Ship boxes from United States to Canada
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in United States and delivered to the door in Canada. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 2–4 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 States → Canada
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- Anyone sending belongings to family or to themselves
- Households moving a few boxes, not a whole home
Large flow and simpler operations.
Leaving United States
Sending boxes out of United States
Most personal boxes leave the US with just a commercial invoice. You or an authorized agent, such as the courier, must file Electronic Export Information (EEI) in the Automated Export System when any one Schedule B number is worth more than $2,500, or when an export license is needed, whatever the value. The export rules' exemption for personal effects covers only baggage not shipped under an air waybill, so courier boxes follow the normal rules.
Documents
- Commercial invoice listing each item and its value, marked as used personal effects or a gift where true
- Sender's photo ID if the courier asks for it
- EEI filed in AES, which the courier can do as your agent, if one Schedule B number is over $2,500 or a license is needed. Household goods for your own use abroad are reported without Schedule B codes.
- Any export license, or OFAC authorization for an embargoed destination
Can't leave United States
- Items that need a Commerce or State Department export license, such as firearms and defense articles. EEI is required for these at any value.
- Goods for Cuba or Iran need US government authorization. For Iran, general licenses cover gifts up to $100 and the used household effects of people relocating there.
- Medicines that are controlled substances may need a DEA export permit, which also triggers EEI
- Couriers will not carry cash, aerosols, flammables, or loose lithium batteries
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 States to Canada: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from United States to Canada?
Typically 2 to 4 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 States?
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. Most personal boxes leave the US with just a commercial invoice. You or an authorized agent, such as the courier, must file Electronic Export Information (EEI) in the Automated Export System when any one Schedule B number is worth more than $2,500, or when an export license is needed, whatever the value. The export rules' exemption for personal effects covers only baggage not shipped under an air waybill, so courier boxes follow the normal rules.
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 States and import rules for Canada, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Office of the Federal Register (eCFR) · 19 CFR Chapter I -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security; Department of the Treasury (opens in a new tab)
- 2.U.S. Customs and Border Protection · Prohibited and Restricted Items (opens in a new tab)
- 3.U.S. Census Bureau (eCFR) · 15 CFR Part 30 -- Foreign Trade Regulations (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury (eCFR) · 31 CFR Chapter V -- Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury (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 · Memorandum D17-4-0: Courier Low Value Shipment Program (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Canada Border Services Agency · Customs Notice 26-23: United States Surtax Order (2026) (opens in a new tab)
- 8.Canada Border Services Agency · Moving or returning to Canada (opens in a new tab)
- 9.Canada Revenue Agency · GST/HST calculator (and rates) (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Canadian Food Inspection Agency · Bringing food into Canada for personal use (opens in a new tab)
- 11.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 States