OGD, Other Government Departments

The movement of commodities in and out of Canada is regulated by not just the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), but also 15 other government departments, such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Transport Canada. Any one of these departments, known formally as Other Government Departments (OGD) or Participating Government Agencies (PGA), can delay your import, or even refuse entry, if it:

Each OGD has different areas of responsibility, ranging from firearms (Canadian Firearms Program) and transportation of dangerous goods (Transport Canada) to Clothing Labels (Competition Bureau) and cultural property (Canadian heritage).

It is also important to be aware of each OGD’s reporting requirements and how the OGDs interact with CBSA (CFIA, NRCan and Transport Canada receive release information electronically from the CBSA, while other OGDs rely on paper submissions at time of import/export release request).

The customs brokerage experts at Universal Logistics can tell you whether your product is subject to OGD review and, even more important, what you need to do to be in full compliance, a necessary step to avoid a clearance delay that could lead to additional costs, including higher carrier and warehousing fees.

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