Currency
There are no restrictions on the amount of monetary instruments or cash that can be
brought into or taken out of Canada. However, importing or exporting monetary instruments
of CDN$10,000 or more (or the equivalent in a foreign currency), must be reported to the
Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) upon arrival to Canada or prior to departure from
Canada. If you transport currency or monetary instruments that belong to you, you must
complete Form E677—Cross-Border Currency or Monetary Instruments Report—Individuals. If
you transport currency or monetary instruments on someone else’s behalf, you must complete
Form E667—Cross-Border Currency or Monetary Instruments Report—General. Monetary
instruments or cash not reported to the CBSA may be subject to seizure, forfeiture or an
assessment of penalties. Penalties range from $250 to $5,000.
Gifts
While you are outside Canada, you can send gifts free of duty and taxes to friends within
Canada. To qualify, each gift must not be worth more than CDN$60 and cannot be a tobacco
product, an alcoholic beverage or advertising matter. If the gift does not qualify, the recipient
will have to pay regular duty and taxes on the excess amounts. Gifts that you send from
outside Canada do not count as part of your personal exemption, but gifts that are brought
back in personal luggage do count against your exemption limits.
Prohibited or restricted goods
The following items are prohibited or subject to import restrictions:
• Firearms
• Replica firearms
• Explosives, fireworks, and ammunition
• Vehicles, import restrictions apply mostly to used or second-hand vehicles that are not
manufactured in the current year and imported from a country other than the United
States
• Food products
• Animals, plants, and their products
• Endangered species
• Cultural property
• Prohibited consumer products, as outlined by Health Canada
• Health products (prescription drugs)
• Used or second hand mattresses
• Goods subject to import controls
• Posters and handbills depicting scenes of crime or violence
• Photographic, film, video or other visual representations that are child pornography under
the Criminal Code
• Books, printed paper, drawings, paintings, prints, photographs or representations of any
kind that, under the Criminal Code:
• are deemed to be obscene
• constitute hate propaganda
• are of treasonable character, or
• are of a seditious character.
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Personal Imports—Currency, Gifts and Prohibited Goods
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