CBSA Border Declarations: What to Declare

Yes. You must declare ALL food items, including commercially packaged goods, fresh produce, meat, dairy, and snacks, when entering Canada. The CBSA officer and CFIA will determine whether your items are admissible. Many packaged, commercially processed foods from the US are fine; fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats may be restricted or require documentation. Failure to declare food, plant or animal items can result in the goods being seized and a CBSA penalty; the official traveller tiers are $500 (minor), $800 (serious) and $1,300 (very serious), reducible 50% if paid within 15 days. Verify the current tiers on cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.

All travellers arriving by air must complete a declaration form regardless of whether they have goods to declare. At some airports, travellers who believe they have nothing to declare may proceed through a Green Channel (expedited lane), while travellers with goods to declare use a Red Channel. However, CBSA can refer anyone to secondary inspection at any time, choosing the Green Channel when you have undeclared goods is a violation of the Customs Act.

Yes. Gifts received while abroad are considered acquired goods and must be declared. They count toward your duty-free personal exemption. If the value of all your acquired goods (including gifts) exceeds your exemption, you pay duty and tax on the amount over the exemption. There is no special "gift exemption" at the Canadian border.

Generally yes, for personal use quantities. Bring the original pharmacy-labelled container and your prescription documentation if possible. Controlled substances (narcotics, certain psychotropics) may require additional documentation. For large quantities, bringing a letter from your doctor is advisable. Certain medications legal elsewhere may be restricted or controlled in Canada, check Health Canada's drug schedule.

Commercial goods are items intended for resale, use in a business operation, or imported as business samples, as opposed to goods for personal use. Commercial goods are not eligible for the personal exemption and must be cleared through a formal commercial customs entry (CBSA Form B3 or equivalent). If you are bringing products to sell at a craft fair, samples to show clients, or stock for a home business, those are commercial goods even if they are small in quantity.

If you realize immediately (while still in the customs area), return to a CBSA officer and make the declaration voluntarily. Voluntary disclosure before CBSA discovers the issue may result in reduced or waived penalties. If you have already left the port of entry, contact CBSA for guidance. Voluntarily coming forward is always better than being caught later: CBSA does random post-entry audits and packages are scanned at mail facilities.

Using the Advance Declaration feature in ArriveCAN (the free app or the web version), you can submit your customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours before you arrive in Canada by air. You then confirm (certify) it at a kiosk or eGate when you land. If you do not certify within 72 hours of submitting, the declaration expires and you simply complete a new one on arrival. CBSA reports the feature can cut the time spent at a kiosk or eGate by roughly one third. Advance Declaration is optional and is available at participating Canadian international airports, verify the current list on canada.ca before you fly.

They are different programs. The $200/$800 personal exemptions apply to residents (and some non-residents) returning from a trip abroad and cover goods you acquired while away. People moving to Canada are different: under the appropriate Customs Tariff classification, settlers and returning former residents can generally import owned personal and household goods duty- and tax-free, listing them on a Personal Effects Accounting Document (form BSF186), with a separate list for goods that will follow later. Which tariff item applies depends on your situation, so verify with CBSA which one fits. See our BSF186 guide for the settling-in process.

No. There is no personal exemption for absences under 24 hours. If you cross for a same-day trip and bring back purchases, you pay full duty and applicable taxes on those goods regardless of value, and you must still declare them. The $200 exemption begins only after a full 24-hour absence (and excludes alcohol and tobacco), and the $800 exemption after a full 48-hour absence. Whether goods qualify is based on the actual time you were outside Canada, not the calendar date.

You declare the full value and pay duty and tax only on the amount above your exemption. For example, after 48+ hours away with an $800 exemption, a $1,000 purchase means duty/tax applies to the $200 over the limit. Above the $800 exemption, CBSA generally applies a beneficial flat 7% duty rate to the next $300 of goods (alcohol and tobacco excluded); beyond that, normal duty rates and the GST/HST plus any provincial taxes apply. Big-ticket items like vehicles have their own import rules (often through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles). Verify current rates with CBSA, as duty depends on the goods and their country of origin.