Apply for Partners in Protection, the CBSA Trusted Trader program: create a Trusted Trader portal account, complete the company, application, and security profiles, and pass site validation. Covers eligibility, the CARM registration requirement, and the 180-business-day processing standard.
Applies in: CA
Partners in Protection (PIP) is the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) program that recognizes a business as a Trusted Trader. It is a voluntary program: a business applies, shows that its supply chain security meets the CBSA minimum security requirements, and, after a site validation, is approved as a member. Membership is about the company's security practices, not about any single shipment. This guide follows the CBSA pages for the program itself: the eligibility page, the account-creation page, the application page, the security-standards page, the minimum security requirements page, and the CBSA memorandum that sets out the program rules. It does not cover import declarations, tariff classification, or the Customs Self-Assessment program, which are separate CBSA processes with their own pages.
Eligibility depends first on where the company is based. Businesses based in Canada can own or operate facilities in Canada or the United States. Businesses based in the United States can own or operate facilities in the United States or Canada. This guide states the Canada-based list, because that is the audience for a Canadian application.
For businesses based in Canada, the eligibility page states that PIP membership is available to commercial carriers operating in the highway, rail, marine, and air modes, including couriers (a commercial courier must enroll as a carrier), importers, exporters, warehouse operators (including marine terminal operators), freight forwarders, and customs brokers. Customs brokers are the exception to the portal route: the same page states that customs brokers are not able to access the Trusted Trader portal at this time but may still apply for membership, and should send an email to the PIP program address on that page for more information.
Every applicant must also meet the general requirements on the eligibility page:
One more requirement comes from the CBSA memorandum that governs the program. Memorandum D23-1-1, dated April 28, 2026, states in its update summary that the eligibility criteria include the requirement that all applicants and members be registered within the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) Client Portal, and the eligibility section of the memorandum lists registration in the CARM Client Portal as a criterion. If the company is not registered in the CARM Client Portal, complete that registration before applying for PIP, and keep the registration current: the memorandum treats CARM registration as a continuing criterion for members, not only for applicants.
Before creating an account, read the security standards page. It states that eligible companies must meet standards in four areas that make up the security profile: corporate security, cargo and conveyance security, physical security, and supply chain partner security. The page requires clear answers to every question in the security profile in the Trusted Trader Portal, supported by evidence, meaning documents or pictures.
The four areas, as the page describes them, are:
The minimum security requirements page states that all companies must meet the minimum security requirements, modernized in the Trusted Trader Portal as of June 3, 2025, and lists line-specific requirements for highway carrier, importer and exporter, air carrier, rail carrier, marine carrier, warehouse operator, freight forwarder, and customs broker. Its general overview covers physical security and access controls, procedural security, container, trailer, and rail car security, data and document security, personnel security, security training and awareness, and business partner requirements. For the line-specific requirements that apply to your business, the page states to contact the program by email at the address it gives. Do not guess at the line-specific requirements: read the requirements for your line of business and gather the evidence before starting the portal application, because an application without its required documentation will be denied.
The account-creation page states that before applying to PIP, the company must first create an account in the Trusted Trader portal. The portal requires either Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. The steps are:
There are two credential types: GCKey or Sign-In Partner. Every individual from the company who will become a portal user needs their own credential. GCKey is a username and password you create; the CBSA recommends it if you frequently access other Government of Canada online services, because you use the same GCKey across those services. Do not share the username and password with anyone. A Sign-In Partner credential uses the username and password you already hold with a participating financial institution. After registering a credential, you receive a confirmation email with a user reference number (URN). Keep it in a safe place. A user reference number expires if you do not sign in to the portal at least once every 2 years. The account-creation page strongly advises the account owner to set a reminder to sign in once per year, because if the account owner's number expires, all other users lose access to the company's portal account.
Understand the four user roles before assigning them: account owner, proxy account owner, full-access user, and admin-only user. The account owner is a required role that only one employee can fill, is generally the primary portal user and main contact, should be an employee with signing authority authorized to officially represent the company, should not be a consultant or a temporary employee, and is the only person who can submit changes in the portal and transfer account ownership. The proxy account owner acts as backup, is usually someone who helps complete the application such as a consultant, and can perform the same tasks as the account owner except submitting changes and transferring ownership. Full-access and admin-only users are assigned at the account owner's discretion and are not required.
