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Border Information |
Click here to see Canada Customs border wait times.
Click here to see U.S. Customs border wait times.
How much merchandise can I bring back without paying duty / taxes?
-- After an absence of 24 hours or more --
You can claim up to $50 worth of goods without paying duty or taxes. This is your personal exemption. You cannot include tobacco and alcohol in your 24-hour exemption.
If the goods you bring in are worth more than $50 in total, you cannot claim this exemption. Instead, you have to pay duties on the full value.
-- After an absence of 48 hours or more --
You can claim up to $200 worth of goods without paying duty or taxes. These goods can include some tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.
-- After an absence of seven days or more --
You can claim up to $750 worth of goods without paying duty or taxes. These goods can include some tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.
To calculate the number of days you have been absent, do not include the date you leave Canada but include the date you return. It is dates that matter, not times. For example, we consider you to have been absent seven days if you left Friday the 7th and returned Friday the 14th.
How much alcohol can I bring back?
You can include alcoholic beverages and tobacco products in your 48-hour ($200) or your 7-day ($750) exemption, but not in your 24-hour ($50) exemption. All tobacco products and alcoholic beverages have to accompany you in your hand or checked luggage.
Alcoholic beverages
If you meet the age requirements set by the province or territory where you enter Canada, you can include:
- 1.5 litres of wine; or
- 1.14 litres of liquor; or
- 24 × 355 ml cans/bottles (8.5 litres) of beer or ale.
You can bring in more than the free allowance of alcohol except in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. However, the quantities have to be within the limit the province or territory sets and, in most cases, you have to bring the alcoholic beverage with you.
If you bring in more than the free allowance, you will have to pay both customs and provincial or territorial assessments. For more information, check with the appropriate provincial or territorial liquor control authority before you leave Canada.
How much tobacco can I bring back?
You can include alcoholic beverages and tobacco products in your 48-hour ($200) or your 7-day ($750) exemption, but not in your 24-hour ($50) exemption. All tobacco products and alcoholic beverages have to accompany you in your hand or checked luggage.
Tobacco products
If you meet the age requirements set by the province or territory where you enter Canada, you can include up to:
- 200 cigarettes;
- 50 cigars or cigarillos;
- 200 tobacco sticks; and
- 200 grams of manufactured tobacco.
If you bring in more than the free allowance, you will have to pay the duties that apply. In some cases, provincial or territorial limits and assessments may also apply.
What if I receive a gift while I am in the USA?
While you are abroad, you can send gifts duty and tax free to friends in Canada under certain conditions. To qualify, each gift has to be worth $60 or less and cannot be an alcoholic beverage, a tobacco product, or advertising matter. If the gift is worth more than $60, the recipient will have to pay regular duty on the excess amount.
It is always a good idea to include a gift card to avoid any misunderstanding. While gifts you send from abroad do not count as part of your personal exemption, gifts you bring back do.
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