Crossing border from Vermont

If you have been gone for more than 48hrs and are returning to Canada via Quebec, then:

• You can bring back up to 8.5L duty free (source).
• You can bring an additional 9L, but you may/will pay tax and SAQ markup (source).
• You cannot legally bring greater than 17.5L of beer back from a vacation.

If you have been gone for more than 48hrs and are returning to Canada via Ontario, then:

• You can bring back up to 8.5L duty free (source).
• You can bring an additional 36.5L, but you may/will pay tax (source).
• You cannot legally bring greater than 45L of beer back from a vacation.

How you chose to present what you are bringing back is a personal choice, but I (like most other) would recommend not lying or quibbling; you don’t have to be proactive in telling them what you have, but answer direct questions with direct answers. As @JonnyBeers pointed out, 200ml does make a difference at times.

I had a customs agent ask me why I would bring back beer having only been gone for 36 hours knowing I was going to have to pay tax. It turned out he was a craft beer guy also, and we talked beer and good local breweries for 5+ minutes and then he waved me through. My point being you have no idea who you are getting at the gate, so be honest and be ready to pay the tax you legally owe. Besides, if you were worried about the extra dollars spent on taxes, you probably wouldn’t be chasin’ whalez !!

 

I agree completely. I view it like any law enforcement. Never lie, but don't volunteer info they aren't specifically asking for. I say I have beer. If they want to know how much it is I can tell them, and so on. But I certainly won't give them an itemized list of what I have the second I pull up. Maybe one day that will get all my beer seized, but I hope not.

Thanks for the great answer! It makes all the government rules pretty clear (which is quite a feat!)

 

I tell the customs folk that I'm going to a friend's house and bringing a cooler of beer with me (truth). On the way home, I say that I'm coming from a friend's house and bringing back a cooler of beer (also truth).

Just once, coming back into the U.S., they opened the cooler. When I told the woman I didn't have any receipts and didn't know what the dollar value was (again true), she lost interest and sent me on my way.

Many years ago, crossing into Québec, when they asked me what I did for a living, I said I was unemployed. That was the wrong answer. I spent a couple of hours appreciating the international border through a trailer window.

So, bring a battered, old cooler that's clearly intended for personal use and don't look like an economic refugee.

 

I don't think this is correct. At least it is not my understanding of it.

This is my understanding:

- If you have been over for 48 hours you get 8.5L duty free
- You can, at any time, bring back 45L with duty-paid

Therefore, if you have been over for 48+ hours, you are allowed to import a total of 53.5L, of which you will pay duty on anything above your 8.5L duty-free exemption.

 

Hey-Zeus Kreestos, I think you're right!?!? So I got confused when they (the LCBO) said:

"If you choose to import beverage alcohol products when returning to Ontario from a trip abroad you must.... Not exceed a total of 45-litres of beverage alcohol (any combination of wine, spirits or beer)"​

However, further down the page, they (the LCBO) states:

"A duty free entitlement is not included or counted as part of the 45-litre maximum volume limit."​

I missed that, nice catch 7Duffs. So to clarify/correct my previous BS, if you have been gone for more than 48hrs and are returning to Canada via Ontario, then:

• You can bring back up to 8.5L duty free (source).
• You can bring an additional 45L, but you may/will pay tax (source).
• You cannot legally bring greater than 53.5L of beer back from a vacation (because logic).

• You can bring 45L back after any length visit, but taxes may/will be charged on the whole shabang.

Perfecto, clear as mud!!

 

I noticed the provincial markup form changed and the various % for each province is no longer listed. At least not on the form it used to be on. Anyone have a new updated link? Or perhaps the Cdn government no longer lists the provincial limits, and it's buried somewhere in the BC LDB website.

 

I'm always vague at first - they'll ask what I purchased and I'll say "some beer" (or the French equivalent). They ALWAYS ask me how much I have, or at least that's how it's gone for like the last 2-3 years. I'd love to get waved through with a case of Heady Topper, but that much beer always seems to draw attention. The most I've ever gotten for free was 8 cans of Heady and two bombers (2 people in the car), which they decided wasn't worth pulling me over for. Maybe I'm just unlucky? On the other hand, they never search my car and I've never been detained.

 

The rules and how much tax/duty/markup you pay are freely available with a little bit of work.

There are three components to how much you pay...

Duty.. this is the same wherever you cross into Canada, I forget the exact amount and CBSA changed their memorandum site so I don't see it handy. It's typically just a few dollars for even a large volume of beer. If I recall correctly, it worked out to something like 0.30$ per litre?? I could be wrong, but it's not a lot of money.

Tax: this varies by border crossing. If you cross into Québec it's 9.975% of value (CDN). If you cross into ON it's 13%.

Provincial Markeup: most provinces then tack on an extra alcohol markeup. In Québec, you'll pay 0.63$ per litre. In ON it's 0.676$ I believe. DO NOT EVER CROSS INTO New Brunswick if you are either less than 48 hours or over your limit. The provincial Markeup in NB is something like 90% of the value!!!!!

