Sufferance Warehouse (CBSA)
| This article is part of the Customs Glossary Guide |
A Sufferance Warehouse is a temporary storage facility licensed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Imported goods may be held in a sufferance warehouse after arriving in Canada and before they are released by customs.
Importers, carriers, freight forwarders, and warehouse operators use sufferance warehouses when goods need to be held while customs documentation, release decisions, examinations, or other requirements are completed.
What Is a Sufferance Warehouse?
A sufferance warehouse provides a secure location for imported goods that have not yet been released by CBSA. Goods may be moved to a sufferance warehouse for reasons such as:
- delayed customs clearance;
- incomplete or incorrect paperwork;
- CBSA examination or inspection;
- in-bond movement to an inland release location; or
- deconsolidation or handling before final release.
Sufferance warehouses are different from customs bonded warehouses. A sufferance warehouse is generally used for arrival, examination, and short-term storage before release. A customs bonded warehouse is used for longer-term storage and duty/tax deferral after goods have been accounted for under the applicable CBSA process.[1]
Storage Time Limits
CBSA's general storage time limit for goods held in a CBSA office or sufferance warehouse is 40 calendar days from the date the goods are first reported to CBSA. Some goods have shorter limits, including perishable goods, certain regulated goods, firearms, tobacco or vaping products, and spirits. Extensions may be available in specific circumstances.[2]
Because storage limits depend on the type of goods and the situation, importers and carriers should confirm the applicable requirements with CBSA or the warehouse operator.
Usage in BorderConnect
For ACI eManifest, carriers moving goods in-bond to a sufferance warehouse need the correct sublocation code for the warehouse. The sublocation code tells CBSA where the unreleased goods will be delivered while they await release, movement, or export.
Carriers using BorderConnect's ACI software can enter the sublocation code when creating an in-bond shipment or when preparing a PARS shipment that may need to move in-bond if it fails to release at the border.
Official Resources
- CBSA Memorandum D4-1-4: Customs Sufferance Warehouses
- CBSA Memorandum D4-1-7: Extension of Time Limits for the Storage of Goods
- CBSA sufferance warehouse operators and sublocation codes