Bringing Back Goods From New York

What do you need to keep in mind, when bringing back goods from New York? That you can’t bring back too much! You are allowed to bring a maximum of CA$800 worth of duty-free per person. So make sure the total worth of your purchases doesn’t exceed this amount. It doesn’t matter if you bought a designer coat at Macy’s or bought electronics and gadgets in New York, stay below CA$800, to avoid trouble. You should have all your receipts readily available. Note: this amount only applies when you’re absent for 48 hours or more.

What if I go Over my Allowance?

If a single item is worth more than your allowance, you’ll have to pay duty or import VAT on its full value, not just the value above the allowance. If you bring in more than the exempt allowance of alcohol or tobacco, you will be required to pay the applicable duties and taxes so keep that in mind when going shopping in New York.

What can I Bring Back to CA?

You can bring back goods such as (designer) clothing, electronics and gadgets, shoes, accessories, bags and jewellery, perfume, toys and souvenirs. As long as the total is a maximum of CA$800, you don’t have to pay duty and/or VAT. You can also bring food, alcohol and tobacco, but the amount you can bring back to Canada is limited. You’re not allowed to bring any fresh fruit and vegetables or dog or cat food containing beef or lamb products in your suitcase. Avoid bringing back banned goods such as souvenirs made from endangered species. You’re allowed to take the following with you:

Food

You are required to properly declare any meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, animals or animal products you bring into the country. This includes end-user products made from plant or animal matter. Packages must have identifying marks, indicating what the product is. You can bring the following food items into Canada:

• Fruits and vegetables, including herbs (dried or fresh): up to 15 packages per person, but not more than 250 kg
  • excluding potatoes: one commercially packaged bag up to 4 kg of US number 1 potatoes per person
• Spices, tea, coffee, condiments
• Baked goods, candies, etc: up to 20 kg p.p., but no goods containing meat
• Fish and seafood
• Meat and poultry: up to 20 kg p.p.
• Dairy products: up to 20 kg p.p.

There are, however, restrictions on these items of food: they must be free from disease and pesticide and they must only be for your own use. Because pest and disease situations are constantly changing, these requirements may be adjusted at any time.

Alcohol

How much you can bring back to Canada depends on the type of drink. You can bring in:

• 8.5 litres of beer OR
• 1.5 litres of wine (not sparkling) OR
• 1.14 litres of alcoholic beverages

Tobacco

You can bring in one from the following:

• 200 cigarettes
• 50 cigars
• 200 grams of manufactured tobacco
• 200 tobacco sticks

Hoverboards

It’s good to know that most airlines don’t allow you to take hoverboards with you, neither as hand luggage nor checked-in luggage. The lithium-ion batteries exceed 100-watt hours and are considered hazardous material and therefore not allowed.