Yeah, I’d say in that case it probably isn’t worth it. The only way to self-declare is to go to the special in-land CBSA offices.

It should be pretty easy to self clear the parcel. They will apply tax on anything over $20 unfortunately. The instructions are laid out in this article so just make sure you follow them.

Thanks for the detailed article.
I noticed that with my DHL parcel, I actually don’t have any import duty or anything charged to it. As it was labelled as a gift and value under $60. But, I am still being charged $17.50 by DHL?
How do I self clear this parcel. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the heads up! I have never left it in their warehouse for that long so I was going off their policies but glad to hear that they don’t charge those fees.

I am going to self clear with DHL but they informed there is no charges if it stays in their storage last 3 days and I haven’t don’t paperwork yet. I am still waiting for the paperwork for another package which is why I haven’t done it yet.

That’s a good question! What courier have you seen this happen more for or has it been across the board? I think Canada Post has been quite consistently good for us and UPS is still the worst. They even charged duty for something that didn’t actually require duty so it might be a directive for those at Canadian customs to be more strict? If you can, self clear always!

Hey! You should be able to start the process right away as it’s already been tagged with some sort of tax/duty. This will give you the maximum amount of time to get everything done. Once it’s done, it’ll either start making your way to Regina from Ontario, or it’ll move as far as it can (possibly to a Regina warehouse) and pause until you’ve self-cleared it.

That’s a good question! I suppose, if I think about my experiences with UPS, it technically hadn’t arrived in Canada before I knew that there were was going to be taxes/duty on it so I was able to start the process right away. I was told by the DHL people that was the case but you’re right, there’s no reason why you can’t get it started once you know you’re going to be hit with something.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with is. This is super valuable!

Computers are available on site to fill out a customs form, they will help you if its your first time. The CBSA agent will send and electronic message to your shipping company once you’ve paid any duties and taxes. They’ll then release the package to you, or you can leave it to be delivered by the delivery company.

However….keep this in mind….

Certain companies like UPS will occasionally clear a package and delivery it to you with an invoice for handling, duties and taxes. If this happens to you take it to the CBSA office and pay it there. They’ll only charge you what is owed to the government, and send a notification to UPS.

Also….

Many items imported into Canada fall under CUSMA, or NAFTA and are Duty Free if manufactured in the USA or Mexico. Most other countries fall under MFT they’re likely to have a higher excise tax (ex. furniture from China). Generally the company you purchased from provides a completed customs form (or commercial invoice) to the shipping company (freight forwarder). This means the shipping company has literally done nothing but prepare an invoice with an up-charge for you to pay once your shipment reaches customs.

I suggest getting the companies you order from to send the customs form (or commercial invoice) they have submitted to the shipping company to you at the time of ordering. If your order has tracking, once it says ‘At Customs for Review’ go pick it up. This is what we do.

*We also use Montana Shipping Outlet and drive over the boarder to pick up packages. Many American companies ship for free to the boarder.

Great article! Stick it to these Jerks!

I don’t believe you would. If you have access to the full invoice, can you see all the line items and do you see a customs fee built-in? That is essentially what you’re trying to avoid by self-clearing.

Very weird. I got the DHL email that I have to pay 153 CAD, which is just 10 CAD more than what CBSA site estimates to be the tax.
Could this be an error? Would I get another bill in the future?
For 10 dollars i should not bother, but I am afraid that they will recalculate somehow :)
It seems to me too low, when I look on their website.

You could fill out the form but I found that it was faster to just call directly and get the process started. Your next step is to get the paperwork so you’ll be able to go to the CBSA office.

So, if i go now to DHL site, and i click on Self clearance, i am being asked for name, email, phone, and tracking #. Can i do it now? So if i fill in the info, i guess they will send me by email the self-clearing package, right? Or it is better to call?
Thank you!

Yayyyy..
Phone shipped, and it is DHL. I have a tracking # from amazon.fr, it shipped today.
Now, can i call DHL ahead of time and ask for the self-clearing package and start this process? So in the moment it lands in Canada, duty is already paid? I mean, all is electronically sent, paperwork, price is known already (1100 CAD) etc..

Sweet, I’m glad it worked out!

Did the package end up getting to you?

Yes, it’s a pretty similar process. They *should* let you know that there’s duty coming in for your package but many times they don’t and since all delivery is contact-less, they’ll just drop it at your door and send you the bill later which is a pretty dirty move. Once you get the tracking number, I’d reach out to the carrier and pro-actively get the self-declaring process going so they can’t surprise you. And you’re right, if it’s Canada Post, just pay the fee. In regards to the form, there wasn’t anything that I had to fill out. DHL created the paperwork for me and that’s what I provided to Canadian Customs.

Yes, i will keep an eye on the shipping info in amazon.fr and see who the carrier is. The process is very similar for UPS/Fedex, right? I have to call them and refuse to pay.
Glad to see that the building is outside and accessible :) Google maps puts me to walk across the landing strip :)
If it is Canada Post i will not bother, i believe they have a flat 10 CAD fee for processing.
Do you have a blank self-clearance form by any chance? To see what to expect?
Thanks a lot!

Hi Stephanie, you won’t be able to do this online. If you’re in the GTA area, the Toronto office is 2720 Britannia Road East, Mississauga which looks like is inside Pearson but if you look at the photo in the article, it’s actually a separate building that you can drive to. With Amazon, what you’ll have to eventually figure out who the carrier will be and what their process will be. You won’t be able to do anything yet until you can get the self-clearing paperwork from the carrier.

Hi Sarah, ah man that’s terrible. That seems that all courier are dropping packages at the door which in a way is really screwing people with custom fees. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do because they’ve already cleared the package for you and hence the custom fee + brokerage fees. You can potentially try to reject the package by bringing it back to UPS but that might not be ideal either because it was a gift for you.

Hi Karen, after you do the clearing, you’ll let DHL know and they’ll deliver it to you.