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CSA TRAVEL INFORMATION GUIDE
In addition to the maximum 7-day exemption level, there are smaller exemption limits for shorter
trips of 24 hours or 48 hours. For specific rules for these trips, please refer to the Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA) publication I Declare.
In general, the goods you include in your personal exemption have to be for your personal or
household use, souvenirs of your trip, or gifts. Goods you bring in for commercial use or for another
person, do not qualify for the exemption and are subject to full duties.
Except for alcohol and tobacco, goods you claim in your $750 CAD exemption may precede or follow
you by mail or other means. Alcohol beverages and tobacco products must accompany you when
crossing the border.
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.
Please note that if you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks, or loose tobacco in your personal exemption
allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these prod-
ucts unless they are marked “CANADA-DUTY PAID* DROIT ACQUITTÉ”. You will find Canadian-made
products sold at a duty-free shop marked this way. You can speed up your clearance by having your
tobacco products available for inspection when you arrive.
If you bring in more than your exemption allowance, you will have to pay regular assessments on
the excess amount. These regular assessments can include duties, taxes, and provincial or territorial
fees. The CBSA officer will give an allowance for products that are marked when they calculate the
amounts owing.
Alcoholic beverages
If you meet the age requirements set by the province or territory where you enter Canada, you can
include
one
of the following:
•
•
1.5 litres of wine
•
•
1.14 litres (40 oz.) of liquor
•
•
combined total of 1.14 litres (40 oz.) of wine and liquor
•
•
24 × 355 ml cans/bottles (8.5 litres) of beer or ale
Note: The CBSA classifies coolers according to the type of alcohol they contain. For example,
a beer cooler are considered to be beer and wine coolers to be wine, and applies the quantity
limits accordingly. The CBSA does not classify beer or wine that contains 0.5% alcohol by
volume or less as an alcoholic beverage. As a result, no quantity limit applies.
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 set by the province or territory and, in
most cases, you have to bring the quantities with you.