Electronic Manifests (Customs Glossary Guide)

This article is part of the Customs Glossary Guide

An Electronic Manifest, also known as an eManifest, is an electronic submission of shipment, conveyance, equipment, crew, and related border-crossing information to a customs authority before arrival.

For North American highway carriers, electronic manifests are most commonly associated with:

ACE eManifest for shipments entering the United States, submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
ACI eManifest for shipments entering Canada, submitted to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) through Advance Commercial Information (ACI).

Electronic manifests allow customs authorities to receive standardized data before a truck reaches the border. This supports risk assessment, faster release decisions for compliant shipments, and enforcement of reporting requirements.

Highway Carrier Context

In a highway eManifest workflow, the electronic manifest normally includes or links together information such as:

the carrier and carrier code or SCAC;
the trip or conveyance reference number;
truck, trailer, and container details;
driver and passenger details;
shipment or cargo control numbers;
shipper, consignee, importer, and broker information;
port of arrival and estimated arrival details; and
release type or shipment type.

For Canada, CBSA describes highway carrier trade documents as Highway Cargo Documents, Highway Conveyance Documents, and Combined Highway Documents. The Highway Cargo Document is identified by a Cargo Control Number (CCN), while the Highway Conveyance Document is identified by a Conveyance Reference Number (CRN). CBSA states that trade documents must be received and validated at least one hour before arrival at the First Port of Arrival.

For the United States, CBP's ACE Truck Manifest system is used by truck carriers to submit manifest information before arrival. CBP guidance for inbound truck mode has generally required truck cargo information to be received electronically at least one hour before arrival, with separate rules for qualifying FAST shipments and other shipment types.

Why eManifests Matter

Electronic manifests help carriers and customs authorities by:

replacing paper-based manifest reporting with electronic data;
allowing customs to review shipment and conveyance data before arrival;
reducing manual data entry and border delays when information is accurate;
helping carriers identify errors before the driver reaches the border; and
creating a searchable electronic record of submitted trips and shipments.

Incorrect or late eManifest data can result in delays, rejections, penalties, or the need to correct and retransmit information.

Related BorderConnect Guides

Official Resources