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Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) (CBSA)

Last updated 10 July 2026

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This article is part of the Customs Glossary Guide
CBSA's AMPS Master Penalty Document.
CBSA's AMPS Master Penalty Document.

The Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) is a civil penalty system used by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to issue monetary penalties to commercial clients for violations of CBSA trade and border legislation.[1] AMPS applies in the commercial stream and may affect trade chain partners such as importers, exporters, carriers, warehouse operators, customs brokers, and other parties responsible for complying with customs requirements.[2]

AMPS is intended to promote voluntary compliance by creating a monetary consequence for non-compliance. Penalties are generally administrative rather than criminal, but the CBSA may use other enforcement measures when circumstances warrant them.[2]


Master Penalty Document

The CBSA's Master Penalty Document lists AMPS contraventions resulting from failure to comply with requirements under the Customs Act, Customs Tariff, and related regulations.[3] Each contravention record includes the failure to comply, penalty amounts, legislative and regulatory references, penalty basis, retention period, and application guidelines.[3] Because the Master Penalty Document is revised over time, users should consult the current CBSA document rather than relying on copied penalty amounts.

Common examples listed in the Master Penalty Document include:

Code Example Contravention
C005 Information required in a permit, certificate, licence, document, or declaration for imported or exported goods is incorrect.
C021 A carrier failed to report imported goods to customs at the nearest designated customs office that was open for business.
C033 Goods that had been reported but not released were moved or removed from a CBSA office or sufferance warehouse without CBSA authorization.
C378 Prescribed pre-load or pre-arrival information relating to cargo and/or conveyance was not submitted.

AMPS and ACI eManifest

AMPS is especially relevant to carriers filing ACI eManifests because CBSA requires prescribed pre-arrival and pre-load cargo and conveyance information to be transmitted before arrival or loading, as applicable.[4] For highway carriers, ACI-related AMPS contraventions may apply when required cargo or conveyance data is missing, late, inaccurate, or not updated when information changes.[3]

One common ACI-related contravention is C378, which applies when a person fails to submit prescribed pre-load or pre-arrival information relating to cargo and/or conveyance.[4] The CBSA lists C378 penalty amounts as CAD $2,000 for the first occurrence, CAD $4,000 for the second occurrence, and CAD $8,000 for the third and subsequent occurrences, with a 12-month retention period.[4] Where five or more pre-arrival or pre-load cargo reports and their associated conveyance reports are not transmitted, the CBSA states that the maximum penalty will not exceed CAD $12,000 for a first-level infraction, CAD $24,000 for a second-level infraction, and CAD $48,000 for any subsequent infraction.[4]

Carriers should also review ACI-related contraventions beyond C378 in the CBSA's Master Penalty Document, since carrier penalties may appear under different contravention categories depending on the compliance issue.[3] Common risk areas include failing to transmit required ACI data, transmitting incorrect ACI data, failing to update changed information, or moving goods before CBSA authorization.[3]

For BorderConnect users, this means ACI eManifests should be reviewed before submission to confirm that shipment, conveyance, crew, cargo, and estimated arrival information are accurate and complete. If ACI information changes after submission, the carrier should update the eManifest as soon as the change is known to reduce the risk of non-compliance.

Notices and Penalty Amounts

AMPS penalties are issued on Form E650, the Notice of Penalty Assessment (NPA).[5] According to CBSA Memorandum D22-1-1, the penalty structure is graduated in most cases, which means repeat instances of the same contravention can result in higher penalty levels.[2] Some contraventions use a flat rate instead, so the applicable contravention in the Master Penalty Document should always be reviewed.[3]

The maximum penalty amount for a single instance of non-compliance under AMPS is CAD $25,000.[2] A single Notice of Penalty Assessment may exceed that amount if it includes multiple instances of non-compliance.[2]

Review, Correction, and Recourse

If a trade chain partner does not agree with a Notice of Penalty Assessment, CBSA Memorandum D22-1-1 states that they may request a Minister's decision within 90 days from the day the notice was served.[2] Certain contraventions have a different Federal Court appeal route, so the official CBSA memorandum should be consulted for the applicable process.[2]

If an assessment contains an error, a correction may be requested through the issuing office or, where available, through the CARM Client Portal. The CBSA may also cancel or reduce a penalty within 90 days of issuance if errors were made in the assessment.[2]

In some cases, a Penalty Reinvestment Agreement (PRA) may allow a trade chain partner to invest the penalty amount into correcting commercial information systems instead of paying the full penalty, subject to CBSA conditions.[2]

AMPS can be relevant to carriers using BorderConnect ACI eManifest software, especially where advance commercial information is missing, late, or incorrect. Related BorderConnect support pages include:

Official CBSA Resources

References

  1. ↑ Canada Border Services Agency, Administrative Monetary Penalty System.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Canada Border Services Agency, Memorandum D22-1-1: Implementing the Administrative Monetary Penalty System.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Canada Border Services Agency, Administrative Monetary Penalty System: Master Penalty Document.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Canada Border Services Agency, C378 – Master Penalty Document.
  5. ↑ Canada Border Services Agency, E650 - Notice of Penalty Assessment.
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