Canada customs rules & duty-free allowances
Canada's border is less about what you pack and more about how long you stay. The personal exemption is a stopwatch: cross for a few hours and every bottle, carton and gift is fully dutiable and taxable. Miss a food declaration and the biosecurity penalty starts at CAD 800 — no warnings, no 'it was just an apple' defence.
Duty-free allowances
Prohibited — banned from import
- Cannabis in any form — bringing it into Canada is a criminal offence, even if it's legal in your home country or in the province you're flying to
- Most fresh fruits and vegetables, and all home-canned or homemade meat and dairy products
- Live plants, seeds, soil and wood items with bark attached (firewood, some carvings)
- Pepper spray, mace and similar self-defence sprays
- Obscene material and hate propaganda
- Counterfeit goods and pirated media
Restricted — allowed with a permit or declaration
- Firearms and ammunition — handguns are effectively banned for import; long guns need a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration and a valid purpose
- Pets and live animals — need a rabies vaccination certificate and, for some species, an import permit
- Prescription narcotics and controlled drugs — require a Health Canada permit or prescription documentation
- Drones over 250 g — must be registered with Transport Canada and the operator certified before flying
- Satellite phones and certain radio transmitters — require an Industry Canada licence
Arriving: red vs green channel
Most travellers clear customs at a self-serve Primary Inspection Kiosk or with the CBSA ArriveCAN app before reaching the officer — you answer the declaration questions on screen and get a printed receipt. There is no red/green channel at Canadian airports; you simply hand your receipt to the officer, who decides whether to send you to secondary. If you have nothing to declare, say so clearly, but remember that 'nothing' still includes that sandwich in your bag.
Tax-free shopping & VAT refunds
Canada has no tourist VAT refund scheme. The old Visitor Rebate Program was cancelled in 2007, and the GST/HST you pay on purchases is not refundable at the airport. Some retailers in Alberta and the territories charge no provincial sales tax, which is the closest thing to a break you'll get.
Bringing medication
Bring personal prescription medication in its original pharmacy container with the prescription label intact, and carry only a reasonable supply for your stay — generally up to 90 days. Narcotics and controlled substances (including codeine, ADHD stimulants and some sleeping pills) require a Health Canada permit or a copy of your prescription plus a declaration. Cannabis is legal in Canada but bringing it across the border in either direction is a serious criminal offence.
Food, plants & animal products
All food, plants, seeds, soil, meat, dairy, eggs and wood products must be declared, even if commercially packaged. Homemade or home-canned meat, unpasteurised dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables from most countries, and anything containing soil are prohibited. Pet food and raw hides need documentation. If in doubt, declare it — the penalty for failing to declare food or plant products starts at CAD 800.
Rules worth knowing
The 24-hour rule catches most short-haul visitors
If you're in Canada for less than 24 hours — a same-day drive across the border, for example — you get no personal exemption at all. Every item, including a single bottle of wine, is fully dutiable and taxable. The 48-hour rule is what unlocks the CAD 800 goods allowance and the full alcohol and tobacco limits.
Alcohol limits are either/or, not combined
You can bring 1.14 L of spirits OR 1.5 L of wine OR 8.5 L of beer — not a mix of all three. If you want a bottle of wine and a bottle of gin, you're over the limit on one of them and pay duty on the excess.
Declare your food, even the apple from the plane
CBSA treats undeclared food and plant products as a biosecurity offence, not a paperwork slip. The minimum penalty is CAD 800, and it applies whether you forgot a banana in your carry-on or deliberately hid a sausage. There is no 'it was just a snack' defence.
Cannabis is legal inside Canada but illegal at the border
You cannot bring cannabis into Canada, and Canadians cannot take it out. CBSA officers can search your phone, your bags and your vehicle, and a cannabis-related border offence can make you inadmissible for life. Do not travel with it, even if you have a medical prescription from home.