the new broker. Add the transport mode, reference, expected arrival and planned release location to the shipment instructions where needed.
For road shipments into Canada using PARS, the cargo-control/PARS reference must match the broker’s release information. The arrival port and planned customs release location can differ. The carrier remains responsible for its customs reports.
Chase missing acknowledgements before the agreed document deadline. Have the new broker confirm that the first load’s documents have arrived. Give finance the new billing contact and decide who will deal with old invoices.
You may be able to keep your carrier. FedEx Broker Select, for example, permits another broker on eligible services. Check your route, service, instructions and any extra charges before shipping.
5. Check release, accounting and the first invoice
Keep following that first load after release. When its customs entry record and brokerage invoice are available, check them against the booking, supporting documents and agreed fees:
- The correct broker handled the shipment, and shipping and finance can find its release status, customs entry record and brokerage invoice.
- Compare the entry’s importer/account details, goods descriptions and quantities, classifications, origin, values and currencies with the shipment’s supporting records.
- Check the brokerage invoice against the agreed fees and confirm how duty/tax payment has been handled.
- If something is wrong, agree who will fix it and when you’ll hear back.
For Canadian entries, check the Commercial Accounting Declaration (CAD), or the older B3 for a pre-CARM file. For U.S. entries, check the entry summary, such as CBP Form 7501 or its electronic equivalent.
Ask the broker to explain discrepancies and arrange any required correction. Currency conversion and customs valuation adjustments can mean the declared value differs from the supplier’s invoice total.
Clients can use MyWelke to check shipment updates, find documents and invoices, and export reports. Ask Welke to set up MyWelke logins for shipping and finance. Keep copies of your older records where your team can find them.
If the handover gets complicated
What if the old broker is slow to send records?
Ask for the missing entries in writing, with shipment numbers and a date range. Gather the invoices, transport documents and customs records your team already has. Get any missing information for the first shipment before giving it to the new broker. Keep chasing the older records too.
What if a shipment is already held?
Ask why the goods are held, what has already been filed and who is speaking with customs. Check that the assigned broker received the documents. Have the prospective broker review those details before authorizing a new filing. Appointing it doesn’t release the goods or mean an existing entry should be cancelled and filed again.
Start with your next shipment
Tell Welke which booked shipment you’d like to move first. Include your regular routes, how often you ship and whether you need brokerage, freight coordination or both. Say who handles the work today and what needs to change.
Keep that first load’s entry, invoice and supporting records together, including evidence for any tariff relief. They let you check what the new broker declared and what you paid. The new broker can be clearing your next shipments while the broker assigned to the older files finishes that work.