Canada to Russia shipping starts with a legal question, not a routing question. Before a shipper asks which port or carrier to use, it has to establish whether Canadian sanctions and export-control rules permit the transaction at all. This is a compliance-first explainer built on Canadian official pages read in October 2026 (Global Affairs Canada, the Department of Justice consolidated regulations, the Canada Gazette and the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA), plus one carrier FAQ and one port-operator page. It quotes what they say, notes which kinds of shipment they restrict, and lists what to confirm with sanctions counsel and a customs broker before booking. It does not describe a way around any control, and nothing here is an offer to carry restricted goods.
What the Official Sources Said in October 2026
Global Affairs Canada's page on Canadian sanctions related to Russia says the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations came into force on 17 March 2014. It lists the types of sanctions as an asset freeze, export and import restrictions, and financial prohibitions. Its recent developments list shows amendments on 12 June, 6 August and 4 September 2026, so the rules were changing in the months before this guide was written.
The Department of Justice's consolidated regulations confirm the same picture: they are "current to 2026-09-30 and last amended on 2026-09-04". The Canada Gazette, Part II published the 4 September amendment (SOR/2026-188) on 23 September 2026. It adds entries 1616 to 1623 to Part 1 of Schedule 1, which is eight individuals. The instrument says its regulations "apply according to their terms before they are published in the Canada Gazette", so an amendment can take effect before the Gazette notice appears.
Global Affairs Canada also says it "cannot provide legal advice to members of the public" and cannot give an opinion on whether a specific transaction would contravene sanctions legislation, which is why the checklist below ends with counsel.
Three Layers of Control
Canadian rules on this lane sit in three places that overlap, so a shipment can be fine under one and blocked by another.
The Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations
The Global Affairs Canada page lists the prohibitions and words several of them as binding any person in Canada and any Canadian outside Canada. In summary form they cover:
- Dealings with designated persons listed in Schedule 1, including making goods available to them and providing financial or related services.
- Exporting, selling, supplying or shipping to Russia or to any person in Russia any good or technology "described in the Restricted Goods and Technologies List".
- Luxury goods listed in Part 1 of Schedule 6, goods that could be used to manufacture weapons (Schedule 7), goods and technologies in Schedule 5.1, arms and related material, and chemicals and goods related to chemical and biological weapons.
- Goods for offshore oil (deeper than 500 metres), shale oil or Arctic oil exploration and production (Schedule 4), and jet fuel and additives.
- Certain services, such as services relating to a ship listed in Schedule 1.1 and services to Russian oil, gas, chemical and manufacturing industries.
The same page lists import bans in the other direction, including petroleum products, coal, certain luxury goods, and goods in Schedules 9, 11, 12 and 13. That matters for container logistics because a prohibition on imports from Russia can affect any plan for a return leg. It adds that "causing, assisting or promoting prohibited activities is likewise prohibited", which is wording a forwarder or broker should read carefully.
For vessels, the regulations prohibit "any ship that is registered in Russia or used, leased or chartered, in whole or in part, by or on behalf of or for the benefit of Russia, a person in Russia or a designated person from docking in Canada or passing through Canadian waters". Choosing a carrier and vessel is therefore a compliance step as well as a commercial one.
Export permits for controlled goods
Separately from the sanctions regulations, Global Affairs Canada's Notice to Exporters and Brokers No. 1071, dated 24 February 2022, says Canada "will stop the issuance of new permits for the export and brokering of controlled goods and technology to Russia" and that valid permits issued earlier "will have their permits immediately cancelled". It says only permits and applications related to specific end-uses such as medical supply and humanitarian needs "may be considered for exception, on a case-by-case basis", and that the department "may reassess" the decision.
The department's Annual Report on Strategic Goods for 2025 says that "throughout 2025" it maintained its presumptive denial policy on the export and brokering of any controlled goods and technology to Russia. The 2025 report cites the notice with a different date from the notice page itself, so rely on the notice and confirm the current position with the Export Controls Division, whose contact details the notice gives.
Exceptions and permits under the Special Economic Measures Act
The Global Affairs Canada page says there is a "wide range of exceptions" and that anyone relying on one should review the full text of the exceptions before acting. Examples it lists for restricted and industrial goods include temporary media exports, software updates, civil aircraft, aircraft and ship stores, consumer communication devices and personal effects. The page also says the Special Economic Measures Permit Authorization Order, in force since 26 February 2025, lets the Minister of Foreign Affairs issue individual and general permits "in exceptional cases". An exception or a permit is something a lawyer reads against the facts of one shipment. It is not a category of goods that a shipper can assume is allowed.
Customs Requirements: What CBSA Expects
CBSA's role is practical. Its fact sheet for a parliamentary committee, dated 3 December 2024, says the CBSA "is responsible for enforcing Canada's strategic export controls and Canada's sanctions regime within an import/export context". It reports that the agency had risk-assessed over 1.4 million export declarations since the invasion of Ukraine and referred 211 shipments for detention and examination. Those detentions led to over 190 enforcement actions, which it says prevented the export of approximately $14 million worth of goods (the fact sheet does not state the currency in that sentence). It also says the agency works with partners to stop efforts to ship restricted goods to Russia "both directly and via third countries".
