I help small businesses — in North America and Europe — get their products, documents, and processes border-ready for Canada and the United States.
Most border problems don't come from breaking rules. They come from assuming customs systems think alike. They don't. A file that satisfies CBSA can still raise questions at CBP — and European exporters face both.
Large companies solve this with a compliance department. You don't need one. You need someone who has worked inside both systems — and who knows what a customs problem looks like when it's a real container, on a real truck, with real costs climbing.
I've spent 25 years in trade compliance and more than 15 in cross-border transportation. I've filed the paperwork, and I've dispatched the trucks.
In one week, I review your import documentation, product information, and process. You receive a one-page scorecard: what's solid, what will trigger questions at the border, and what to fix first — ranked by urgency and cost.
Fixed fee · One week · One clear plan
Book your Border-Ready Call →Organized product descriptions, materials, and origin details — so your licensed broker receives facts, not guesses. Correct tariff classification starts here. So do the most expensive mistakes.
Commercial invoices and supporting records, checked against what CBSA and CBP actually expect — before they become a shipment problem.
Overpaid duties don't refund themselves. Misclassified goods, unclaimed trade-agreement benefits, missed refunds — there may be money to recover, and I know the process on both sides of the border.
European businesses often discover customs requirements the expensive way — after the goods have shipped. It doesn't have to happen like that.
I help European exporters and e-commerce brands prepare for Canada and the United States before the first container moves:
Founders and small teams that are trading — or preparing to trade — across the Canada–US border, or entering North America from Europe:
If you can't justify a full-time compliance hire but can't afford a border problem — this practice was built for you.
We begin with your products, markets, documents, and the problem holding you back.
I review what you have, separate urgent issues from lower-risk items, and organize the open questions.
You know exactly what to collect, what to correct, and what to confirm with your licensed broker — ranked by what matters most.
Customs surprises are expensive enough — my fees shouldn't be one of them.
Full review of your import documentation and process, delivered in one week as a one-page scorecard with fixes ranked by urgency and cost. Launch pricing applies to the first clients while the practice builds its public case studies.
Your compliance question line: classification checks, document reviews, broker coordination, and tariff-change alerts for your products.
Review of past entries for refund opportunities — misclassification, unclaimed trade-agreement benefits, drawback. If nothing is recoverable, you pay nothing.
Larger scopes and European market-entry projects are quoted individually after a short call. Prices in USD.
I'm Virginia Petrenciu, founder of IMEX EUCA. 25 years in customs and trade compliance on both sides of the Canada–US border — auditing importers' files, guiding businesses through CBSA verifications, and working inside the US system on classification, duty recovery, and post-entry corrections.
I also know the transportation side: my family ran a cross-border trucking company, and today we operate a CBSA-bonded drayage business at the Port of Montreal. I know what a customs problem costs when it's a container on hold — not a memo. That's why my advice is practical, fast, and focused on what actually happens to your shipment.
"My purpose is to make trade compliance understandable, organized, and useful for the people running the business."
A customs broker files entries with the government on your behalf. I work on your side of the file before it reaches the broker: product descriptions, tariff classification, origin, documentation, and process. Your broker receives facts instead of guesses. I work alongside brokers, not instead of them.
The Border-Ready Review is $750 USD at launch pricing (regular $1,200), delivered in one week. Ongoing advisory starts at $500 USD per month. Duty recovery is 25% of what's actually recovered — you pay nothing unless money comes back. Full details in the pricing section above.
Your broker files what you give them — and is rarely paid to question it. Most costly errors (wrong classification, assumed origin, missing certificates) start on the importer's side of the file. An independent review catches them before an audit does.
At minimum: a registered importer number, correctly classified products, complete commercial invoices with real product descriptions, a determined country of origin, and any certificates for trade-agreement claims. My free Border-Ready Checklist below covers all twelve essentials.
Yes — that's a core part of my practice. I help European exporters prepare for Canada and the US before goods ship, including using CETA properly to reduce or eliminate Canadian duties. Available in English and French.
Often, yes. Both Canada and the US allow corrections and refund claims going back years, depending on the program. Misclassification, unclaimed trade-agreement benefits, and drawback are the most common sources. A review of your past entries shows what's realistically recoverable.
Yes — all services are delivered by video call, phone, and secure document exchange for clients anywhere in North America or Europe, in English or French.
The Border-Ready Checklist — 12 things CBSA and CBP expect in your import file, and the 4 most small businesses miss. Free, practical, plain language.
Free PDF · Practical guidance · Plain language
Tell me what you're shipping, where it's going, and what's causing uncertainty. In 20 minutes, you'll know whether you have a quick fix, a real risk, or nothing to worry about.
Prefer to write?
trade@imexeuca.com
WhatsApp · +1 586-229-7335