Nova Scotia · Atlantic Gateway

Customs Brokerage at the Halifax Gateway

Halifax is Canada's deep-water front door to Europe, the Mediterranean, and South Asia — the shortest ocean crossing into the country for the high-spec European goods that carry the best margins. We clear at the port and put your cargo on CN's single line to anywhere inland.

Rail & Delivery

Where Your Freight Goes

The CN and CP main lines that bring containers into the province, and the areas around the city we deliver to. Every delivery dot is a city that appears as a Canadian consignee or delivery address on our shipment documents.

Rail networkNova Scotia

Delivery areasHalifax

CNCPTerminal / portDelivery areaMain lines only, drawn straight between cities. Truck runs are illustrative.

Delivery areas around the cityDartmouth · Halifax · Milford Station · Bedford

Elsewhere in the provinceSydney · Truro · Antigonish · Marion Bridge · New Glasgow · Priestville

Why Route Through Halifax

The Atlantic Gateway Advantage

Deep Water, Big Ships

Halifax's naturally deep, ice-free harbour handles the largest vessels calling Canada's east coast, with direct services from North Europe, the Mediterranean, and South Asia via Suez. North Europe to Halifax runs roughly 8–12 days — the shortest ocean leg into Canada.

CETA Makes Europe Cheap(er)

Most qualifying EU-origin goods enter Canada duty-free under CETA — but only with proof of origin done right. We verify the origin declaration before filing, so the preferential rate you planned on is the rate you actually pay.

Clear Here, Rail Anywhere

CN's single-line rail runs from dockside Halifax to Montreal, Toronto, and beyond — no interchange. We file pre-arrival, the box clears at the berth, and inland Canada is two to four rail days away.

Routing Through Halifax

Lanes Into the East Coast

From North Europe

Fastest into Canada

Ocean Transit8–12 days

Local delivery1–3 days

Total Door-to-Door9–15 days

Duty under CETA0% on most qualifying goods

From Asia via Suez

No rail leg

Ocean Transit30–38 days

Local delivery1–3 days

Total Door-to-Door31–41 days

Best ForMaritimes consignees, steady programs

Indicative ranges only, not live schedules. Actual transit varies with carrier, season and routing, and a CBSA examination or hold can extend it well beyond the range shown. Request a quote for current sailings. Door-to-door totals include port and rail-ramp dwell plus handoff time, so the individual legs may not add up to the total.

Nova Scotia Coverage

Delivery Across Nova Scotia

Halifax

Dartmouth

Burnside

Truro

New Glasgow

Kentville

Sydney

Yarmouth

Gateway Knowledge

What We Watch at Halifax

CETA is a paperwork game. The duty saving on European goods is real, but it lives or dies on the origin declaration. A missing or malformed statement means full MFN duty — and retroactive claims are slow. We check origin documents before the vessel sails, not after.
Halifax vs Montreal is a live question. For Ontario consignees, Montreal's truck leg competes with Halifax's rail leg; for the Maritimes, Halifax wins outright. We price both entries on every European quote.
Less congestion, more predictability. Halifax rarely sees the vessel bunching that hits Vancouver in peak season. For schedule-critical European programs, that predictability is itself worth money.
Reefer two ways. Atlantic Canada exports seafood in the same reefer boxes that import European food products. Matching import and export loads keeps equipment available and rates honest — a quiet advantage of working both directions.

Halifax At a Glance

Ocean from N. Europe8–12 days

EU goods under CETAMostly duty-free

CN rail to Montreal~2 days

CN rail to Toronto~3 days

HarbourDeep-water · ice-free

Truck to Moncton~2.5 hrs