I know, I know: this group is about food, not travel. And I could
always try Google to find what I need. But personal experience can
be more informative. And I've gotten to know many of you here, and
value your insights, so you're getting stuck with this question. ;-)

Hubby and I are travelling to Victoria, B.C. next weekend. I've been
there 4 times already (lovely city!), but most of those trips were
as a minor and all were pre 9/11. Given that, I figured I should read
up on rules and things and found the following:

http://www.visitortips.com/tig/canad...en_visinfo.cfm

"American Customs Regulations
After 48 hours stay in Canada, Americans are allowed $400 duty-free
merchandise once every 31 days for personal use. Less than 48 hours
stay, the allowance is $200 of merchandise."

Now, the whole notion of "customs" has always mystified me (no, I
don't get to travel much). What are "duties", exactly ? And what
the heck are they talking about when they ask you if you have anything
"to claim"? In my previous trips to Canada, I've just said "nothing,
I think" and opened my bags for them to look through. Nothing like
the bliss of ignorance.

This time, I'd like to know what I'm doing, so if any of you travellers
have some simple answers to the above, I would greatly appreciate it.

OBFood: We've got reservations for Tea at the Empress on Saturday,
yum! And while I can't remember the exact location, there's a little
fish and chips shop that I can't wait to visit again. Luckily, Hubby
is a human compass; if he's been there before, he'll find it again...


--
j*ni p. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Duties are taxes. Governments would prefer people to buy in their own
home country thus supporting home business rather than traveling to
foreign countries for bargains. Different items are taxed at different
rates according to international agreements that are way too complicated
to sum up in a library full of books. The bottom line for the traveler
is that you can buy $400 worth of stuff without paying taxes. If you
buy something expensive and want to bring it into the country, you have
to tell the folks at customs what you've got. That's called claiming
the merchandise. Let them decide on duties from there. For most of us,
this isn't a problem. I might buy some books, a t-shirt or two or a 6
pack of a nice Okanagan fruit beer that I can't buy here. That's about it.

The question you didn't ask: Canada charges its own citizens a sales
tax that they don't expect tourists to pay. If you save your receipts
on everything you buy including restaurant meals, hotel bills, those
books and t-shirts, everything and fill out a special form available at
your hotel or at the duty free shop, you can get your sales tax returned
to you. They'll call it GST.

--Lia



j*ni p. wrote:
> I know, I know: this group is about food, not travel. And I could
> always try Google to find what I need. But personal experience can
> be more informative. And I've gotten to know many of you here, and
> value your insights, so you're getting stuck with this question. ;-)
>
> Hubby and I are travelling to Victoria, B.C. next weekend. I've been
> there 4 times already (lovely city!), but most of those trips were
> as a minor and all were pre 9/11. Given that, I figured I should read
> up on rules and things and found the following:
>
> http://www.visitortips.com/tig/canad...en_visinfo.cfm
>
> "American Customs Regulations
> After 48 hours stay in Canada, Americans are allowed $400 duty-free
> merchandise once every 31 days for personal use. Less than 48 hours
> stay, the allowance is $200 of merchandise."
>
> Now, the whole notion of "customs" has always mystified me (no, I
> don't get to travel much). What are "duties", exactly ? And what
> the heck are they talking about when they ask you if you have anything
> "to claim"? In my previous trips to Canada, I've just said "nothing,
> I think" and opened my bags for them to look through. Nothing like
> the bliss of ignorance.
>
> This time, I'd like to know what I'm doing, so if any of you travellers
> have some simple answers to the above, I would greatly appreciate it.
>
> OBFood: We've got reservations for Tea at the Empress on Saturday,
> yum! And while I can't remember the exact location, there's a little
> fish and chips shop that I can't wait to visit again. Luckily, Hubby
> is a human compass; if he's been there before, he'll find it again...
>
>

