{"id":4375,"date":"2018-12-06T12:16:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T17:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearit.ca\/canadian-customs-broker-blog\/?p=4375"},"modified":"2018-12-06T12:16:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T17:16:00","slug":"navigating-duty-exemptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearit.ca\/canadian-customs-broker-blog\/navigating-duty-exemptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating Duty Exemptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you a resident of Canada coming home from abroad? Maybe you were doing a little shopping online? Or perhaps you\u2019re moving to Canada? You have duty exemptions available to you in all these cases — but what those exemptions are change for each context.<\/p>\n

To save you the most money in duty fees at the Canadian border in any situation, we\u2019ve put together this guide!<\/p>\n

Personal Duty Exemptions as a Resident<\/h2>\n

Importing by mail<\/b><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the newest duty exemption for Canadians: USMCA has changed the rules<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Previously, if you shopped online or in another country and had your goods mailed to you, any value over $20 would have duty applied, while any value $19 or under would not — this is called the de minimis threshold.<\/p>\n

Now, this de minimis threshold has risen — you now are safe for at least double that, with the new threshold for taxes set at $40 and duties set at $150. There is a catch, however: your goods must <\/i>be sent by express courier shipment — if not, you\u2019ll still only have the $20 level.<\/p>\n

What does this mean in practice? <\/i>If your express courier shipment is worth $39 or less, you don\u2019t have to pay anything. If your express courier shipment is worth $149 or less you will pay sales tax, but not duty. If your goods are shipped through regular mail, you will pay duties and taxes above $20.<\/p>\n

Importing at the point of crossing<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re bringing goods in with you at the border, the duty exemption rules change. These rules apply to<\/a>:<\/p>\n