Canada is the second largest country in the world. This is one of the reasons why it is a popular shipping destination for both businesses and individuals as it offers a large market for all your goods and services. The good news is that shipping here isn’t a huge task and you can pick any Canadian Trucking Company for your business shipping needs. In fact, there is a guide that should help you easily navigate through the whole process. From the what, how, and if you can actually ship your goods into the country. Here is the detailed guide that you can follow to ensure a smooth process.

1. Canadian customs clearance and paperwork

As with every other country in the world, all goods that are being shipped internationally need to be checked and cleared by the country’s destination customs. This is a mandatory procedure that all your goods must go through.

It is also paramount that you declare all the goods contained in your parcel. Ensure you are honest and clear about everything giving as many details as you can in the process. And a small mistake can lead to serious consequences, delays, and even hefty additional fees.

It’s also important that you declare the total value of your parcel as well to the local authorities to enable them to calculate the total amount of tax and duty to impose on your goods. Anything that is worth more than $20 CAD is subject to be taxed. The Goods and Service tax for all items is 5% which will automatically be applied to any item worth more than $20 CAD.

Provincial Sales Tax may also be applied in Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, or Quebec. It all depends on your delivery destination.

In some cases, you may have to produce your import license as well for any goods entering the country. This depends entirely on the type of products you are importing and the reason for the import too. The Canadian customs will then contact the recipient of your goods to provide them with the license before the goods are finally cleared.

2. Sending food to Canada

It is true that food is usually considered one of the most universally accepted gifts you can send to a friend or family member who is living abroad as a sign of caring and who is missing home. If not properly investigated before they are sent, however, these products can cause a lot of issues. All food imports into the country are controlled and monitored by the (CFIA), Canadian Foods Inspection Agency, and this office will need to see additional paperwork which should be attached to the food parcel.

Some foods may even need to be sent with certificates of origin and import permits especially for the ones outside the USA.

3. Restricted and prohibited items

It is vital that before you ship any items or products into a country, you check its restricted and prohibited items. You may think you are shipping a harmful product only to find that the country has restricted or prohibited it from entering the country.

4. Shipping personal effects to Canada

You may be eligible for an exception on some taxes and duties if you are shipping personal items into Canada. This case also applies if you originally got the goods in Canada and are shipping them back after a year from the time you sold them, with no value limit. If you are a non-resident, then you may need to pay some tax and duty fees but this is at the discretion of customs.

5. Remote area shipping

This is calculated by the total distance and transport difficulty of shipping the goods from the nearest depot to its destination. Some areas may be considered to be remote by the courier from the fact that Canada is a huge country. You can take a look at the remote area surcharge to know the expenses you may incur if you opt for this method of shipment and delivery into the country.

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