Speaking the Language of B3
Officially known as the B3-3 (or Canada Customs Coding Form), it’s comprised of 51 fields and, at first glance, what seems like over a hundred different boxes to fill in, all on a single page — but don’t fret! Many boxes are repeats per imported item, meaning you might not need to fill in everything, or you may require more than one form, depending on your situation.
Per CBSA, the B3 breaks down into three classifiable sections:
Includes contextual information — such as the name, address, and country of origin for both you and your supplier — pertaining to the whole shipment.
The Subheader (fields #10–19): Includes information pertaining specifically to the shipment itself and the vendor, seller, or supplier.
The Trailer (fields #43–51): Includes final tallies and applies to the whole shipment.
In between all of this, however, are fields #21–42, which is where you’ll need to enter all applicable number values: the cost of each item, taxes and duties, currency conversions, etc. (By the way, if you’re wondering why we left out field #20, it’s because you don’t need to worry about filling it in — more on that in the next section.)
Should your goods be subjected to inspection, certain categories will be scrutinized more heavily than others. While all info needs to be accurate regardless, CBSA tends to focus most closely on:
Anything pertaining to value, including:
Anything pertaining to tariffs, including:
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