The account owner signs in with the GCKey or Sign-In Partner credential and is asked to register for multi-factor authentication (MFA). Follow the prompts, read and agree to the MFA terms and conditions, and enter the 6-digit code received by email. Each later sign-in requires a new one-time code and agreement to the portal terms and conditions. Next, the Trusted Trader registration and activation page offers three options: register in the Trusted Trader portal, request a new activation code, or activate your company. A first-time user without a client number or activation code selects Register, then follows the instructions to verify the company's eligibility for membership and confirm the mailing address.
Once eligibility is verified and the mailing address is confirmed, the client number and activation code are sent by registered mail and should arrive within 15 business days. If the letter does not arrive within that time, the account-creation page states to contact the program at the PIP email address it gives. The activation code expires 45 days after issuance. If it expires, sign in and select Request a new activation code. The client number is the company's identifier within the PIP program; new members receive it by mail with the activation code after registration.
Sign in to the portal and select Activate your company. Enter the client number and activation code received by mail and select Activate company. An activation message appears; accept the terms and conditions of use. Only the account owner can activate the company account and accept the portal terms and conditions. The new account is not authorized until the PIP terms and conditions of use have been accepted, and account information can only be modified once the account is authorized. After activation, the PIP dashboard appears. When signing in later, use the username and password at the credential sign-in page and validate with multi-factor authentication before reaching the dashboard.
Only the current account owner can transfer account ownership. If the account owner is leaving the company or changing departments, transfer ownership before stepping down, using the Reassign account owner option in the Company profile or More menu, and selecting an existing portal user by last name, user reference number, and email address, or having the new owner create a portal account first.
The application page states the application steps inside the portal. Sign in to the Trusted Trader portal with the GCKey or Sign-In Partner credential to reach the company dashboard, which has four main sections:
Then provide all required documentation: attach or upload every document the application requires. The application page states plainly that if you do not, your application will be denied. Build the evidence file before starting this step: the risk assessment document, the leadership statement of support, training records, seal procedures and seal records, inspection checklists, partner screening records, and the documents the security standards page names for each area. A security profile written from memory, without the documents behind it, will not survive the officer's review or the site validation.
Submit the application with the green Submit application button at the bottom of the dashboard page. The button appears only when all necessary fields have been completed, and the green completion wheel in each section shows 100 percent complete. Only the account owner can submit the application. The CBSA states its standard is to process applications within 180 business days.
After submission, complete the Certification and authorization to disclose information form (CADI). The CADI allows the CBSA to share basic identifying information with mutual recognition arrangement partners, so the company may receive border facilitation in another country. The company chooses which foreign customs administrations it consents to share information with. The CBSA shares the business name, business address, membership status, membership dates, and business identifiers, for example the PIP identification number. Memorandum D23-1-1 states that PIP members can receive benefits in countries with which the CBSA has a mutual recognition arrangement, provided the member has provided consent in the CADI.
Then comes site validation. A CBSA officer reviews the security profiles to determine whether the company meets the minimum security requirements. If it does, the CBSA performs a risk assessment. After a successful risk assessment, a CBSA officer may schedule a site visit to verify the information in the security profile. If the company successfully passes the site validation step, the CBSA approves PIP membership and activates benefits. The CBSA describes the program's benefits as border recognition, facilitated processing, enhanced industry marketability, and access to the Trusted Trader Portal, with members recognized as Trusted Traders. Keep the security profile current after approval: the CBSA advises setting a calendar reminder to review and update the security profile in the Trusted Trader Portal every year, and the memorandum sets out suspension, cancellation, appeals, and reapplication rules if a member stops meeting the program requirements.
