How do I ship my things to Canada?
If you are moving to Canada for good, you can usually bring your own used household goods without paying duty or tax. The catch is paperwork: you list everything, including what is still at sea, the first time you cross the border.
In 30 seconds
- “Settlers” can import goods they already owned and used free of duty, once. A detailed list of everything, split into what is with you and what will follow, goes on Form B4 when you first arrive
- People coming to work for 36 months or less, or to study, don’t count as settlers and follow different rules
- Most UK cars can’t be imported unless they are at least 15 years old. Everything you ship must be free of soil
Do you count as a settler?
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) treats you as a settler if you are coming to Canada to set up a home for the first time, for at least 12 months. That includes new permanent residents. It does not include people coming to work for 36 months or less, or to study. If your work permit is for 3 years or less, you are not a settler on arrival, and you can only bring goods in temporarily as a non-resident. If you later extend your work so it runs past 36 months, or get permanent residence inside Canada, you become a settler from that point.
Settlers’ relief is a one-off. People who have lived in Canada for 12 months or more before are treated as former residents, under different rules. Your customs status is not always the same as your immigration status, so check which applies to you before you book the removal.
Your list and Form B4
The goods must be yours: owned, in your possession and used before you arrive. Leased items and things bought new and sent straight to Canada don’t qualify.
- Make a detailed list, in two copies, with make, model, serial number and approximate value for anything valuable. Group everyday items (“kitchen utensils: C$500”)
- Split it in two: goods with you now, and “goods to follow”
- Show it to the border officer the first time you arrive, even if you bring nothing with you. The officer completes Form B4 (and B4A, the continuation sheet). You can fill them in beforehand to save time
- Keep your signed B4. You need it to clear the shipment when it lands
- Get a valuation for expensive jewellery and list each piece separately
Timing and sea freight
Try to land before your shipment. Goods that reach Canada before you are held in a warehouse for 40 days; after that they count as unclaimed unless you ask the CBSA for more time, and they can eventually be forfeited.
| Service | Typical 2026 price | Door-to-door time |
|---|---|---|
| Full 20ft container (a three-bedroom home) | £4,800 to £6,200 | About 4 to 6 weeks |
| Shared container (10 to 15 cubic metres) | £2,400 to £3,800 | About 6 to 8 weeks: it sails when full |
| Boxes and baggage | £75 to £110 a box | About 2 to 4 weeks |
These are one UK remover’s 2026 estimates to Halifax, Montreal or Toronto. Ask separately for Vancouver and the west, which is a longer route. Get three written quotes that say what is included at the Canadian end. Estimate Add the cost to the moving fund calculator.
Alcohol, tobacco, firearms and other limits
Duty-free alcohol and tobacco must come with you: they can’t be “goods to follow”.
| Item | Duty-free amount for settlers |
|---|---|
| Wine | Up to 1.5 litres |
| Other alcoholic drinks | Up to 1.14 litres in total, instead of the wine |
| Tobacco | Up to 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 g of tobacco |
| Minimum age for alcohol | 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec; 19 in other provinces |
You can bring more alcohol, but you pay duty, taxes and provincial charges on the extra. A wine collection can cost a lot to import, so get a quote first.
You must declare every firearm and weapon at the border. Replica firearms and pepper spray meant for people are prohibited. To own a firearm in Canada you need a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), which needs safety training first. A visitor’s Non-Resident Firearm Declaration costs C$25 and lasts 60 days. Talk to the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program before you ship any gun.
Clean off all soil
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) bans items contaminated with soil from every country, and checks at the first port. Scrub garden tools, lawnmowers, bikes, boots, tents, plant pots and outdoor furniture before they are packed. Check the CFIA rules before you pack any plants, seeds or food. Inspection happens at the first port of entry, so one muddy item can hold up the whole shipment.
Bringing your UK car
Transport Canada says most vehicles sold outside the United States and Mexico can’t be imported, because cars built to another country’s standards can’t be modified to meet Canada’s. Importing one that doesn’t qualify is a criminal offence, and it will be held at your cost.
- Vehicles 15 years old or older (by month and year of manufacture) are exempt from these standards and can be imported
- A car bought new abroad that meets every Canadian standard may qualify, with Transport Canada approval first
- Even an exempt car still has to be registered and insured in your province. Ask your province about a right-hand-drive car before you ship it
For most people, selling the car in the UK and buying in Canada is simpler. See Driving in Canada.
What to do next
- Check whether you count as a settler, given your permit
- Write your list of goods, split into “with me” and “to follow”
- Clean everything that has touched soil before the packers arrive
Keep going
- CBSA: Memorandum D2-2-1: Settlers’ effects, tariff item 9807.00.00
- CBSA: Memorandum D2-3-1: Travellers’ exemptions and minimum ages for importing alcohol
- Anglo Pacific (UK remover): How much does it cost to move from the UK to Canada in 2026
- RCMP Canadian Firearms Program: Non-residents
- CFIA: Directive D-95-26: Phytosanitary requirements for soil and items contaminated with soil
- Transport Canada: Importing a vehicle from countries other than the United States and Mexico
- Transport Canada: Importing non-regulated vehicles