"j*ni p." > wrote in message
...
> I know, I know: this group is about food, not travel. And I could
> always try Google to find what I need. But personal experience can
> be more informative. And I've gotten to know many of you here, and
> value your insights, so you're getting stuck with this question. ;-)
>
> Hubby and I are travelling to Victoria, B.C. next weekend. I've been
> there 4 times already (lovely city!), but most of those trips were
> as a minor and all were pre 9/11. Given that, I figured I should read
> up on rules and things and found the following:
>
> http://www.visitortips.com/tig/canad...en_visinfo.cfm
>
> "American Customs Regulations
> After 48 hours stay in Canada, Americans are allowed $400 duty-free
> merchandise once every 31 days for personal use. Less than 48 hours
> stay, the allowance is $200 of merchandise."
>
> Now, the whole notion of "customs" has always mystified me (no, I
> don't get to travel much). What are "duties", exactly ? And what
> the heck are they talking about when they ask you if you have anything
> "to claim"? In my previous trips to Canada, I've just said "nothing,
> I think" and opened my bags for them to look through. Nothing like
> the bliss of ignorance.
>
> This time, I'd like to know what I'm doing, so if any of you travellers
> have some simple answers to the above, I would greatly appreciate it.
>
> OBFood: We've got reservations for Tea at the Empress on Saturday,
> yum! And while I can't remember the exact location, there's a little
> fish and chips shop that I can't wait to visit again. Luckily, Hubby
> is a human compass; if he's been there before, he'll find it again...
>
>
> --
> j*ni p. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
> ...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Julia Altshuler > writes:

>If you buy something expensive and want to bring it into the country,

Has nothing to do with expensive, some commodites are simply banned, other
items, although costing very little, are taxed at a very high rate, ie,
buttons/embroidery on clothing... the buttons/embroidery on the swater carries
a much higher tarrif rate than the sweater itself, so importers bring in the
sweaters without the acouterments and then US workers apply them.

>you have to tell the folks at customs what you've got.
>That's called claiming the merchandise.

Actually not, US Customs calls that a "Declaration"; the agent will ask "Do you
have anything to *declare*?" "Claiming", wtf is that? You obviously don't
travel internationally.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
news:06gib.545715$Oz4.462289@rwcrnsc54...
<snip>
> The question you didn't ask: Canada charges its own citizens a sales
> tax that they don't expect tourists to pay. If you save your receipts
> on everything you buy including restaurant meals, hotel bills, those
> books and t-shirts, everything and fill out a special form available at
> your hotel or at the duty free shop, you can get your sales tax returned
> to you. They'll call it GST.
>
> --Lia
>
>
While GST refunds are available, there are certain rules one must remember.
Each receipt submitted for a refund must be $50 or more--pre-taxes.
Therefore, a purchase of a $49.95+taxes shirt could not be submitted. From
what I remember, restaurant meals *do not* qualify, though hotel bills do.
With the exception of your hotel charges, whatever you buy should be leaving
the country with you. Also, and most importantly, the receipts submitted
must total more than $200 (on merchandise on which GST was paid) in order to
get your refund. If you paid $150 for your hotel and bought a $49 shirt,
you won't qualify but if your hotel+$150 and you shirt was $50, you will.
If you're staying at a hotel, this shouldn't be a problem, though.

Also, beware of which forms you pick up. Some are from a company which will
apply for your GST refund for you, in exchange for a commission or fee. It
is very easy to do it yourself, though, as long as you pick up the form
distributed by the federal government of Canada. Read the fine print to see
if there is a service charge--if there is, don't bother. If you're driving
across the US-Cdn border, you can have the whole thing processed at the
border. It's much easier that way.

Finally, keep in mind you will receive a cheque in Canadian funds as
payment. If your bank charges a fee for cashing and exchanging foreign
cheques, it may not be to your benefit to even apply. If you get a cheque
for $14 Cdn, for example, and your bank charges you $5 for cashing it,
you'll only end up with $5-7. Plus if you accidently used one of the
private companies' forms and they've taken a commission, then you'll get
even less. Just something to keep in mind.

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:
>While GST refunds are available, there are certain rules one must remember.
>Each receipt submitted for a refund must be $50 or more--pre-taxes.

Huh? You total the receipt, and hand 'em over with the form.

>From what I remember, restaurant meals *do not* qualify, though hotel bills do.

Huh? If you paid GST, you can get a refund, regardless of what the
receipt is for.

>Finally, keep in mind you will receive a cheque in Canadian funds as
>payment. If your bank charges a fee for cashing and exchanging foreign
>cheques, it may not be to your benefit to even apply.

