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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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Foundations

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Standards

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Flagship messages

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Tools

X12 311 — Canada Customs Information

The 311 transmits to Canadian customs (CBSA) the advance cargo information for an inbound shipment by ocean, air or surface.

Purpose

The 311 documents the Advance Commercial Information (ACI) declaration required by the Canada Border Services Agency: transport reference (B/L, AWB, PARS), parties (importer, exporter, broker), HS-level cargo description, value, country of origin, transport mode, port of entry and timing.

It is part of the Canadian ACI / eManifest program and triggers the Cargo Control Number (CCN). Acknowledged by a 350 (Customs Status Information) from CBSA, which may release, examine or hold the cargo.

Envelope structure

The 311 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group CI, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-311.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*ACMECARRIER   *ZZ*CBSA          *260514*1100*U*00401*000000311*0*P*>~
GS*CI*ACMECARRIER*CBSA*20260514*1100*1*X*004010~
ST*311*0001~
M10*ACMECARRIER*M*1*ACMECARRIER**20260516*1430*USNYC*CAMTR~
N9*CN*CCN-7741230-026~
N1*SE*ACME ELECTRONICS INC*92*S-0001~
N4*BUFFALO*NY*14201*US~
N1*IM*ACME CA INC*92*I-0099~
N4*MONTREAL*QC*H3A1B2*CA~
N7*ULD*HLCU8741230*40HC~
M13*HS851800***ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS*USD*180000*22000*N*200~
SE*9*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000311~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, M10 (Manifest Identifying Information), N9*CN (Cargo Control Number).
  • Parties — N1*SE (Shipper / Exporter), N1*IM (Importer), N1*CB (Customs Broker).
  • Equipment — N7 (Container).
  • Cargo description — M13 (Manifest Amendment) or LX loop with L5, L0 depending on release profile.
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • ACI timing: transmission to CBSA must respect regulatory windows (24h for ocean, 4h for highway pre-arrival); a late 311 exposes the carrier to a fine.
  • HS code: M13 element 01 must carry a 6 or 10-digit HS code depending on the profile; a generic or truncated HS code consistently triggers an exam.
  • Unique CCN: the Cargo Control Number must be globally unique per carrier over 5 years; accidental reuse blocks the shipment.

Documentation

The code 311 and the name Canada Customs Information are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.