Canadian · Customs and travel
Canada duty-free allowance checker.
Coming home from a trip abroad? Enter how long you were away, what you bought and how much wine, liquor, beer or tobacco is in the bag, and see which of it fits inside the personal exemption.
Away under 24 hours: no personal exemption. Away 24 to under 48 hours: goods up to $200, with no alcohol or tobacco. Away 48 hours or more: goods up to $800, and that can include 1.5 L of wine, or 1.14 L of liquor, or 8.5 L of beer, plus 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 g of manufactured tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks.
Your trip
What fits
Enter your trip and press Check.
Worked example: five nights away, one bag
Two people fly home to Toronto after 5 days in Florida, 120 hours, so each is in the 48-hours-or-more tier with an $800 limit. One of them, aged 34, is carrying $720 of goods in total: two 750 mL bottles of wine (1.5 L, exactly the wine limit) and a 200-cigarette carton, with the rest clothes and gifts. The goods come to $80 under the limit, the wine is on the limit and the cigarettes are on the limit, so everything fits. Add a third bottle of wine and the wine reaches 2.25 L, which is 0.75 L over the 1.5 L limit. The other traveller cannot absorb that surplus: the exemption belongs to the person who claims it and cannot be pooled or handed over.
Now a weekend trip: 30 hours across the border with $260 of purchases. That is the 24-to-48-hour tier, limited to $200 and with no alcohol or tobacco allowed. The Government of Canada guide says that when the goods are worth more than $200 in total, you cannot claim that exemption. The tool shows that outcome as “cannot claim,” with the $60 gap.
How this is calculated: method and sources
The tool does one thing: it compares what you enter with the published limits. It does not calculate duty or taxes, and it does not rank which item is dutiable first.
| Time outside Canada | Goods limit | Alcohol and tobacco |
|---|---|---|
| Under 24 hours | None | None |
| 24 hours to under 48 hours | $200 | Not included |
| 48 hours or more | $800 | Included, within the quantities below |
| 7 days or more | $800 | Included and must travel with you; other goods can follow later as “goods to follow” |
| Item (inside the $800) | Limit |
|---|---|
| Wine | 1.5 L |
| Liquor and other alcoholic beverages | 1.14 L in total |
| Beer or ale | 8.5 L |
| Cigarettes | 200 |
| Cigars | 50 |
| Manufactured tobacco | 200 g |
| Tobacco sticks | 200 |
| Minimum age for alcohol | 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec; 19 elsewhere |
| Minimum age for tobacco | 18 |
The guide writes the three alcohol limits with “or” between them, so the tool treats wine, liquor and beer as alternatives. If you enter more than one kind, it does not guess how an officer will treat the mix; it shows each kind as a share of its own limit and tells you to ask CBSA. Tobacco is different: the guide lists the four tobacco limits with “and,” so they are checked separately. Cigarettes or cigars without the “DUTY PAID / CANADA / DROIT ACQUITTÉ” stamp only qualify for a partial exemption with a special duty, which this tool does not model.
What the sources do not say, so the tool does not either: how a trip’s start and end are timed against the 24-hour and 48-hour lines, and how duty is assessed on the part of the goods above the $800 limit. For the second, CBSA publishes its own duty and tax estimator. Separately, CBSA currently announces surtaxes (counter tariffs) on certain U.S. goods, with a change starting 8 September 2026, and the Canada.ca guide says its estimator does not include the 25% surtax in force since 4 March 2025; check the surtax list if your goods were made in the United States.
Sources, read 26 October 2026: Government of Canada — Personal exemptions mini guide (last modified 3 September 2026); CBSA — Memorandum D2-3-1, Personal Exemptions for Residents Returning to Canada (last modified 30 April 2013; used for the minimum ages and the no-pooling rule); CBSA — Bring personal goods into Canada. The 2013 memorandum also lists a $300 tier at 48 hours; the current guide does not show it, so the tool follows the current guide.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedA same-day shopping trip to the United States earns a duty-free allowance.
What the source saysThe guide says there are no personal exemptions for cross-border shoppers who are away under 24 hours. The first allowance, $200, starts at 24 hours and excludes alcohol and tobacco. [1]
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Often assumedMy spouse and I can add our exemptions together to cover one expensive purchase.
What the source saysMemorandum D2-3-1 says an exemption cannot be pooled with another person's to cover an article worth more than the limit, and it cannot be transferred to someone else. [2]
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Often assumedAfter 48 hours I can bring back a case of beer, a bottle of wine and a bottle of liquor.
What the source saysThe published alcohol limits are 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of liquor or 8.5 litres of beer. The guide joins them with 'or', not 'and'. [1]
- Government of Canada: Personal exemptions mini guide
- CBSA Memorandum D2-3-1: Personal Exemptions for Residents Returning to Canada
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
Does a day trip to the United States get any duty-free allowance?
No. The Government of Canada guide says there are no personal exemptions for cross-border shoppers away under 24 hours. Goods are assessed under the normal rules.
Can I bring back beer, wine and liquor together?
The published limits read “1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of alcoholic beverages or up to 8.5 litres of beer.” That wording is three alternatives. If you are carrying a mix, expect the officer to decide, and declare all of it.
Can my spouse and I combine our exemptions?
No. CBSA Memorandum D2-3-1 says an exemption cannot be pooled with another person’s to cover an article worth more than the limit, and cannot be transferred. Each person also claims only one of the personal exemptions for a single trip.
Does the alcohol have to be with me?
On a trip of 7 days or more, yes for alcohol and tobacco. The guide says the rest of your goods can arrive later as goods to follow.
How old do I have to be?
For alcohol, the minimum age is the one in the province or territory where you enter: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, 19 in the others. For tobacco within the exemption it is 18.
What if I am over the limit?
Declare everything. You may owe duty and taxes on what is above the limit, and the tool shows how far over you are. Use CBSA’s own estimator or the related duty calculator for a figure, and note that CBSA warns of penalties and seizure for goods that are not declared.
Estimate only — not legal advice
This tool compares your entries with the personal exemption limits on the Government of Canada traveller guide as of 26 October 2026. The border officer’s decision at the time of entry is final, and the rules, surtaxes and age limits can change. It covers residents returning to Canada, not visitors, who follow separate CBSA rules. Declare all goods.