PIP, an acronym for Partners in Protection is a voluntary cooperative program between private industry and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The program was designed to streamline and make border processes more efficient for companies recognized as trusted traders. When you are a member of PIP, your company will have a reduced risk score which can translate into a lower examination rate at the border. This enables CBSA to focus its examinations and interdiction activities on high risk people and goods. The CBSA offers awareness sessions with opportunities to exchange information as well as learning more about such topics as smuggling trends.

And the good news is there is no membership fee to be part of a program that enhances border and trade chain security as well as the integrity of your production, transportation, and import/export processes. The requirement of membership is to abide by the roles and responsibilities as outlined in the terms and conditions of the program.

Once your application has been submitted with your company profile, a CBSA officer will perform a risk assessment. With a successful assessment, an officer will schedule a site visit and verify your security (physical and procedural) as well as infrastructure and may recommend improvements as needed. PIP membership is approved if your company successfully passes the site validation.

Partners in Protection are recognized as Trusted Traders under the CBSA’s Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs). MRAs between Partners in Protection and compatible customs-trade partnership programs means that both countries apply similar security programs and validation processes. A PIP membership list is available to verify a business partner’s standing.

In an ongoing effort to enhance cross-border security, the CBSA has signed MRAs with several foreign Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs which include:

• US Customs and Border Protection’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)
• Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau’s Authorized Economic Operation
• Korea Customs Service’s Authorized Economic Operators, and
• Singapore Customs’ Secure Trade Partnership (STP)

Eligibility Criteria for the PIP program

As mentioned by the Canadian Border Services Agency, there are three main criteria for eligibility in the PIP program:

1. Your business must fall into one of the eligible categories – i.e. importer, exporter, carrier, freight forwarder, etc

2. You own or operate facilities in Canada and your company is involved in the cross border movement of commercial goods.

3. Your company has a good record of compliance with the Canada Border Services Agency.

If your company is not currently a member of Partners in Protection (PIP) and you have questions about the program and/or its benefits, please contact one of our Mantoria offices for further assistance. We will be happy to walk you through the process.