Huh? Here at the WA/BC border you get Canadian cash, and it's a simple
matter for the clerks at the duty-free to swap it for US cash. (The
GST refund station and the Duty free are in the same building.)
Usually I spend the refund at the duty-free.

D.
--
The STS-107 Columbia Loss FAQ can be found
at the following URLs:

Text-Only Version:
http://www.io.com/~o_m/columbia_loss_faq.html

Enhanced HTML Version:
http://www.io.com/~o_m/columbia_loss_faq_x.html

Corrections, comments, and additions should be
e-mailed to , as well as posted to
sci.space.history and sci.space.shuttle for
discussion.

"Derek Lyons" > wrote in message
...
> "Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:
> >While GST refunds are available, there are certain rules one must
remember.
> >Each receipt submitted for a refund must be $50 or more--pre-taxes.
>
> Huh? You total the receipt, and hand 'em over with the form.
>
from
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/tax/nonre...tml#P647_29001

----begin paste----
What is the minimum amount of tax per receipt that must be charged before
the receipt is eligible?

Answer:

In regards to eligible accommodation, in order to qualify for a refund of
the GST/HST or TVQ (Quebec), there is no minimum amount of tax that needs to
be charged before the receipt becomes eligible.

In regards to goods, however, in order to qualify for a refund of the
GST/HST or TVQ, the purchase amount (before taxes) for each individual
receipt must be at least CAN$50.

Please remember that all your elegible receipts must add up to at least
CAN$200 (before taxes) in order to qualify and apply for a tax refund.

----end paste----

> >From what I remember, restaurant meals *do not* qualify, though hotel
bills do.
>
> Huh? If you paid GST, you can get a refund, regardless of what the
> receipt is for.
>

I asterisked the important part:

----begin paste----
Visitors who wish to claim a refund of the goods and services tax (GST)
and/or, the harmonized sales tax (HST) which they paid on eligible goods,
***must provide proof that they exported their goods from Canada***. This is
referred to as Proof of Export.
and from
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/...sfortherefund?

There is NO REFUND of the tax paid on such items as: entertainment;
***meals***; alcohol; tobacco products; services such as dry cleaning and
hairdressing; air, train, and bus tickets; car rentals; automotive fuels;
rentals of travel trailers and other recreational vehicles; cruise ship
cabins; train berths; or timeshare arrangements. This is not an
all-inclusive list.
In addition, any goods that you consume or leave in Canada do not qualify
for this refund.

----end paste----

Therefore, restaurant meals would not qualify since they cannot be exported
and they are on the list of items for which no refund is given.

It should be said, however, that the people who work at the GST refund
stations at Duty Free shops may not be following the rules to the letter
(last I heard, they were often employees of the duty free shop, not of the
federal government). If you were to send your refund application in by
mail, however, someone would go through the receipts and eliminate any which
would not qualify. Thus you may end up having your entire refund rejected
if the final total is less than $200.

> >Finally, keep in mind you will receive a cheque in Canadian funds as
> >payment. If your bank charges a fee for cashing and exchanging foreign
> >cheques, it may not be to your benefit to even apply.
>
> Huh? Here at the WA/BC border you get Canadian cash, and it's a simple
> matter for the clerks at the duty-free to swap it for US cash. (The
> GST refund station and the Duty free are in the same building.)
> Usually I spend the refund at the duty-free.
>
> D.

That's why I wrote "If you're driving across the US-Cdn border, you can have
the whole thing processed at the border. It's much easier that way."
However, if you are not traveling by car, or if you do not stop at one of
the duty free shops that offers cash-back service, you cannot have your
refund processed there. Also, you can have your receipts validated at the
airport, but you cannot obtain your refund.

----begin paste----
PROOF OF EXPORT
Commencing April 1, 2001, Proof of Export will begin at Canada's nine major
international airports. Non-resident visitors departing from one of these
airports, must have their goods available for inspection and their original
receipts validated by a Canada Customs official as they leave Canada.

Proof of Export began at land borders on February 1, 1999. Non-resident
visitors who depart Canada by private vehicle or charter bus tour must have
their goods available for inspection and their original receipts validated
as they leave Canada. These procedures are required to ensure that the
goods, for which a rebate is claimed, are exported from Canada.

