USA - CANADA MOVING

Tips for Moving from USA to Canada

Before moving or returning to Canada

Prepare Form BSF186 (Personal Effects Accounting Document) and Form BSF186A or list of all the goods you intend to bring into Canada as part of your personal effects. The list should indicate the value, make, model and serial number (where applicable) of all the goods.

Documents required:

• Canadian Passport
• For non-citizens - passport including a valid Visa issued by Canada Employment & Immigration Agency
• All receipts for new items being imported

Declaring your goods upon arrival in Canada

Even if you have no goods with you on arrival, you must give your list of goods to the border services officer at your first point of entry in Canada. Based on the list of goods you submit, the officer will complete and stamp Forms BSF186 and BSF186A, assign a file number to it, and give you a copy of the completed form as a receipt.

You or your movers will need to present a copy of the stamped forms to claim free importation of your unaccompanied goods when they arrive.

Items you can import duty- and tax-free

All household items you would like to import duty free must have owned, possessed and used prior to arriving in Canada.

You can include the following personal and household effects in your duty- and tax-free entitlement: clothing and linen, furniture, furnishings, appliances, silverware, jewellery, antiques, family heirlooms, private collections of coins, stamps and art, personal computers, books, musical instruments, hobby tools and other hobby items, personal vehicles, pleasure boats and the trailers to carry them (trailers are subject to Transport Canada requirements), mobile trailers, no more than 2.6 metres (9 feet) wide, that the owner is capable of moving on his or her own, utility trailers, motor homes, private aircraft, tool sheds or garages that do not attach to or form part of a dwelling.

Items for which action is required:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Tobacco Products
• Wedding Gifts
• Jewellery
• Commercial use items
• New unused items, total value more than CAN$800.

Value limitation (CAN$10,000)

Any single personal or household item, including an automobile, that is worth more than CAN$10,000 on the date you import it, is subject to applicable duty and taxes on the amount over CAN$10,000 (This applies to items acquired after March 31, 1977).

Restrictions

Used or second-hand mattresses

You cannot import used or second-hand mattresses into Canada without a certificate that verifies the mattresses have been cleaned and fumigated in the country of export. A letter, or any other document that clearly demonstrates that this requirement has been met, is acceptable if it is signed by a person qualified in cleaning and fumigating.

Cultural property

Some antiques or cultural objects considered to have historical significance to their country of origin cannot be brought into Canada without the appropriate export permits.

Firearms and weapons

You must declare all weapons and firearms at the CBSA port of entry when you enter Canada. If not, the goods may be seized and you could face prosecution.

Explosives, fireworks and ammunition

You must have written authorization and permits to bring explosives, fireworks and certain types of ammunition into Canada.

Food, plants, animals and related products

Certain food, plants, animals and related products pose a risk to Canada. Food can carry diseases, such as E. coli. Plants and plant products can carry invasive alien species, such as the Asian Long-Horned Beetle. Animals and animal products can carry diseases, such as avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease.

Because of these risks, the Government of Canada regulates the import and export of controlled food, plants, animals and related products to and from Canada.

Prohibited goods

Obscene material, hate propaganda and child pornography cannot be imported into Canada.

This is a partial list of consumer products that are banned in Canada and cannot be imported:

• Baby walkers
• Infant self-feeding devices
• Jequirity beans and items containing them
• Lawn darts with elongated tips

Cannabis. Despite the fact that cannabis (marijuana) is legal and regulated in Canada, it remains illegal to take cannabis across Canada's national borders, whether you are entering or leaving Canada.

A full list of products that are prohibited under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act is provided in Canada Consumer Product Safety Act Quick Reference Guide - 2011.

If you are not declare you household goods to follow at your first point of arrival in Canada

First option to meet with the movers in the US-Canada Board /Port Entry on Canadian site. The moving truck with your belongings will be released unsealed immediately upon customs/ document inspection by Customs officials.

Second option for you if you don't have time and/or opportunity to see the movers in the US-Canada Board in Canada.  The moving truck will be sealed by Canadian Customs Officials and you must meet the movers in one of bonded warehouses according to Canadian Customs and Transportation Laws. Make sure you will meet with movers in the time frame between 08.30 AM-4.30 PM in bonded warehouse in order to unseal the truck in Canada. Locations of all bonded warehouses you can find here.