PARS and PAPS numbers
Every cross-border shipment gets a bar-coded number that links your freight to the customs entry your broker files. Getting that number to your broker in time is what keeps the truck moving through the border instead of waiting at it.
Which number applies to your shipment
The number depends on which way your freight is travelling.
- Into Canada: PARS. The Pre-Arrival Review System, run by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). It "allows importers and customs brokers to submit pre- or post-arrival interim accounting documentation to CBSA to obtain release of goods".
- Into the United States: PAPS. The Pre-Arrival Processing System, the equivalent program run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Your US broker uses it to file the entry electronically before the shipment arrives.
Both work the same way from your side. The carrier assigns the number, your broker uses it to file the customs entry, and the border agency matches the two when the truck arrives.
Where to find your number
The carrier assigns the number when your cross-border shipment is booked, and it appears on your paperwork. CBSA notes that the PARS bar-coded label “may be applied to the invoice or to the bill of lading for the shipment”, and PAPS works the same way.
So the first place to look is your bill of lading, which you can download from your shipment in the FreightSimple dashboard. If the number is not on your paperwork yet, contact us and we will chase it with the carrier.
What you need to do
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Send the number to your customs broker
Your broker cannot file the entry without it. Send it as soon as you have it, together with your commercial invoice and any supporting documents.
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Confirm your broker has filed before the truck reaches the border
Filing is your broker's job, not the carrier's and not ours. A quick confirmation from them is the difference between freight that crosses and freight that sits.
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Keep the number consistent everywhere
The number your broker files against has to match the one on the shipment. If you spot a mismatch, tell us and we will have the carrier reissue the label.
If the release request is not on file when the truck arrives, the freight is not released at the border. CBSA calls this a “Failed PARS”, and the goods either wait for the missing request or get moved to a warehouse for processing. Either way it means a delay, and delays can bring storage and bond charges.
Common questions
- My number is not on the paperwork yet. The carrier issues it after booking. If you cannot see it, ask us and we will get it from the carrier.
- Who do I send it to? Your customs broker for the destination country. A US-bound shipment needs a broker who can file with CBP, and a Canada-bound shipment needs one who can file with CBSA.
- I do not have a broker yet. Arrange one before pickup. See Customs brokers for the ones we recommend.