What to Declare at the Canadian Border

At the Canadian border you must declare all food, plants, animals, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, commercial goods, anything bought or received abroad, and currency of $10,000 CAD or more. Declaring is not a penalty. Residents returning home get duty-free exemptions of $200 after 24 hours away and $800 after 48 hours.

Read CBSA's I Declare guide

Last verified: November 2026

$10,000 CAD
Currency and monetary instruments totalling this much or more must be reported
$200
Duty-free exemption for residents after 24 hours away, all or nothing
$800
Duty-free exemption for residents after 48 hours or more away

What must you declare at the Canadian border?

The Customs Act and its regulations require you to declare the following items when entering Canada. The list is not exhaustive: the CBSA website (cbsa-asfc.gc.ca) has the complete list.

All food products: Fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, fish, eggs, honey and other food, commercially packaged or homemade. Some are prohibited.
Plants and plant products: Live plants, cut flowers, seeds, wood, soil and plant-based products, regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Animals and animal products: Live animals, birds, insects and products derived from animals. Some require import permits under CITES or CFIA regulations.
Currency of $10,000 CAD or more: Currency and monetary instruments totalling $10,000 CAD or more. You can carry any amount, but failure to report can result in seizure.
Tobacco and alcohol: All of it, even within personal exemption limits.
Firearms and weapons: All firearms, replica firearms, ammunition, and prohibited and restricted weapons. A visitor without a Canadian firearms licence completes form RCMP 5589 and pays a $25 fee; once an officer confirms it, it acts as a temporary licence for up to 60 days.
Goods purchased or acquired abroad: Everything you bought, received as a gift or acquired outside Canada, including items sent ahead by mail or courier.
Commercial goods and business samples: Goods for resale or business use, and trade samples, under commercial import rules.

The rule

Every person entering Canada, whether returning resident, visitor, or new immigrant, is required by the Customs Act to declare goods they are bringing into the country.

Customs Act s.12Verify on justice.gc.ca

How much can you bring back duty-free?

Per CBSA, you are eligible for a personal exemption if you are a Canadian resident or a temporary resident of Canada returning from a trip outside Canada, or a former resident returning to live here.

Visitors follow CBSA's visitor rules instead: personal goods are duty-free if declared and taken back out, each gift under $60 is duty-free (not alcohol, tobacco or vaping products), and duties and taxes could apply to alcohol and tobacco.

Personal exemptions by time away
Time away	Exemption	How it applies
Under 24 hours	No exemption	Full duty and tax on all goods acquired abroad.
24 hours to 48 hours	$200 CAD	All or nothing: over $200 CAD in total, duty and taxes apply to the entire amount. No alcohol or tobacco.
48 hours or more	$800 CAD	May include set amounts of alcohol and tobacco. Above $800, CBSA generally applies a 7% duty rate to the next $300 of goods.

Alcohol, tobacco and vaping limits (48 hours or more away)
Product	Limit
Wine	1.5 litres
Spirits	1.14 litres
Beer or ale	8.5 litres
Cigarettes	200
Cigars	50
Manufactured tobacco	200 grams
Tobacco sticks	200
Vaping products	120 mL or 120 g, max 12 devices

You choose only one alcohol category. For alcohol the minimum age is that of the province or territory where you enter: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, 19 everywhere else; for tobacco and vaping products it is 18. Tobacco limits apply to stamped products; unstamped products are limited to five units of tobacco and five units of vaping products.

What can you not bring into Canada?

Certain goods are prohibited from importation into Canada, and others are allowed only under set conditions. Key categories include:

Prohibited firearms, devices and weapons, which visitors cannot import under any circumstances.
Hate propaganda.
Obscene material and child sexual abuse material.
Certain food items with high-risk plant or animal materials (check CFIA guidance).
Products of species listed under CITES, without valid permits.
Counterfeit goods: goods bearing, without the owner's consent, a trademark identical to or indistinguishable from a registered trademark (Trademarks Act s.51.03), unless carried in baggage for personal use only.

Attempting to import prohibited goods can result in penalties, including fines, seizure or prosecution. A conviction can make a foreign national inadmissible to Canada (IRPA s.36).

Can you take cannabis across the Canadian border?

Cannabis is legal for adult use within Canada under the Cannabis Act (S.C. 2018, c. 16). However, taking it across the border in any form, into or out of Canada, is a serious criminal offence, and cannabis for medical purposes needs authorization from Health Canada and from the country or countries you are visiting or transiting through. This applies regardless of:

Whether you are travelling from an area with legalized or decriminalized cannabis (e.g., a US state with legal recreational cannabis)
The amount of cannabis you have with you
Whether you hold a medical document authorizing cannabis use
The form it takes, including edibles, extracts, topicals and products containing CBD

What happens if you do not declare?

