New CBSA Office Code for Gordie Howe Bridge: Update Export Systems This Week

The Gordie Howe International Bridge gets its own CBSA office code starting Monday, July 27. If you file export declarations via that crossing using G7 EDI or the CERS portal, you need to update your systems this week. CBSA won’t accept the old code starting Monday, and a batch of export rejections first thing is a headache you can avoid.

What Changed

CBSA designated a new export reporting office for the Gordie Howe crossing. Exporters and customs service providers transmitting commercial export documents need to select the correct office code when filing. This applies to:

• G7 EDI export manifest submissions
• CERS (Canada Export Reporting System) portal filings
• Any southbound pre-arrival transmission that references the crossing

The change goes live July 27. After that, transmissions using the wrong office code will reject.

What You Need to Do

If you handle export filings for clients moving freight via Detroit-Windsor, check three things:

EDI mapping table. Your software vendor should have pushed an office code update by now. If you haven’t seen a patch note or update email, call them. Installing a new office code takes five minutes. Finding out it’s missing when Monday’s export batch rejects takes longer.

CERS portal dropdown. If you file manually through CERS, the new Gordie Howe office should appear in the office selection menu by now. Test a dummy submission this week to confirm it’s there and that your login still works.

Client communication. If you have exporters who self-file, they need to know. A quick email to your regular southbound shippers this week prevents callback volume on Monday.

Most customs brokers run export filing alongside import clearance, but the compliance rigor is identical. CBSA expects accurate office codes, accurate commodity classification, and timely transmission. An export rejection doesn’t hold a truck at the border the way a northbound ACI error does, but it still generates an amendment, a call to the client, and a delay in the export record hitting the exporter’s account.

Why Office Codes Matter

CBSA routes export manifest data to the correct port of exit based on the office code in your G7 EDI transmission. When a new crossing opens, it gets a new code. If your EDI map still points to an old or generic code, CBSA’s system won’t know where to route the declaration, and the transmission fails.

We routinely see rejection spikes when CBSA launches new office codes or consolidates old ones. The fix is always the same: update the EDI map, test a transmission, and move on. The five-day notice window is tight but workable if you act this week.

The Gordie Howe bridge is the newest commercial crossing in the Windsor-Detroit corridor, and it will handle a growing share of southbound freight. Getting the office code right from day one keeps your export workflow clean. Export compliance is a smaller part of most brokers’ book than import clearance, but it’s the same standard: accurate data, timely filing, no shortcuts.

Import Side

This bulletin focuses on export reporting, but the same principle applies northbound. When freight crosses into Canada via Gordie Howe, the ACI eManifest and subsequent CAD filing will reference the correct CBSA office. If you’re filing imports via this crossing, confirm your software is updated for both directions.

Most of our articles focus on import clearance, CARM, and RPP bonds because that’s where the majority of compliance risk sits for Canadian importers. But export filing is part of the same regulatory framework, and CBSA enforces the same accuracy standard. A clean export record is part of a clean compliance file.

We file G7 exports all day. This update is routine; the five-day window is not. Get in touch.

Source: CSCB