Government agency · Import controls
Global Affairs Canada import permits and quotas
Steel, aluminum, farm goods under quota and electric vehicles made in China are on Canada's Import Control List and need a permit on every line of the declaration. Clothing and textiles need one only to get a trade agreement's lower rate for goods that don't meet its usual rules of origin, up to a yearly limit.
To import goods Global Affairs Canada controls
Once, before your first shipment
- If GAC must issue you a permit for a shipment: get an EIPA number. GAC's importer number for permits. One form, sent once.
On every shipment
- A permit on every line of controlled goods. A general import permit number, or a permit GAC issued for that shipment. Clothing and textiles need one only for a trade agreement's lower rate on goods that don't meet its usual rules of origin.
Every year
- Dairy, poultry and eggs: apply for the year's quota allocations. Only Canadian residents hold allocations, and permits within the quota draw on them. A few quotas, such as margarine, are first come, first served and need none. Without a permit, the goods enter under General Import Permit 100, at the higher duty.
What each program asks for
Steel
General Import Permit 80 or 81. On every line, with the country where the steel was melted and poured. Goods under the steel quota need a quota permit to avoid a 50% surtax.
Aluminum
General Import Permit 83. On every line. Since 1 October 2026, also the countries of smelt and cast, unless the aluminum goods are worth $5,000 or less for duty.
Farm goods
A permit that depends on the quota. Within the quota: a permit for that shipment (dairy, poultry, eggs, and beef from countries without a trade agreement that covers it) or General Import Permit 20 (wheat, barley). Over the quota: General Import Permit 100, at the over-access rate unless a preferential rate removes it.
Electric vehicles from China
A permit for every commercial shipment. Within the quota. Apply up to 30 days ahead; the permit is valid for up to 60 days.
Clothing and textiles
A permit only to claim a lower rate. Needed when goods that don't meet a trade agreement's usual rules of origin claim its lower rate, up to a yearly limit: a tariff preference level under CUSMA and some other agreements, or an origin quota under CETA and the Canada–UK agreement.
Documents you may need
Each goes on the declaration by its number.
| Document | When you need it | Status |
|---|---|---|
| General Import Permit 80, 81 or 83Published by GAC; no application | Steel (80 carbon, 81 specialty) and aluminum (83), every line | Every line |
| General Import Permit 20 or 100Published by GAC; no application | Wheat and barley within the quota (20); farm goods over the quota (100) | If it applies |
| Shipment-specific permitIssued by GAC for one shipment | Farm goods within the quota, electric vehicles from China, textiles claiming a tariff preference level or an origin quota | If it applies |
What stops goods at the border
| Stops it when | What to know |
|---|---|
| Goods that need a permit GAC issues arrive without one | Except farm goods, steel and textiles: farm goods enter under General Import Permit 100 at the over-access rate unless a preferential rate removes it, steel under General Import Permit 80 or 81 with the surtax, and textiles without the lower duty rate. For everything else, GAC normally doesn't issue a permit after the goods arrive, and importing without one is an offence. Get the permit before the goods ship. |
| Electric vehicles made in China arrive without GAC's permit | Commercial imports without the permit are prohibited. Permits are issued first come, first served until the period's quota is used: 24,500 vehicles, plus any left from the first period, to 28 February 2027. |
Farm goods and steel under a quota still enter without a quota permit. Farm goods come in under General Import Permit 100 and pay the over-access duty, unless a preferential rate removes it; steel comes in under General Import Permit 80 or 81 and pays the 50% surtax.
Other goods GAC controls
These are on the Import Control List too and need a GAC import permit. They have no page here.
| Also check | Who | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| A GAC import permit | Global Affairs Canada | Small arms, large-calibre weapons, tanks, bombs and missiles, and their ammunition |
| A GAC import permit | Global Affairs Canada | Prohibited firearms and prohibited devices, as the Criminal Code defines them |
| A GAC import permit, or General Import Permit 108 for Canadian residents | Global Affairs Canada | Toxic chemicals and their precursors on Schedules 1, 2 and 3 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and mixtures containing them. Schedule 2 and 3 chemicals in consumer goods packaged for retail sale for personal use are exempt. |
Recent changes
- Oct 1, 2026Aluminum: countries of smelt and cast requiredNotice to importers 1170
- Sep 1, 2026Electric vehicles from China: quota period two opensNotice to importers 1168
- Jul 3, 2026Beef and veal: a UK-only quota under CPTPP from 1 SeptemberNotice to importers 1164
- Jun 28, 2026Steel: quarterly quotas for year twoNotice to importers 1163
Questions
Do I apply for a General Import Permit?
No. GAC publishes general permits; you put the permit's number on each line. Goods a general permit doesn't cover need a permit for that shipment, applied for in advance.
Can a permit be issued after the goods arrive?
Normally not. Importing controlled goods without a permit is an offence, so apply before the goods ship. A steel quota permit is the exception: GAC can still issue it after the goods were accounted for, while quota remains, and you can then ask CBSA to refund the surtax.
Does a permit replace a surtax?
For steel under a quota, yes: a valid quota permit for the shipment keeps the 50% surtax off; without one the surtax applies. No permit removes other surtaxes, such as the 25% surtax on steel melted and poured in China.
Sources: Global Affairs Canada, Justice Laws, CBSA
- Import permits, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2025-12-04
- Import Control List, C.R.C., c. 604, Justice Laws, current to 2026-10-19
- Notice to importers 1133: steel general import permits No. 80 and No. 81, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2025-01-23
- Notice to importers 1163: item 82, steel goods, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-06-25
- Notice to importers 1164: CPTPP beef and veal, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-07-03
- Notice to importers 1168: electric vehicles from the People's Republic of China, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-08-28
- Notice to importers 1170: general import permit No. 83, aluminum products, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-09-14
- Memorandum D19-10-2: Administration of the Export and Import Permits Act (importations), CBSA, modified 2026-10-22
- Electronic Commerce Client Requirements Document, chapter 23: Integrated Import Declaration, CBSA, modified 2026-08-25
- Export and import permits and certificates fees, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2014-02-06
- Customs Tariff 2026, chapter 10: cereals, CBSA, modified 2026-01-01
- Customs Tariff 2026, chapter 11: products of the milling industry, CBSA, modified 2026-01-01
- Customs Tariff 2026, chapter 2: meat and edible meat offal, CBSA, modified 2026-01-01
- General information on the administration of TRQs for supply-managed products, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-07-30
- Notice to importers 1000: tariff preference level imports of apparel, fabrics, made-up goods and yarn from the US and Mexico under CUSMA, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-06-12
- Notice to importers 1069: textiles and apparel from the European Union under CETA, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2022-02-16
- Customs Notice 25-24: Order Imposing a Surtax on the Importation of Certain Steel Goods, CBSA, modified 2026-06-27
- Memorandum D11-4-22: Tariff preference levels, CBSA, modified 2023-02-14
- Customs Notice 26-05: Permit requirement to import Chinese-made electric vehicles to Canada, CBSA, modified 2026-05-14
- General Import Permit No. 108: CWC toxic chemicals and precursors, SOR/98-266, Justice Laws, current to 2026-10-19
- Message to industry: new notice to importers for CPTPP beef and veal, Global Affairs Canada, modified 2026-07-14
- Customs Notice 25-28: Steel Goods and Aluminum Goods Surtax Order, CBSA, modified 2025-11-07
Reviewed November 10, 2026.
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