Canada Custom Declaration

[lij1972]

I'm trying to figure out what my declaration limits will be and I need to know what time should I use to determine when I enter Canada; when we dock for the first time in Canada and the ship is cleared, when it first enters Canadian waters, or some other factor. 

 

Also, how should ship purchases be treated after it enters Canada, Canadian purchases or U.S. purchases? 

 

I will be on a northbound cruise starting in Boston and ending in Montreal.  

 

Thanks,

Lisa

[martincath]

Since we got our Portland 'cottage' we have been extra-careful to track our time spent in the US to ensure we don't go over the time limit for non-residents (having to fill out US tax forms would suck). So cruises that go between US/Canada we've done some digging around on - and so far I have not found any info (no test cases in the courts) about time spent in territory controlled by a country before formally entering it, i.e. cruising through US/Canadian waters at what point are you in each of them. It's realistically impossible for Joe Q Public to verify at what point on a journey you cross the actual territorial borders, so it comes down to when/where you fill in paperwork.

 

In other words, until you actually dock in Canada and go through immigration, you should count the time as being Not In Canada - and if you go back out of Canada into the US, or say Denmark or France (in case your cruise is a long, fancy one with stops in St Pierre/Miquelon or Greenland!), you count as Still In Canada until you are next processed for entry to A.N. Othercountry.  So for your limits, it's straightforward to figure out the answer - "How long have you been outside Canada?" equals when you crossed the Canadian border on your outbound travel (if flying from a Canadian preclearance airport, this means "When did you get processed by CBP to enter the USA at the airport?" but if driving it's literally "when did you cross the physical border?") up until the time you got processed by CBSA for your return to Canada. You should be meeting your 48 hours requirement for the $800pp and booze allowance very easily!

 

I see you're a Canadian - so that means CBSA are going to care about your customs form as you may have to pay Duty. At your Canadian Port of Entry, if you receive a customs card to fill out you should declare everything bought in the US and on the ship (that's all Duty Free so counts toward your limit). If the ship pops in and out of International Waters after entering Canada (opens the casino and stores again) then you may find that you get your Customs Card before the last stop rather than the Port of Entry, specifically to ensure that you do not hand in a blank 'nothing to declare' card legitimately at the PoE, but then buy a Rolex or lots of Diamonds afterward and skate without paying the Duty!

 

Unfortunately unless the ship actually visits another country (i.e. you go through immigration again somewhere) you don't get to claim EXTRA allowances for each period you are floating a few miles offshore gambling and shopping onboard - or at least I haven't found anyone who has attempted to claim that they should be entitled to extra 'outside Canada time' successfully - so you can only claim for that initial 'in the US and on the ship until we reached our Canadian PoE' chunk of time... unless YOU want to be the test case that firms everything up for the rest of us?

 

Easiest thing is just to not buy anything expensive onboard - it's all overpriced despite the lack of tax 😉 - so that all your Outside Canada Stuff is bought before boarding and it keeps life simple.

Edited April 15, 2019 by martincath