Can I send alcohol or tobacco to Canada?
Not allowed
No.
Couriers generally refuse them in personal boxes. They never count as gifts, and provincial taxes apply where they can be imported.
For every Onvoyo box: Onvoyo and most express couriers don't carry alcohol, tobacco or vaping products in personal boxes, whatever the destination allows.
More rules for Canada
Allowed with conditions
- Alcohol and tobacco
- Never covered by the gift exemption. A courier can import them for personal use only where the CBSA has an agreement with the province, and provincial taxes apply. Most couriers won't carry them in personal boxes.
Quantity limits
- Gifts
- Up to CAD 60 (about $42) per gift from a friend or relative abroad, with a card or note. Duty and tax apply to any amount above that. Alcohol, tobacco, and advertising material don't qualify.
Before you ship to Canada
- Tax-free limit
- Courier shipments from the US or Mexico pay no duty up to CAD 150 (about $106) and no tax up to CAD 40 (about $28). From anywhere else, courier shipments are free of duty and tax only up to CAD 20 (about $14). A gift sent personally by a friend or relative abroad is free up to CAD 60 (about $42). Above that, duty and tax apply only to the amount over CAD 60, and the gift and CAD 20 rules can't be combined. Listed US-made goods can owe the 2026 surtax even below these limits.
- Receiver ID
- No tax number is needed to receive personal boxes. The courier declares personal (casual) goods under its own CBSA business number and bills the receiver. Settlers and returning residents need their stamped BSF186 instead, because goods to follow are cleared against it.
- Transit
- 1-4 business days from the US; 3-6 from Europe; 4-7 from Asia
Questions
Can I send alcohol or tobacco to Canada?
No. Couriers generally refuse them in personal boxes. They never count as gifts, and provincial taxes apply where they can be imported.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Bringing food into Canada for personal use (opens in a new tab) - 2.
- 3.
Canada Border Services Agency
Customs Notice 26-23: United States Surtax Order (2026) (opens in a new tab) - 4.
Canada Border Services Agency
Memorandum D17-4-0: Courier Low Value Shipment Program (opens in a new tab) - 5.
Canada Border Services Agency
Importing by mail or courier - Determining duty and taxes owed (opens in a new tab) - 6.
Canada Border Services Agency
Moving or returning to Canada (opens in a new tab) - 7.
Canada Border Services Agency
Memorandum D20-1-1: Exporter Reporting (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in Canada makes the final decision on every box.