----end paste----

The application for the refund can also be downloaded from the site he

http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/...gst176-03e.pdf

BTW, I word for CCRA for 5-6 months every year. I think I know what I'm
talking about.

rona

Derek Lyons wrote:

> "Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote:
>
>
> >From what I remember, restaurant meals *do not* qualify, though hotel bills do.
>
> Huh? If you paid GST, you can get a refund, regardless of what the
> receipt is for.

I've never gotten meals refunded. I believe you are incorrect...or else I've been
lied to every time I've come back from Canada.
blacksalt

"Dog3" > wrote in message
03...

>
> Getting food across the border is a pain. I suppose it all depends on
what
> type of food it is. I don't bother with fresh food anymore. Chocolate is
> usually okay.
>
> Michael

Last time I travelled from the US to Canada, I brought some canned corned
beef hash, bit o' honey, and salad dressing. But when I came back from
Minneapolis, we had smoked sausage, labneh, Greek yoghurt, corn tortillas,
papaya and canteloupe (which we had peeled and cut up before leaving), Fresh
Thai basil and cilantro, yoghurt, butter, and Barb's famous jams :-). Oh,
and Penzey's spices. I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff because we bought a lot
more than that.

From the US to Canada, any processed foods are fine (processed foods
includes non-raw milk cheeses like cheddar, according to a customs official
I spoke with once) and many fruits and vegetables are also fine (some fruits
must be peeled first). Raw meat is also fine except for chicken and chicken
products (feathers, eggs) from California. There's a list at
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/.../canadae.shtml

I'm not sure about going the other way, but I would imagine the list of
acceptable products would be similar.

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

Hark! I heard (j*ni p.) say:

> I know, I know: this group is about food, not travel.

<snip>

Thanks for the replies, all -- I have a better understanding of how
it works now. I'm not planning to bring back anything spendy, just
a couple of pieces of B.C. jade, maybe a souvenir or two... :-)


--
j*ni p. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 17:40:35 +0000, Dog3 wrote:
> Getting food across the border is a pain. I suppose it all depends on
> what type of food it is.

I've never had a problem. Quite the opposite, in fact. One trip I was
bringing possibly more than the usual amount of alcoholic beverage back
from BC.

Custom's agent: "Do you have anything to declare?"
Me: "I have a smoked eel! do you want to see it?"
CA: "NO! You're not going to EAT that, are you?"
Me: "HELL no. I'm going to make my friends eat it!"
CA: "Get OUT of here."

Nowadays we just take the dogs. A station wagon full of poodles being
driven by a chunky white chick doesn't profile _at all_.

Martin
--
Martin Golding | Dogs are better than cats for making decisions,
KotLQ KotSM | cats _always_ come up heads.
Portland, OR

j*ni p. > wrote:
> I know, I know: this group is about food, not travel. And I could
> always try Google to find what I need. But personal experience can
> be more informative. And I've gotten to know many of you here, and
> value your insights, so you're getting stuck with this question. ;-)

Yup, an excellent newsgroup for such topics is rec.travel.usa-canada.

> Hubby and I are travelling to Victoria, B.C. next weekend. I've been
> there 4 times already (lovely city!), but most of those trips were
> as a minor and all were pre 9/11. Given that, I figured I should read
> up on rules and things and found the following:

> http://www.visitortips.com/tig/canad...en_visinfo.cfm

> "American Customs Regulations
> After 48 hours stay in Canada, Americans are allowed $400 duty-free
> merchandise once every 31 days for personal use. Less than 48 hours
> stay, the allowance is $200 of merchandise."

> Now, the whole notion of "customs" has always mystified me (no, I
> don't get to travel much). What are "duties", exactly ? And what
> the heck are they talking about when they ask you if you have anything
> "to claim"? In my previous trips to Canada, I've just said "nothing,
> I think" and opened my bags for them to look through. Nothing like
> the bliss of ignorance.

Duties are nothing more than a use tax in my opinion. The government
can't nab you for state sales taxes for purchases made in other states,
but the feds can nab you for a sales tax on purchases made in other
countries, and vise versa.

For info on just about anything anyone in the United States needs
to know about traveling abroad, see http://travel.state.gov