Free and Secure Trade

The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program is a commercial clearance program designed to ensure safety and security while expediting legitimate trade across the Canada-U.S. border.

About FAST

FAST is a joint initiative between the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection that enhances border and trade chain security while making cross-border commercial shipments simpler and subject to fewer delays.

It is a voluntary program that allows the CBSA to work closely with the private sector to enhance border security, combat organized crime and terrorism, and prevent contraband smuggling.

The CBSA and industry are mutually committed to maintaining the FAST program requirements and they work together to achieve compliance and to find solutions to problems.

How it works

All FAST program participants (drivers, carriers, importers) must undergo a risk assessment. FAST-approved participants are identified as low risk, which allows the CBSA to focus resources and security efforts on travellers of high or unknown risk.

When a FAST-approved driver arrives at the border, he or she presents three bar-coded documents to the border services officer (one for each of the participating parties: the driver, the carrier and the importer). The officer can quickly scan the bar codes while all trade data declarations and verifications are done at a later time, away from the border.

Eligible goods arriving for approved companies and transported by approved carriers using registered drivers are cleared into Canada or the United States with greater speed and certainty, resulting in reduced cost for compliance.

Where it is available

Dedicated FAST lanes have been established at a number of major border crossings.

Benefits

• Access to dedicated lanes (where available) for faster and more efficient border clearance;
• A streamlined process that reduces delivery times and landed costs of imports;
• No need to transmit transactional data for every transaction;
• Minimal documentation required to clear the border;
• Increased certainty at the border resulting in fewer delays;
• A unified, ongoing partnership with the CBSA;
• Promotion of Canadian competitiveness; and
• Advancement of voluntary compliance and self-assessment.

FAST-eligible goods

In order to qualify for the streamlined FAST process, goods imported into Canada must meet these conditions:

• They must not be prohibited, controlled or regulated importations as set out in any act of Parliament or provincial legislation;
• They must not be subject to the release requirements of any other government department; and
• They must be shipped direct to Canada from the continental United States (and from Mexico for automotive goods).