Not declaring your holiday goodies at customs can get you into big money trouble. The value of the goods you can bring back tax-free depends on how long you’ve been away, from $0 for less than 24 hours up to $800 total for longer than 48 hours. If you don’t declare your items, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is allowed to seize them, and getting them back isn’t easy — you might face penalties of 25% to 80% of the item’s total value. Take the Montréaler who didn’t declare a $115,000 watch he bought in Philadelphia: he was recently ordered to pay a $34,650 fine, or 30% of the watch’s value. The CBSA could even take your car if you used it to bring in those goods. Plus, if you get caught, you could face extra scrutiny on future trips and might become ineligible for programs like Nexus. And remember: you still need to declare the item even if you got it shipped. If you think the CBSA treated you unfairly, you have 90 days to challenge its decision.
