About Canada Border Guide: Who We Are and How We Check Our Facts

Canada Border Guide is an independent publisher. It is not the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), it is not endorsed by the Government of Canada, and it cannot process declarations, payments or applications. We never ask for personal information.

What this site is for

The official CBSA pages are accurate but spread across many sections. We pull the rules for travellers into short pages with the numbers up front and link to the official source on every page.

How we check facts

• Every figure comes from an official page: CBSA, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, Finance Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency.
• Each guide ends with its sources and the date we last checked them (October 17, 2026 for this edition).
• Where official pages disagree or are silent, we say so on the page instead of guessing.

What we do not cover

• Provincial liquor levies and permit limits (check the liquor authority where you enter).
• Provincial sales taxes such as PST and QST in the calculator.
• Immigration, work permits and entry eligibility for visitors.
• Firearms import rules beyond the CBSA's instruction to declare them.

Known gaps in the official tools

• The CBSA Duty and Taxes Estimator did not mention the 2026 counter-tariffs when we checked.
• The CBSA does not say which goods your personal exemption is applied to when tariffed and non-tariffed goods are mixed, so our calculator shows a range.
• The CBSA checklist mentions the Advance Declaration through a mobile app or website, while the Advance Declaration page describes the app only.

Your responsibility

This site gives general information, not legal or customs advice. A border services officer makes the final decision on what you owe and what you may bring. Rules and rates change, so confirm with the CBSA before you travel. Official CBSA traveller information: cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.

Related sites

For GST/HST and other Canadian tax tools, see True North Taxes.

All guides

• Personal exemptions for returning residents
• What visitors can bring into Canada
• Alcohol limits and minimum age
• Tobacco and vaping limits
• Bringing food, plants and animals
• Cash of $10,000 or more
• US counter-tariffs for travellers
• What to declare at the border
• Duty and tax calculator
• Cannabis and the border
• Advance CBSA Declaration (ArriveCAN)

Official sources

• CBSA: Travellers - Paying duty and taxes
• CBSA: I Declare - guide for residents returning to Canada
• CBSA: Canadian tariffs on certain US goods at the border
• CFIA: Bringing food into Canada for personal use

Data checked against official sources: October 17, 2026. Rules change; confirm with the CBSA before you travel.