So, crossing into ON with, say 16L of beer with a CDN value of $200, your estimate would be..

Duty... don't have the exact amount, call it $4 for the fun of it.
Taxes = $26
Markeup = $17.57
Total = $47.57 give or take.

That's ignoring the personal exemptions. I am not 100% sure that the exemptions is removed from the equation once you go over. I know someone said above it is, but that should be clarified with CBSA.

The Memorandom used to be super easy to read and research, but they changed it about a year ago and it's harder to get exact prices now.

Here it is if you are interested:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d2/d2-3-6-eng.html

Before crossing I always do a quick calculation using those three inputs just to estimate what I figure I'll pay. One time crossing at Thousand Islands I had a HUGE fight with the border guard who wanted to charge me like $150 for what I estimated to be something like $40. I spent an hour arguing with him and finally found that he had entered my litre volume as hectolitres in his application. Tried to explain to him I wasn't driving a tanker truck!!

And in terms of approaches at the border, I generally am just honest and tell them I have X litres of beer. Last time I came through at Prescott a few months ago with 32 litres of beer (value well over $300CDN). Guy kind of chuckled and just waived me through!!

 

My border crossing experiences East of Toronto:

Prescott - They'll usually search your phone and computer but wave you through most of the time if you have a "reasonable" amount of bottles. If you have your family they usually wave you through
Cornwall - Hit or miss. Some of the guards there are lazy fucks and will wave you through no matter what, others will make you go in on a few bottles of beer.
Champlain - You'll always pay
Highgate - You'll always pay
Derby - You'll always pay, plus you'll either get a long lecture or a search depending on your license plate.

Unless I'm going straight into Montreal I usually just head back to Cornwall or Prescott and cross from there

 

It all depends on too many factors to plan for. I always use Highgate and have never been charged (knock on wood). On the other hand, I was treated like absolute garbage there and forbidden entry to Canada once, so I hate them regardless (interestingly, I had no beer that time). Now I always make sure to have beer lol

Either way, reading your post makes me want to rent somebody's kids to be sure of more lenient treatment

 

One guy at Derby flat out told me they care far more about cigarettes coming back over the border than booze. From What my comprehension of his french told me., being a single guy who's only across for a few hours claiming only beer and having out of province plates made me a prime suspect for Cigarette Smuggling.

After a long search I gathered up the contents of my car (he tossed my booze in a nearby snowbank so at least it was cool when I got to MTL), loaded them back in, went inside, paid my tax and dropped off the illicit pills I smuggled back into Canada at La Grimoire.

 

question.. how does this work for the following instance. I am American.. I come into Quebec on 12/20, the next day 12/21 I leave Quebec to head to Vt for beer I then head back into Quebec on 12/21 How much beer can I go back into Quebec with? 8.5L i would assume for free? Can i have more and pay tax? or is that it just 8.5L and anymore and i'm not allowed back in?

I'm not going to get into the one time i had issues doing the above instance b/c it was a mess of a time and no fun. but the laws/rules/whatever aren't the best and shit is confusing. Needless to say i thought i could come back with however much beer I wanted and just pay a tax.

I never have an issue going back to America, could have all the beer i want going home... Which leads me to another question. Quebec... where is the best beer besides DDC in Montreal and Dunham.. i know of those two but are there any new up and comers..? If so please let me know I'd love to find a few spots to hit up when I'm up that way.. good IPA's/Saison/Stouts/Wild Ales etc

Sucks i always seem to be going home days HF is closed so i have to do the double crossing to get HF

Thanks for the assistance all!

 

It won't matter that you've been in Quebec the first time at all, unless you have a Canadian PR card. When you enter on the 21st with your VT haul, the Quebec border will treat it as your first time.

That said, I'm pretty sure it's a Canadian law regardless of province that visitors can bring in up to 8.5L of beer per trip duty free, any excess you'd like be subject to the same amount as anyone else, which is 9L additional in Quebec.

Traveller Info: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ivc-rnc-eng.html

It then points to the Canadian page for travelling which says you can bring in duty free after 48hrs. As a visitor, if you make multiple trips in and out this 48hr rule may apply not sure how they decide. I'm not sure they would keep a record of how much beer you bring in the first time and then apply it to the next day.

 

If you are looking for the 48 hour exemption, you cannot mix and match, it's either beer only, wine only or spirits only, with each having their own limitations. Of course if there are two of you, one can have 8.5 litres of beer and the other can have two bottles of wine (or one 40oz of spirits).

When any alcohol doesn't fall exactly in the description in the regulations, the officers use alcohol ABV as the deciding factor of how to classify it. Since Mead is usually around the same alcohol level as beer/cider, I'd just call it beer when declaring.

 

I think it would be up to you how you want to declare your duty free, same as if I'm over the limit on beer, I'd claim the most expensive bottles for duty free, then give them a receipt for the cheap stuff. Have yet to actually have to do that though.

You are def not allowed to mix and match.

 

Since you will be mixing and matching (not allowed under the 48+ hour exemptions), you can claim either the beer or the wine as duty free. You pay duty, provincial liquor board markup and various taxes on the other.