you paid import duty on canadian goods. most of it was never owed.
Under the Canada–EU trade agreement the rate is 0%. The 0% only applies when the paperwork is right, and usually it isn't. The EU lets you claim the difference back for two years, Canada for four. We find the shipments, sort the paperwork with your supplier and a licensed customs partner, and file the claim. You pay only from what comes back.
we know the way. you send the paperwork.
send us your import records
The customs entries from the last two years (four for Canadian imports), or just the invoices and shipping documents. From an importer, from a Canadian supplier on behalf of its customers, or from a forwarder.
we tell you what's in them
For every shipment: did it qualify for 0%, was it shipped straight from Canada, is there still time to claim. You get the total first. The shipment-by-shipment list follows our one-page agreement.
we file, customs pays you back
Your supplier signs the CETA statement we prepare. A licensed Dutch customs agent files the refund request. When the money arrives, we send our invoice. From then on we keep new shipments from paying duty they don't owe.
the rules are workable. the paperwork isn't.
Whether a shipment qualifies depends on four things: what the product is, what went into it, how it travelled, and when it arrived. Each has a rule in the agreement, and each rule has a catch. Dog food qualifies unless the meat came from outside Canada. Dried cranberries qualify unless they're more than a fifth sugar. Anything that went through a US warehouse on the way lost the 0% for good.
We built a checker that runs those rules the same way every time and shows you which one applied. Try it with the examples loaded. It tells you whether a shipment qualifies and what's at stake; the paperwork and the filing are what we do for you.
canadian producers selling to europe
Your European customers have been paying duty they didn't owe. Getting it back for them is the easiest favour you'll ever do, and it costs you one signature per invoice. You're never on the hook for a claim we prepared.
european importers of canadian goods
You paid 8, 12, 17 percent at the border on goods that should have come in at zero. That money is yours for two years. We deal with your forwarder and with customs; you deal with us.
forwarders and customs agents
Nobody's at fault when a claim wasn't made; the client didn't ask and the supplier didn't know. We check your clients' past shipments under your name, do the origin work, and you keep the relationship.
we'll tell you no before customs does.
A refund only works for goods that really did qualify and really were shipped straight from Canada. We check that before anyone signs anything, because a wrong claim costs more than no claim. Filings go through a licensed customs agent, your supplier signs only what's true, and if there's nothing to get back we say so and stop.
- Goods that went through a US warehouse or distributor before reaching Europe lost the 0% rate for good. It's the most common reason a claim can't be made, and nothing fixes it afterwards.
- Products with too much non-Canadian sugar, dairy or grain, or clothing sewn from imported fabric, never qualified in the first place.
- Some goods are duty-free for everyone anyway (lumber, most pulses, live lobster since 2026), so there's nothing to claim.
- If the 0% was already applied at the border, there's nothing to do, though we'll check that the right rate was actually used.
- Shipments older than two years in the EU, four in Canada, are closed. The EU allows the refund for three, but the origin declaration must reach customs within two.
- Some products carry an extra duty based on weight or sugar content; we add that from the EU tariff line by line, so the headline percentage is never the whole story.
the questions we get first.
Short answers. The rules behind them are in the CETA protocol on rules of origin and the EU and Canadian customs codes; the checker applies them line by line.
Can I claim back EU import duty on goods from Canada?
Yes. Under CETA most Canadian-origin goods enter the EU at 0% duty. If duty was paid because no CETA origin declaration was presented at import, the importer can apply for a refund of the duty afterwards (CETA Protocol Article 21.4, EU Customs Code Article 121), provided the exporter's origin declaration reaches customs within two years of the import date.
How far back can a CETA duty refund go?
In the EU, two years from the date of import: the refund itself is allowed for three years, but the late origin declaration must be presented within two. In Canada, four years from accounting (Customs Act section 74(1)(c.11)).
What does Preferent charge?
Nothing up front. The first check of your entries is free. If we file and customs pays a refund, our fee is a share of what comes back, set out in a one-page engagement letter before we file. If there is nothing to recover, you pay nothing.
What do you need from me?
The customs entries (or just invoices and shipping documents) for the last two years for the EU, four for Canada, and a contact at the Canadian supplier. We prepare the origin declaration for the supplier to sign, collect the transport evidence and file through a licensed customs representative.
What is a CETA origin declaration?
A short statement, with a fixed wording, that the Canadian exporter puts on the invoice or another commercial document, quoting its Canada Revenue Agency Business Number. It is the only proof of origin under CETA; there is no EUR.1 certificate. It can be completed after export.
Do goods that came through the United States still qualify?
Usually not. CETA requires direct transport. Goods that were stored, sold or entered into free circulation in the US on the way to Europe lose the preference for good. Transit under customs supervision (a sealed container changing vessel) is fine. We check the routing before we promise anything.
Does this also work for EU goods imported into Canada?
Yes. The mirror case is larger: EU-origin goods that paid Canadian duty because no origin declaration was presented can be refunded within four years. Canadian claims are filed as CARM adjustments by a licensed Canadian customs broker; Preferent prepares the case and works with a broker partner for the filing.
Which products are worth checking?
Anything Canadian with an EU duty rate above zero: pet food (9.6%), frozen fries (17.6%), dried cranberries (up to 20.8%), frozen berries (up to 14.4%), maple syrup (8%), apparel (12%), plywood (7%), aluminium products (up to 7.5%). Lumber, most pulses and spirits are duty-free anyway, so there is nothing to claim.
send one importer's records. we'll tell you what's in them.
The first check is free and takes a few days. You get the total that can be claimed back. The shipment-by-shipment list and the filing follow our one-page agreement: our share is due on refunds obtained on the shipments we identified, whoever files them. If there's nothing to recover, you'll hear that too.
Hesling
founder, Preferent · Amsterdam
hello@preferent.eu