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CBSA Fees Increase for Inflation and GST/HST Applicability

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Published April 1st, 2026
Detected March 17th, 2026
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Summary

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is increasing certain fees by 25.3% to account for compounded inflation since April 1, 2019. Additionally, GST/HST will be applied to specific traveler clearance services. These changes take effect on April 1, 2026.

What changed

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has issued Customs Notice 26-04 detailing two significant changes affecting its fee structure. Firstly, effective April 1, 2026, certain CBSA fees, including those for customs brokers, special services, and warehouse storage, will increase by 25.3% to reflect compounded inflation since April 1, 2019, as mandated by the Service Fees Act. Secondly, also effective April 1, 2026, the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) will be applied to specific traveler clearance services provided under cost recovery agreements, such as those performed outside authorized hours or at non-designated locations.

Regulated entities, particularly customs brokers and businesses utilizing CBSA services for traveler clearance, must prepare for these fee adjustments and the new tax applicability. The 25.3% fee increase will be automatically applied to the listed fees starting April 1, 2026. Businesses involved in cost recovery agreements for traveler clearance should review their contracts and pricing to incorporate the GST/HST. Failure to comply with the updated fee structure and tax requirements could lead to discrepancies in payments and potential compliance issues with the CBSA.

What to do next

  1. Update fee schedules to reflect the 25.3% increase for applicable CBSA fees effective April 1, 2026.
  2. Review and adjust pricing for traveler clearance services to incorporate GST/HST, effective April 1, 2026.
  3. Ensure all customs broker license applications and renewals are processed with the updated fee amounts.

Source document (simplified)

Customs Notice 26-04: Changes to Certain Fees to Reflect Inflation and Taxes

**Ottawa,

February 24, 2026
**

This notice provides information regarding:

  • Increases for inflation to certain fees administered by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and
  • The applicability of the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST / HST) to service fees administered through cost recovery agreements for the clearance of travellers.

Increases for inflation to certain fees administered by the CBSA

  1. The CBSA must follow legal requirements under the Service Fees Act (SFA) regarding the annual adjustment of certain fees to account for inflation.

  2. Applicable fees must be adjusted annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Canada, as published by Statistics Canada. This legal requirement began on

April 1, 2019

. However, most CBSA fees subject to adjustment have thus far not been billed at the adjusted rates.

  1. On

April 1, 2026

, the CBSA 's applicable fees that had not been adjusted since

April 1, 2019

, will increase to reflect compounded inflation since that date, resulting in a 25.3% increase over the rates as they are currently billed.

  1. The following table lists the CBSA fees subject to the compounded 25.3% CPI increase, their current rates, and the adjusted rates at which they will be charged as of

April 1, 2026

.

| Fee group | Fee name | Current fee amount ($) | Updated fee amount as of April 1, 2026 ($) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Customs broker fees | Issue a customs broker license | 600.00 | 751.65 |
| Renew a customs broker license | 600.00 | 751.65 | |
| Process an application to write the customs broker professional examination | 200.00 | 250.55 | |
| Customs special services charges (includes Courier Low Value Shipment Program) | Perform a special service by an officer called in on duty in respect of imported goods or goods destined for exportation - first two hours or portion thereof | 54.00 | 67.65 |
| Perform a special service by an officer called in on duty in respect of imported goods or goods destined for exportation - each additional hour or portion thereof | 27.00 | 33.82 | |
| Kings and frontier warehouse storage charges | Storage of commercial goods left at a customs office or deposited in a place of safe-keeping - any automobile, truck or other vehicle and any self-propelled machinery - per day | 10.00 | 12.53 |
| Storage of commercial goods left at a customs office or deposited in a place of safe-keeping - any shipment of goods other than the goods described in Schedule Item 1 - per 50 kg per day | 0.45 | 0.56 | |
| Storage of commercial goods left at a customs office or deposited in a place of safe-keeping - any shipment of goods other than the goods described in Schedule Item 1 - minimum daily charge | 5.00 | 6.26 | |
5. The fees listed in the table above will continue to be adjusted annually for inflation, as are some other fees administered or collected by the CBSA, such as recovery of removals costs fees and food, plant and animal inspection fees.

Applicability of GST / HST to service charges administered through cost recovery agreements for the clearance of travellers

  1. The CBSA enters into cost recovery agreements with clients such as airport authorities, airlines and cruise ships for the provision of border services (clearance of travellers arriving in Canada) when the service is:
  • performed outside the authorized hours of service at a CBSA site as indicated on the online Directory of CBSA Offices and Services,
  • delivered at a non-designated location where CBSA services are not offered, or
  • not part of the regular services offered at a CBSA site, including (but not limited to) when passenger volumes at an airport of entry (AOE) exceed the AOE designation.
  • As the result of a review and to comply with a ruling by the Canada Revenue Agency, effective

April 1, 2026

, the CBSA will apply GST / HST to service charges for the clearance of travellers.

  1. The delivery of border services for the clearance of travellers arriving in Canada during regular business hours at designated points of entry continues to be publicly funded and is not subject to fees.

Additional information

  1. For questions regarding fee increases due to inflation and the applicability of GST / HST to charges for border services, please contact the CBSA 's Cost Recovery Centre of Expertise within the Finance and Corporate Management Branch:

CostRecoveryCoE-CEderecouvrementdescouts@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

Page details

Date modified:

2026-02-24

Source

Analysis generated by AI. Source diff and links are from the original.

Classification

Agency
CBSA
Published
April 1st, 2026
Compliance deadline
April 1st, 2026 (14 days)
Instrument
Notice
Legal weight
Binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Substantive

Who this affects

Applies to
Importers and exporters
Geographic scope
National (Canada)

Taxonomy

Primary area
Financial Services
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Taxation Customs

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