Some figures and claims are deliberately not stated in this guide, because they could not be verified on a current official CBSA page. Do not rely on any figure below unless you confirm it on the current CBSA program page first. Any membership fee, or a statement that there is no fee, was not stated, because no CBSA page states the fee position for PIP membership. Free and Secure Trade (FAST) lane eligibility for PIP members was not stated as a benefit, because no official PIP page states the current FAST conditions, and the older FAST documents describe conditions that predate the current program pages. An interval for re-checking members was not stated, because no official CBSA page confirms a current interval. A count of mutual recognition arrangement partner countries was not stated, because no official CBSA page lists the current partners. Processing times beyond the 180-business-day application standard were not stated. If any of these figures is needed, verify it on the current CBSA Partners in Protection pages or in Memorandum D23-1-1 before using it.
Partners in Protection (PIP) is a voluntary cooperative program between private industry and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to strengthen border and supply chain security. Members are recognized as Trusted Traders. It is not an import filing system: it does not replace customs declarations, and it does not clear individual shipments. The application is about your company's security practices across its supply chain, assessed through a security profile and a site validation. Import and export declarations are filed separately, through the CBSA systems that handle accounting and revenue.
For businesses based in Canada, the CBSA lists commercial carriers in highway, rail, marine, and air modes including couriers, importers, exporters, warehouse operators including marine terminal operators, freight forwarders, and customs brokers. Every applicant must own or operate facilities in Canada or the United States involved in the cross-border movement of commercial goods, have cross-border trade history for the past 12 months with at least one movement, or causing a movement, within 90 days before applying, be solvent with no unresolved debts to the Crown or undischarged bankruptcy, have no disqualifying convictions, have no history of significant contraventions under the Customs Act or other acts and regulations the CBSA enforces, and comply with all minimum security requirements in the PIP security profile. The CBSA memorandum on the program also states that all applicants and members must be registered in the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) Client Portal.
First choose a credential: GCKey or a Sign-In Partner, and every person from your company who will use the portal needs their own credential. Then choose an account owner, who must be an employee with signing authority authorized to represent the company, not a consultant or temporary employee, because only the account owner can submit the application. The account owner signs in, registers for multi-factor authentication, verifies the company's eligibility, and confirms the mailing address. The client number and activation code are then sent by registered mail and should arrive within 15 business days. The activation code expires 45 days after it is issued. Sign in, select Activate your company, enter the client number and activation code, and accept the terms and conditions of use.
The dashboard has four sections: company profile, add and manage users, application profile, and security profile. The company profile holds basic information including the business address and primary contact. The user section assigns one of four roles: account owner, proxy account owner, full-access user, or admin-only user. The application profile answers questions about the company. The security profile explains how the company meets PIP's minimum security requirements, covering physical, infrastructural, and procedural security measures, with a separate security profile for each division of the business. You must attach or upload all required documentation: if you do not, the application will be denied. The green Submit application button appears only when all necessary fields are complete and each section shows 100 percent complete.
The CBSA states that all companies must meet minimum security requirements to be eligible, modernized in the Trusted Trader Portal as of June 3, 2025, with line-specific requirements for highway carrier, importer and exporter, air carrier, rail carrier, marine carrier, warehouse operator, freight forwarder, and customs broker. The four areas of the security profile are corporate security, cargo and conveyance security, physical security, and supply chain partner security. You must submit evidence, documents or pictures, to support your application: for example, a written risk assessment reviewed at least once per year, a signed leadership statement of support, training records, seal procedures using high-security seals meeting or exceeding the ISO/PAS 17712 standard, and a process for selecting, screening, and monitoring supply chain partners. Answer every question clearly and truthfully.
After submission, complete the Certification and authorization to disclose information form, known as CADI, which allows the CBSA to share basic identifying information, business name, business address, membership status, membership dates, and business identifiers, with mutual recognition arrangement partners you consent to. A CBSA officer then reviews the security profiles against the minimum security requirements, runs a risk assessment if the requirements are met, and may schedule a site visit to verify the information in the security profile. If the company passes site validation, the CBSA approves PIP membership and activates benefits. The CBSA states its standard is to process applications within 180 business days. Customs brokers cannot access the Trusted Trader portal at this time but may still apply: the eligibility page states that a customs broker should email the PIP program for more information.