CanExport SMEs

• Certificate of incorporation (and a Legal Name Change Certificate, if applicable)
• Declared annual revenue document: GST 34 return (line 101) or, for Quebec applicants, FPZ-500-V
• If exempt from GST/HST or exclusively conducting international sales: latest fiscal year Income Statement from the Corporate Income Tax Return (Form T2SCH125)

Who is eligible?

• Businesses established in Canada
• For-profit entities
• Incorporated legal entities, limited liability partnerships (LLP), or cooperatives in Canada
• Enterprises with an active Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number
• Businesses with between 1 and 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Enterprises with annual revenue between $100,000 and $100 million declared in Canada during the last complete tax reporting year or the last 12 months for monthly and quarterly filers

Who is not eligible

• Sole proprietorships
• Limited partnerships (LP)
• Third-party representatives, including agents, promoters, sales representatives, consultants
• Trading houses and export brokers (unless for the agriculture and agri-food sector)
• Distributors and wholesalers acting as intermediaries
• Franchisees (only the franchisor is eligible)
• Companies related to recreational cannabis, tobacco, vaping, or similar industries
• Projects related to unabated fossil fuel energy sectors
• Companies with insufficient economic ties to Canada
• Applications from corporate entities that do not demonstrate meaningful economic ties to Canada
• A company applying on behalf of another entity identified by a different CRA business number, such as a parent company applying for its subsidiary
• Consultants applying on behalf of their clients

Eligible expenses

• International travel expenses for meetings or events with key contacts, including airfare, ground transportation, per diems, and mandatory visa fees.
• Expenses related to participation in international trade events, such as booth rental, on-site booth design and installation, utilities for booths, business card scanner rentals, and shipping and handling of event materials.
• Creation or translation of marketing materials from English or French to a language used in the target market, including brochures, flyers, banners, and website adaptation.
• Creation or adaptation of videos for trade events or meetings, including infographics, voiceover, animations, and translations.
• Advertising costs specific to trade event participation targeted to the approved target market.
• Interpreter fees for in-person interactions with key contacts.
• Adaptation and translation of contractual agreements.
• Supplier diversity certification fees recognized in the target market.
• Consultant or legal firm fees for expert business, tax, or legal advice specific to the target market.
• Consultant fees for market research, feasibility studies, identification of key contacts, and facilitation of B2B meetings.
• Costs related to the protection of intellectual property in the target market, including filing patent applications and trademark registrations.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs incurred, invoiced, or paid before the application is submitted (no retroactive costs).
• Virtual event participation costs (only in-person trade events are eligible).
• Advertising and digital marketing expenses (including online/social ads, SEO, e-commerce platform fees, CRM/marketing software, and online store development).
• Internal operating costs and overhead (including employee salaries/wages/commissions, office supplies/equipment, capital assets/real estate, and warehousing/utilities).
• Travel-related costs that are excluded, such as passports/vaccinations, insurance, cell phone roaming/data, hospitality/entertainment/gifts, and travel for non-employees (e.g., consultants).

Eligible geographic areas

• Companies established in Canada.

• CanExport SMEs aims to assess complete applications and communicate a funding decision within 60 business days (up to 90 days for projects targeting the U.S.; this does not apply to projects in the defence sector).
• After submission, you receive an email confirming the application has been received.
• The program reviews the application for eligibility and assesses it against program objectives and the information provided.
• You are notified of the funding decision by email (sent to the Legal Signing Authority); decisions are final and non-negotiable.
• If approved, you receive a funding agreement by email within 20 business days and must sign and return it within 20 business days, or the funding is forfeited.

• Approved projects must incur expenses and complete activities within the specified fiscal year for which funding was provided.
• The CanExport SMEs program has a standard processing time of 60 business days for funding decisions.
• Applicants must disclose any pre-existing relationships or affiliations with consultants as part of their application.
• Program officials may request additional documents or evidence to verify activities and expenses.