Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States, as well as British, Australian, New Zealand, and Irish nationals, need a visa or a passport to enter Canada. Permanent U.S. residents who aren't U.S. citizens must have their Alien Registration Cards. Residents of approximately 60 other countries do not need visas to enter Canada; all others do. Inquire about entry requirements at the nearest Canadian embassy or consult the website www.cic.gc.ca/english/offices.

A note for teens traveling alone: If you're under 19, it's helpful to have a letter from a parent or guardian stating the purpose of the trip. If Customs officers are suspicious when you enter the country, they'll notify immigration officers. A letter will go a long way in proving that you're not running away or up to no good. For more information about immigration, browse the website listed above or call tel. 888/242-2100 (from within Canada only).

Customs

Customs regulations allow adult travelers (19 or older) to bring in duty- and tax-free 1.14 liters (40 oz.) of wine or liquor, or 24 bottles of beer; travelers can also bring in 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars without paying duty or tax. If you're bringing gifts for Canadian friends, you're allowed C$60 (US$48) duty-free. An automated phone service will answer most questions about Customs regulations; call tel. 800/461-9999. Or check the website www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-e.html.

Regulations regarding firearms are complicated and varied. In short, it's best if you don't bring your gun. If you're traveling for hunting and want to bring your rifle into the country, you should be traveling during hunting season and carry proof of your plans to go hunting (a written confirmation from a guide service or hunting lodge should suffice).

Import Restrictions

Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, $800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next $1,000 worth of purchases. Be sure to keep your receipts handy to expedite the declaration process. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is $200. Note: If you owe duty, you are required to pay on your arrival in the United States -- either by cash, personal check, government or traveler's check, or money order (and, in some locations, a Visa or MasterCard).

To avoid paying duty on foreign-made personal items you owned before your trip, bring along a bill of sale, insurance policy, jeweler's appraisal, or receipts of purchase. Or you can register items that can be readily identified by a permanently affixed serial number or marking -- think laptop computers, cameras, and CD players -- with Customs before you leave. Take the items to the nearest Customs office or register them with Customs at the airport from which you're departing. You'll receive, at no cost, a Certificate of Registration, which allows duty-free entry for the life of the item.

With some exceptions, you cannot bring fresh fruits and vegetables back into the United States. For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel," and then click on "Know Before You Go! Online Brochure.") Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667) and request the pamphlet.

U.K. citizens returning from a non-EU country have a customs allowance of: 200 cigarettes; 50 cigars; 250 grams of smoking tobacco; 2 liters of still table wine; 1 liter of spirits or strong liqueurs (over 22% volume); 2 liters of fortified wine, sparkling wine, or other liqueurs; 60cc (ml) perfume; 250cc (ml) of toilet water; and £145 worth of all other goods, including gifts and souvenirs. People under 17 cannot have the tobacco or alcohol allowance. For more information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

The duty-free allowance in Australia is A$400 or, for those under 18, A$200. Citizens over 18 can bring in 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of loose tobacco, and 1,125 milliliters of alcohol. If you're returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens over 17 can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn't exceed 250g); plus 4.5 liters of wine and beer, or 1.125 liters of liquor. New Zealand currency does not carry import or export restrictions. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country; that way, you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).