Ship boxes from United Arab Emirates to Canada
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in United Arab Emirates and delivered to the door in Canada. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 4–7 business days
- Duty-free up to
- 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)
United Arab Emirates → Canada
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- People returning home after time abroad
- Households moving a few boxes, not a whole home
Returning-expat demand.
Leaving United Arab Emirates
Sending boxes out of United Arab Emirates
Sending your own belongings out of the UAE is straightforward. The courier files the export declaration, and as the sender you show a national ID, passport, or residence visa. Restricted goods need their permits before the boxes are handed over.
Documents
- Itemized packing list or invoice with fair values, marked as used personal effects or gift
- Sender's Emirates ID or passport (citizens), or passport or residence visa (residents)
- Receiver's full address and phone number
- Any permit needed for restricted goods, such as a license for antiquities
Can't leave United Arab Emirates
- Antiquities can't leave the UAE without a license or permission from the competent authority
- Goods banned locally or internationally, counterfeit goods, and goods that infringe intellectual property rights can't be exported
- Travelers must declare cash, checks, and precious metals or stones worth more than AED 60,000 (about $16,340) when leaving; never pack them in boxes
- Products made from protected wildlife may need CITES paperwork from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Arriving in Canada
Canada customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- 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.
- Import tax
- GST (goods and services tax) at 5%, or HST (harmonized sales tax) in its place: 13% in Ontario, 14% in Nova Scotia (since April 1, 2025), and 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Where a province has an agreement with the CBSA, its provincial sales tax (PST) is collected on personal imports too. Duty depends on what each item is and where it was made. Since September 8, 2026, listed goods that originate in the US also owe a surtax of 15%, 25%, or 50% of their value for duty.
- Who pays
- Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
- Moving there?
- Settlers (people moving to Canada to live for the first time, for a year or more) can bring personal and household effects free of duty and tax if they owned, possessed, and used them abroad before arriving. Former residents moving back after a continuous absence of at least a year get the same relief for goods they owned, possessed, and used abroad for at least six months. The six-month rule doesn't apply after five years away, but any single item worth more than CAD 10,000 (about $7,070) pays duty and tax on the amount over CAD 10,000. Give the CBSA a list of everything, including goods to follow, at your first point of entry, and the officer records it on form BSF186. If you sell or give goods away within a year, duty and tax become due on them.
Not allowed into Canada
- Aerosols, spray cans, and compressed gas cylinders
- Flammable liquids and solids: fuel, lighter fluid, paint, nail polish, matches
- Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks not installed in a device
- Cash, gift cards, checks, and other negotiable items
- Firearms, ammunition, replicas, and weapon parts
- Perishable food, and meat, dairy, or fresh produce
- Cannabis, CBD, and THC products, even where they are legal at origin
- Meat and meat products sent by mail or courier: the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) allows personal amounts only in a traveler's own baggage
United Arab Emirates to Canada: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from United Arab Emirates to Canada?
Typically 4 to 7 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in Canada takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to Canada?
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. Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
What paperwork do I need to send boxes from United Arab Emirates?
A commercial invoice listing what's in each box and what it's worth today. Onvoyo prepares it from your contents list for you to review and approve. Sending your own belongings out of the UAE is straightforward. The courier files the export declaration, and as the sender you show a national ID, passport, or residence visa. Restricted goods need their permits before the boxes are handed over.
Is there a duty-free limit for packages to Canada?
Yes, by courier. From the US or Mexico there's no duty up to CAD 150 and no tax up to CAD 40. From anywhere else, nothing is due up to CAD 20. Gifts from a friend or relative abroad are free up to CAD 60. Listed US-made goods can still owe the 2026 surtax.
Do I pay duty on used clothes and household goods sent to Canada?
Settlers and returning residents who listed them on a BSF186 usually pay nothing. Otherwise the courier limits apply. Above them, the receiver pays any duty, which depends on the item and where it was made, plus GST or HST, and provincial sales tax where the CBSA collects it.
Can I ship my belongings to Canada before I arrive?
It's safer to ship after you arrive. Goods to follow only qualify for settlers' or returning residents' relief if they're on the list you give the CBSA at your first point of entry, and you'll need your stamped BSF186 to clear them.
Official sources
Export rules for United Arab Emirates and import rules for Canada, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Dubai Customs · Passenger Customs Guide, Version No. 6 - 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Abu Dhabi Customs · Unified Guide for Customs Procedures at First Points of Entry in the GCC Member States (2025) (opens in a new tab)
- 3.UAE Ministry of Culture · Federal Law No.11 of 2017, on Antiquities (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Canada Border Services Agency · Importing by mail or courier - Determining duty and taxes owed (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Canada Border Services Agency · Memorandum D17-4-0: Courier Low Value Shipment Program (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Canada Border Services Agency · Customs Notice 26-23: United States Surtax Order (2026) (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Canada Border Services Agency · Moving or returning to Canada (opens in a new tab)
- 8.Canada Revenue Agency · GST/HST calculator (and rates) (opens in a new tab)
- 9.Canadian Food Inspection Agency · Bringing food into Canada for personal use (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Health Canada · Bringing health products into Canada for personal use (GUI-0116) (opens in a new tab)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from Canada to United Arab Emirates