Effective September 14, 2026, authorized participants in Canada’s Courier Low Value Shipment (CLVS) Program may use third-party air carriers that are not certified under Partners in Protection (PIP). The change creates more flexibility in air-courier routing, but it is not a general waiver of CLVS security or presentation requirements. The authorized CLVS participant must remain PIP certified for air operations, while the third-party carrier must remain bonded and present the shipments at the designated sufferance warehouse.
For courier and e-commerce import operations serving Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton, the practical issue is not simply whether a new carrier can be booked. It is whether the carrier, shipment flow and warehouse presentation process can be documented as an eligible CLVS arrangement.
What changed on September 14
CBSA Customs Notice 26-24 created an air-mode exception for authorized CLVS participants. Under the change, those participants may use third-party air carriers that are not PIP certified. The exception applies to low-value commercial shipments moving by air through the CLVS framework.
The distinction between the parties matters:
- The authorized CLVS participant may use the exception only while maintaining active PIP certification for air operations.
- The third-party air carrier does not need to be PIP certified under this exception.
- The third-party carrier must remain bonded.
- The CLVS shipments must be presented at the designated sufferance warehouse.
The source for the effective date and conditions is CBSA Customs Notice 26-24.
Why the exception changes the operating handoff
The new rule separates the authorized participant’s program status from the security certification of the air carrier it uses. That can give a CLVS participant another contracting or routing option, but it also makes the handoff between the participant, carrier and sufferance warehouse a key control point.
For a GTA operation, the relevant question is therefore not only whether an air carrier is available from Toronto-area cargo facilities. The importer or courier should be able to identify which party is the authorized CLVS participant, which party is carrying the freight, and where the shipment will be presented before clearance processing continues.
Importers that rely on a courier’s CLVS process are generally not responsible for certifying the carrier’s PIP status themselves. They may, however, need accurate shipment and routing information to ensure that their commercial shipment is handled through the intended CLVS process. That is especially relevant where a courier changes its air line-haul provider without changing the customer-facing service.
Controls for importers and courier operations
Confirm the program party
Before treating the exception as available, operations teams should identify the authorized CLVS participant responsible for the shipment flow. The exception is tied to an authorized participant; it is not an open permission for any courier, freight forwarder or importer to use a non-PIP-certified air carrier.
Document the air-carrier relationship
Routing records should distinguish between the CLVS participant and the third-party air carrier. A carrier name appearing on a booking or transport record does not, by itself, show which entity holds the CLVS authorization or the continuing PIP obligation.
Verify bonding and warehouse presentation
Where a non-PIP-certified third-party air carrier is used, the carrier must remain bonded and the CLVS shipments must be presented at the designated sufferance warehouse. Importers and forwarders should therefore include those two conditions in their carrier-onboarding and exception-review checklists.
Keep the change limited to air operations
The notice describes an air-mode exception. It should not be treated as a program-wide change to every CLVS movement or as a removal of other clearance, accounting or shipment-documentation requirements. A revised routing procedure should identify the air movement covered by the exception rather than applying the change indiscriminately to all low-value shipments.
What GTA importers should ask their courier
For shipments moving through a courier network serving Mississauga, Toronto or Brampton, a short operational review can establish whether the new flexibility affects the current process:
- Is the courier or other responsible party an authorized participant in the CLVS Program?
- Is the participant maintaining active PIP certification for its air operations?
- If a third-party air carrier is being used, does that carrier remain bonded?
- Will the CLVS shipments be presented at the designated sufferance warehouse?
- Which records identify the participant, the air carrier and the shipment’s presentation location?
The September 14 change may help an authorized CLVS participant adjust its air-carrier network, but the compliance test remains specific. A non-PIP-certified third-party carrier can be used only within the conditions described in the notice. Importers should obtain the routing details from their courier or logistics provider and retain the explanation with the shipment process documentation.