The reporting rules are in CBSA's Memorandum D20-1-1 on exporter reporting, the version dated 24 October 2024. As it describes them:
| Topic | What the memorandum says |
|---|---|
| Restricted goods to countries other than the United States | An export declaration is required through an applicable reporting method, such as the Canadian Export Reporting System, and the exporter provides the required export permit |
| Permit number | It "must be quoted on the export declaration in the proper field" |
| Marine timing | Reports are due not less than 48 hours before the goods are loaded onto the vessel |
| Air and rail timing | Not less than 2 hours before loading on the aircraft or before the railcar is assembled into a train |
| Customs service providers | They report using the exporter's business number (BN15), not their own, except in a one-time exporter case the memorandum describes separately |
| Suspect goods | An officer who suspects on reasonable grounds that goods are exported contrary to an Act of Parliament may ask the provider to report in writing before the goods leave Canada |
The memorandum also describes an administrative monetary penalty system for contraventions of customs legislation, so a broker's filing and the exporter's permit position are connected.
What About Routes and Carriers?
This guide gives no routing for Canada to Russia sea freight, because no official source we read describes one. The right description is "routing to be confirmed with the carrier", and two published facts help a shipper test any proposal. First, one carrier's FAQ, Maersk on shipping to and from Russia, says its wind-down "does not allow for any new business in Russia"; it is undated and mentions 2022 office closures, so it is one carrier's position and not a survey of the market. Second, the FESCO page on cargo via Vladivostok lists the origins it serves as China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, and Canada is not among them. For the Russian port side in general, see our guide to how cargo moves through Vladivostok.
For comparison, the US side of the same question is covered in USA to Russia shipping: US export rules, and the Russian import side in common customs clearance challenges in Russia.
What to Confirm Before Any Booking
- Identify every party: buyer, consignee, end user, intermediaries, and anyone who owns or controls them, and check them against Schedule 1 and the current lists.
- Classify the goods and ask counsel whether they fall within the Restricted Goods and Technologies List or another schedule, and whether any exception or permit applies.
- Confirm whether a controlled good needs an export permit, and remember that Notice 1071 stopped new permits for controlled goods to Russia, with narrow case-by-case exceptions.
- Check the vessel and the carrier against the ship prohibitions and ask the carrier in writing whether it accepts the booking.
- Prepare the export declaration, quote any permit number correctly, and meet the 48-hour marine reporting time, whether the exporter files or a customs service provider such as a licensed customs broker does.
- Review any return cargo against the import prohibitions.
- Obtain written sign-off from sanctions counsel before committing cargo, and re-check on the day of shipment because the regulations changed as recently as 4 September 2026.
For related reading, see Russia sanctions and compliance in logistics, how geopolitical risk shapes supply chains, what a customs broker does compared with a forwarder, and our Canadian trade lane guides, China to Canada shipping via Vancouver and the USMCA transport corridors.
Work With RR Brothers and Logistics
RR Brothers and Logistics offers sea freight and customs clearance support through its Guangzhou headquarters and offices in Coimbatore and Mumbai. No Canada to Russia service is published on this site, and we do not replace your sanctions counsel. For a lawful shipment, send us the cargo details and lane and we will say whether and how we can handle it, with no promise made in advance. Questions can go through our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the goods, the parties and the permit position. The Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations list several categories of restricted goods, and Notice to Exporters No. 1071 stopped new permits for controlled goods to Russia. Confirm with sanctions counsel before any booking.
No. Its Russia sanctions page says it cannot provide legal advice and cannot give an opinion on whether a specific activity or transaction would contravene sanctions legislation. Seek legal advice for your own facts.
Notice 1071 stopped new permits for controlled goods and technology and cancelled valid ones, with narrow case-by-case exceptions for specific end-uses such as medical supply and humanitarian needs. The 2025 annual report says the presumptive denial policy was maintained.
For restricted goods going to countries other than the United States, CBSA memorandum D20-1-1 says an export declaration is required, the export permit is provided, and the permit number is quoted on the declaration. Marine reports are due 48 hours before loading.
Each carrier decides for itself. Maersk's FAQ answers "No" for Russia and says its wind-down allows no new business there, but the page is undated. Ask each carrier in writing about your specific booking.
Sources
- Global Affairs Canada: Canadian sanctions related to Russia
- Justice Laws: Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations (SOR/2014-58)
- Canada Gazette Part II: SOR/2026-188 (23 September 2026)
- Global Affairs Canada: Notice to Exporters and Brokers No. 1071 (Russia)
- Global Affairs Canada: Annual Report on Strategic Goods 2025
- CBSA: Memorandum D20-1-1, Exporter Reporting
- CBSA: Fact sheet on sanctions enforcement (3 December 2024)
- Maersk: Can I ship cargo to/from Russia at the moment?
- FESCO: Delivery of cargo via Commercial Port of Vladivostok
This article is general information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules, rates and procedures change; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a licensed customs professional before you ship. Regulatory references were checked against the official sources listed above on 31 October 2026.
Image credits: header photo by Howei Wang on Unsplash; photo by Anastasiya Dalenka on Unsplash; photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash; photo from zzkonst on Pixabay. Used under the Unsplash License and the Pixabay Content License.
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