If you do not declare goods, or declare them falsely, CBSA can seize them: you may lose the goods permanently or pay a penalty to get them back.

Consequences of not declaring
Not declared	Consequence
Goods over your exemption	Seizure or forfeiture, with a penalty of 25% to 70% of the value.
Currency of $10,000 CAD or more	Seizure; funds may be returned after a penalty of 5% to 50%, unless CBSA suspects proceeds of crime.
A false declaration	Seizure or forfeiture. Prohibited by Customs Act s.153 and an offence under s.160.
Food, plant or animal goods	Penalty tiers of $500, $800 or $1,300, reducible 50% if paid within 15 days.
Firearms	Seizure and possible prosecution.

CBSA keeps a record of infractions, which can lead to a more detailed examination on future trips. If your goods were seized and you disagree, you can appeal by contacting the CBSA within 90 days of the date of the seizure.

How do you make your customs declaration?

All international travellers arriving in Canada by air must make a customs declaration before reaching a CBSA primary inspection officer.

CBSA Declaration Card (E311): The paper card, given on board or on arrival at airports without a kiosk or eGate. Up to four people living at the same address may share one card.
Advance Declaration (in ArriveCAN): An optional ArriveCAN feature: submit up to 72 hours before you arrive by air, then certify it at a kiosk or eGate when you land. If you do not certify it within 72 hours, it expires.
Primary Inspection Kiosks (PIK) and eGates: Where you complete or confirm your declaration electronically. Availability varies by airport.

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What do people ask?

What do I need to declare at the Canadian border?

The Customs Act requires all imported goods to be reported (s.12), and CBSA names these in particular: all food, plants, animals and their products, alcohol, tobacco, firearms and weapons, commercial goods, anything bought or received abroad, and currency of $10,000 CAD or more. When unsure, declare it.

What is the CBSA declaration form?

The CBSA Declaration Card (E311) is the paper customs card given out on board or on arrival where an airport has no kiosk or eGate; up to four people living at the same address can share one card. You list your last country, your time away and your goods, then hand it to the officer. Air travellers can also declare through ArriveCAN or at an airport kiosk or eGate, and land crossings are usually verbal.

How early can I submit an Advance CBSA Declaration?

Up to 72 hours before you land. Advance Declaration is an optional feature in ArriveCAN, the app or web version, for air arrivals at participating Canadian airports. You certify it at a kiosk or eGate when you land; if you do not certify it within 72 hours of submitting, it expires and you declare again on arrival.

What are the CBSA duty-free limits?

They depend on how long you were away. Under 24 hours there is no exemption. After 24 hours you can bring back $200 CAD of goods duty-free, on an all-or-nothing basis and with no alcohol or tobacco. After 48 hours the limit is $800, and it can include set amounts of alcohol and tobacco. Above $800, CBSA generally applies a 7% duty rate to the next $300.

How much alcohol and tobacco can I bring into Canada duty-free?

After 48 hours or more away, you choose one alcohol category: 1.5 litres of wine, 1.14 litres of spirits, or 8.5 litres of beer or ale. Tobacco limits are 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams of manufactured tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks. Vaping products are capped at 120 mL or 120 g, with up to 12 devices.

Do I have to declare food I am bringing from the US to Canada?

Yes. You must declare all food, including packaged snacks, fresh produce, meat and dairy. CBSA and the CFIA decide what can enter: restrictions depend on the product, country of origin and province of import, and the CFIA's Automated Import Reference System shows the rule for each item. Undeclared food, plant or animal goods can be seized.

Do I have to declare $10,000 or more when entering Canada?

Yes. You must report currency and monetary instruments, such as cash, stocks, bonds, cheques, money orders, bank drafts and traveller's cheques, totalling $10,000 CAD or more combined. Carrying any amount is legal; the duty is to report it. CBSA can seize unreported funds, which may be returned after a penalty of 5% to 50% of the seized funds.

What is the penalty for not declaring goods at the Canadian border?

It depends on the goods. Undeclared goods over your exemption are generally seized and released for a penalty of about 25% to 70% of their value. Undeclared alcohol and tobacco are seized permanently, and a false statement to CBSA is prohibited by Customs Act s.153 and is an offence under s.160. Undeclared firearms may be seized and can lead to prosecution.

Part of:Visiting Canada

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.

CBSA: I Declare, a guide for residents returning to Canada