Moving From USA to Canada

Whether returning to Canada after living abroad or moving there as a new settler, you may import household effects and personal items duty-free. Those items include: furniture, silverware, linen, jewelry, appliances, books, clothes, musical instruments, family heirlooms and antiques, private art, coin or stamp collections, hobby tools and items, boats and their trailers, and vacation trailers. The items must be truly personal in nature (not used for commercial use) and must have been in your possession for a minimum of 6 months.

All items must be posted on Canadian Customs Form B4A (05). The form requires that you list all items and their value accurately in Canadian dollars (CAD). This is a mandatory requirement of Canadian Customs for anyone entering the country. You do not need to accompany your goods when they cross the border. However, the B4 list must be made available to PODS when your PODS container is picked up from your home for shipment to Canada. The B4 form must be presented by the PODS transportation division driver when he arrives at the border to cross into Canada. PODS will ensure the B4 form is passed from the local PODS personnel to the over-the-road driver. We recommend that all closed cardboard boxes be labeled "Packed by Owner", and that you write on the outside what type contents are in the sealed box. This will help expedite the clearing process with Canadian Customs.

*In compliance with border security practices, Canadian Customs also mandates that PODS provides the passport information (name, address, and passport #) of the head of household who is moving. The Customs and Immigration Offices want to be able to match the exact person, legally entering the country, to the shipment.

Canadian Customs does not clear your household effects at the border. Canada requires that our bonded carrier take the goods to a Sufferance (bonded) Warehouse in the city to which you are moving. PODS has set up contract relationships with top level Sufferance Warehouses in all major cities in which we have established operations. A list of Sufferance Warehouses is noted below. Our driver will present your B4A (05) form and other shipping documentation (Waybill / Manifest) at the border. The shipment will be reviewed by Canadian Customs, but, unless the Canadian Customs personnel feel there is an urgent need to search the PODS container, they will simply put a Customs seal on the door of the container and our driver will then transport the container to the appropriate Sufferance Warehouse in your new city. A representative of the PODS Logistics Center will be in contact with you to help guide you through this entire process. We want it to be as stress-free as possible for you.

You will be notified by PODS when your container arrives at the local Sufferance Warehouse. It is then required by Canadian Customs that an appointment be made with a Customs inspector to come to the Sufferance Warehouse and physically meet you there. You must be present when the PODS container is opened for inspection at the warehouse in order for the personal effects to be cleared through Canadian Customs. Personnel from the PODS Logistics Center and the Sufferance Warehouse will help coordinate this appointment with the Customs official. On some moves, Canadian Customs does not require the on-site Customs review of your household effects at the Sufferance Warehouse. It is in their discretion. In these instances, you will simply be directed to the closest Customs office (usually near a major airport), and your paperwork will be processed without an official inspection. PODS wants to stress that this is the exact process that every moving company must follow. Movement of personal items through the Sufferance Warehouse is not specific to PODS. It is the method that Canada uses to conduct the cross border clearance of anyone's household goods.

Once the Canadian Customs has cleared the personal effects, our local PODS personnel in your Canadian city will transport the PODS container from the Sufferance Warehouse to your new home. If your new residence is not ready, the PODS brand container can be moved to the local PODS warehouse and stored there for however long you require. When you need the goods, we will bring the container to your new home.

Sufferance Warehouses (bonded facilities):

RESTRICTED ITEMS:

Due to safety, security, and Canadian Customs regulations, the items below cannot be shipped inside your PODS brand container. Our Inter-Franchise contract also restricts many of these same items on our domestic relocation transactions. Please note those stated restrictions on your contract. There are links listed below to provide you with detailed information as to the Canadian Customs importing requirements on these restricted items. Also your representative in the PODS Logistics Center will discuss these details with you and provide additional information on them, should you have any questions.

A complete review of restricted items for shipment is available at: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/. This site can serve as a link for additional information on all of the specific restrictions.

Canadian restricted items:

• Vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats)
• Hazardous Materials
• Explosives
• Weapons, Firearms, Munitions, Fireworks
• Tobacco Products
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Livestock/Pets/Wildlife
• Food and Dairy Products
• Biological Materials/Toxic Substances
• Agricultural Products, including houseplants, seeds, plants, fruits, and vegetables
• Narcotics or any Illegal drug
• Currency and monetary instruments
• Endangered Species

Tips, Do's and Don'ts

Moving From Canada to U.S.