When you are shipping to Canada some of the goods that you are taking will be subject to the requirements of federal Government Departments and you may need to obtain permits, certificates and examinations in order to import some of your items into Canada.

If you have goods that are labelled as prohibited you mustn’t under any circumstances try and import them into Canada. If you do try and you are found to be trying to import prohibited goods they will be disposed of and you may be face criminal damages.

Canada officials do not examine all shipments that are being imported into Canada but they do have the authority to randomly select shipments for examinations. These random checks depend on your compliance record and what person or organisations are involved with the shipment as well as the types of goods you are importing.

Canadian officials may choose to examine your shipment for several reasons such as:

• To detect prohibited or restricted items or smuggled goods
• To fulfil other government departments' legislative requirements (e.g., meat inspection, import permits)
• To ensure the goods comply with customs legislation (i.e., to verify their description, value, quantity, and marking against the invoice information)

So just what are the items that are prohibited for importation into Canada? Items such as Narcotics, firearms and ammunition, explosives including fireworks, obscene materials; goods made from endangered species and live plants are either prohibited or require a special license in order to import them into Canada.

If any of these goods are found Canadian officials will hold them on your behalf and inform you that you need the proper importation documents. If for whatever reason you cannot produce these documents Canadian officials will either destroy the items or have the shipped back to you at your expense.

When it comes to your household goods and personal effects you may import them free of duty and taxes if you are moving to Canada with the intention of holding a residency for more than 12 months.

If you are a Canadian national who is moving back to Canada you are able to bring back all household and personal effects including car, boat, aeroplane, provided they have been acquired and used six months prior to arrival in Canada. (After 5 years, the 6 months provision is eliminated). All of this can be brought back to Canada duty free.

When you are at customs clearance you must have personal attendance by the shipper, this is mandatory and the first declaration must be made at the point of entry into Canada. At this time the shipper will need to submit two detailed lists, in duplicate. The first list should cover accompanying goods and the second should be marked ‘goods to follow’. It would be helpful to show values, makes, models and serial numbers.  When the shipment arrives, a second personal declaration to Custom is required at the Customs point nearest final destinations.