Notice to importers: Steel general import permits No. 80 and No. 81 – Carbon and specialty steel products – Serial No. 1133

Date: November 5, 2024

Table of contents

• 1.0 Purpose and coverage
• 2.0 Authority
• 3.0 Import requirements and procedures
• 4.0 Terms and conditions
• 5.0 Permit fees
• 6.0 Contact us

1.0 Purpose and coverage

1.1 The purpose of this Notice is to inform importers of the Steel Import Monitoring Program and set out the requirements and procedures pertaining to the importation of certain carbon and specialty steel products which may be imported into Canada under the authority of General Import Permit No. 80 – Carbon Steel (GIP No. 80)and General Import Permit No. 81 – Specialty Steel Products (GIP No. 81). This Notice also summarizes amendments to the GIPs, effective November 5, 2024, which require importers to provide country of melt and pour information for applicable steel imports as a term and condition of using the GIPs.

1.2 The Steel Import Monitoring Program enables Global Affairs Canada to monitor imports of carbon steel and specialty steel products and facilitate the collection of import data. Importers may be required, upon request, to provide to Global Affairs Canada documents and records for the purpose of identifying any errors in import data and determining the source of any inconsistencies in a targeted manner.

1.3 The Steel Import Monitoring Program does not limit the quantity of steel products that may be imported into Canada.

1.4 This Notice applies to all steel products imported under the authority of GIP No. 80 and GIP No. 81, which are described below.

1.5 Effective November 5, 2024, this Notice supersedes any previous Notices to Importers concerning steel products.

1.6 This Notice remains in effect unless superseded by a further Notice or otherwise withdrawn.

2.0 Authority

2.1 The Steel Import Monitoring Program has been implemented under the authority of paragraph 5(1)(e) and section 6 of the Export and Import Permits Act (EIPA). Paragraph 5(1)(e) of the EIPA provides the authority for adding goods to the Import Control List (ICL) for the purposes of implementing an intergovernmental arrangement or commitment. Pursuant to section 6, the Governor in Council has the discretion to revoke, amend, vary or re-establish the ICL.

2.2 The GIPs are issued and amended pursuant to subsection 8(1.1) and subsection 10(1) of the EIPA. Subsection 8(1.1) of the EIPA provides that the Minister of Foreign Affairs may, by Ministerial Order, issue generally to all residents of Canada a GIP to import any goods specified in the permit, subject to such terms and conditions as are described in the GIP. Further, subsection 10(1) of the EIPA provides the Minister of Foreign Affairs with the authority to amend any GIP issued under the EIPA, including GIP No. 80 and GIP No. 81.

3.0 Import requirements and procedures

3.1 Pursuant to the provisions of subsection 8(1.1) of the EIPA, GIP No. 80 has been established for item 80 (Carbon Steel) and GIP No. 81 has been established for item 81 (Specialty Steel Products). The import documentation for each shipment of steel products must state that it is being imported under the authority of GIP No. 80 or GIP No. 81.

3.2 This requirement generally applies to all imports of carbon steel products in item 80 and specialty steel products in item 81 of the ICL.

Carbon steel products include semi-finished products (ingots, blooms, billets, slabs and sheet bars), plate, sheet and strip, wire rods, wire and wire products, railway-type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, but excludes the specialty steel products referred to in item 81. These items are covered by Harmonized System (HS) headings 7206-7217, 7225-7229, 7301-7302, 7304-7306, and 7308.

A full list of HS10 carbon steel codes may be found on the following page: C-2: Carbon Steel Customs Tariff Items subject to General Import Permit (GIP) No. 80.

Specialty steel products include stainless steel flat-rolled products (sheet, strip and plate), stainless steel bar, stainless steel pipe and tube, stainless steel wire and wire products, stainless steel in ingots or other primary forms, semi-finished products of stainless steel, alloy tool steel, mold steel and high-speed steel. These items are covered by HS headings 7218-7224, 7312-7313, and 7317.

A full list of HS10 specialty steel codes may be found on the following page: C-3: Specialty Steel Products Customs Tariff Items subject to General Import Permit (GIP) No. 81.

3.3 Importers may only import under the authority of GIPs No. 80 and No. 81 if they are a resident of Canada as defined in the EIPA. Importers who are not residents of Canada may retain the services of a customs broker who is a resident of Canada.

3.4 Customs brokers and importers utilizing this Permit must comply with the requirements of the GIPs. They are requested to ensure that quantity (in kilograms), value (in Canadian dollars and excluding freight costs), product classification, country of origin, country of melt and pour, U.S. state of export (if applicable), supplier name and address and importer name are given correctly, and if necessary, by amending the import documentation. Customs brokers and importers utilizing these Permits are urged to cooperate fully with the Trade Remedies Division of Global Affairs Canada, as administrators of the Monitoring Program. Such cooperation and the provision of complete and accurate information in their customs declaration forms will enhance the reliability of the data and reduce the burden of post-clearance auditing.

3.5 Failure to cite the required GIP or not complying with the terms and conditions of the Permit may lead to the levying of penalties by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System, which authorizes the CBSA to assess monetary penalties for non-compliance with customs legislative, regulatory and program requirements. Importers may also face prosecution under the EIPA for contravening a provision of the Act or its regulations (section 19). Compliance is monitored by the CBSA and Global Affairs Canada.

4.0 Terms and conditions

4.1 If requested by Global Affairs Canada, a resident of Canada who imports goods under the authority of this Permit must within 10 days after receipt of a request, provide the documents and records referred to in section 4.3 of this Notice in respect of any import made during the period specified in the request.

4.2 After receipt of such a request, the importer must at all reasonable times make the documents and records referred to in section 4.3 of this Notice available for inspection by any authorized persons, provide all reasonable assistance to facilitate the inspection, and provide any documents and records necessary for making a determination on the country of origin, country of melt and pour, import value or quantity of the steel products, within the specified time period.

4.3 A resident of Canada who imports goods under this Permit must retain for a period of six years after the year in which the import is made, documents and records containing the following information:

• the name and the address of the importer or consignee;
• proof of Canadian residency;
• the date of entry of the goods into Canada;
• the quantity, expressed in kilograms, of the goods;
• the country from which the goods are imported;
• the country of origin of the goods;
• the country of melt and pour of the goods;
• the shipment document with freight and other transportation costs indicated separately;
• the tariff classification of the goods indicated in the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Customs Tariff;
• the import value in Canadian dollars; and
• a detailed description of the goods.

4.4 At the time of importation, importers must specify the country of melt and pour of the imported goods in the form and manner determined by the CBSA (e.g. Single Window Integrated Import Declaration). This requirement does not apply if:

• the total value for duty of the imported non-exempt steel goods does not exceed $5,000,
• the Harmonized System Code of the imported steel good is covered by one of the following headings: 7216.61, 7216.90, 7216.91, 7301.20, 7302.30, 7308.10, 7308.20, 7308.30, 7308.40, 7308.90, 7312.10, 7312.90, 7313.00, or 7317.00, or
• the importer is a Customs Self Assessment (CSA) importer in respect of goods released under a CSA service option. Further guidance on the exemption for CSA participants may be found in section 22 of Memorandum D19-10-2: Administration of the Export and Import Permits Act (Importations) (cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

5.0 Permit fees

5.1 No fees are payable.

6.0 Contact

6.1 Enquiries may be addressed to:

Steel Import Monitoring Unit
Trade Remedies Division
Global Affairs Canada
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G2
E-mail: steel-acier@international.gc.ca