Postage to Canada

Gifts valued at CAD$60 or less are exempt from duty and tax, but please note that alcohol does not qualify as a gift.  

Don’t send 

• Liquids over 1l 

• Alcohol over 24% ABV (rum, whisky, vodka) 

(These are prohibited by Royal Mail) 

• Meat or fish products with offensive odours 

(See the Universal Postal Union guide) 

Check restrictions on 

• Fish, game, meat and poultry 

• Plants and seeds 

(See the Universal Postal Union guide) 

Send food items in their original manufacturer’s packaging if possible. This helps to speed up the customs clearance process. 

Don’t send 

• Liquids over 1l 

• Aerosols 

• Perfumes or aftershaves containing alcohol 

• Nail varnish, polish or gel 

(These are all prohibited by Royal Mail) 

Gifts valued at CAD$60 or less are exempt from duty and tax, but please note that tobacco does not qualify as a gift.  

Check restrictions on 

• Tobacco 

• Electronic smoking and vaping products 

Canada Post has more information. 

Check restrictions on 

• Prescription drugs 

Canada Post has more information. 

Gifts valued at CAD$60 or less are exempt from duty and tax. If the gift is worth more than CAD$60, the Canada Border Services Agency will charge duties and taxes on the excess amount. The gift must be sent directly to the recipient, and include a card or other clear indication that it is a gift. 

Items that do not qualify as gifts: 

• Tobacco 

• Alcoholic beverages 

• Advertising material 

• Items sent by a business to a consumer in Canada 

Here is an indication of prohibited items for mailing to Canada. For further information, or further clarification please refer to the Canada Post website

Please also refer to:

- The Universal Postal Union - UPU - prohibitions and restrictions tool

- The Postal Guide which provides the most up to date information and procedures for restricted and prohibited items to Canada: https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/default-e.asp?ecid=murl07001132

You must not send any item addressed to a country in which the item is unlawful or prohibited. When an item is restricted you must comply with the restriction. Prohibitions and restrictions vary from country to country, and can sometimes apply to items which you may think are ordinary.

The information below is provided in good faith, but Royal Mail is not responsible for it, and it should be viewed as a guide only. Specific restrictions and changes may be enforced at short notice, so for clarification please contact the destination country's trade, postal, and customs authorities as appropriate. Business customers are strongly recommended to do this.

Please remember that Royal Mail also prohibits and restricts certain categories of items. For more information visit royalmail.com/prohibitedgoods

 
Prohibited items to Canada

Prohibited products are not permitted in the mail under any circumstances.

Under Canadian law, any person using the mail for the delivery of any one of the following items commits an offence:

- Articles that are obscene, indecent, immoral or scurrilous.

- Any information relating to bookmaking, pool-setting, betting or waging.

- Articles relating to unlawful lottery schemes.

- Any article relating to schemes to deceive or defraud the public.

- Articles or special messages sent to any person with the intention to obtain money under false pretences.

- False representation on any customs document is considered an offence

• bee-keeping apparatus, used
• chain letters and other literature pertaining to fraudulent schemes
• contraceptive devices and literature
• corrosives, nuclear substances or oxidizing substances
• counterfeit or imitation coins
• explosive, flammable or combustible liquids, gases or solids
• firearms, weapons and ammunition
• gold bullion, gold dust or non-manufactured metals
• hate propaganda
• live animals
• manufactured goods bearing insufficient markings or origin
• margarine or butter substitutes
• metallic labels
• obscene, immoral, indecent or scurrilous matter
• poisonous or infectious substances
• prison-made goods
• unlawful lottery tickets and advertising.

In addition other items prohibited from posting to Canada include:

• Electronic cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and pipes, as well as cartridges of nicotine solutions and related products.

Further information can be found on the Health Canada website (new window). Any additional questions on this policy can be referred directly to the Partnerships Division, Admissibility Branch, Canada Border Services Agency headquarters in Ottawa on 613-946-0240.
 

Here is an indication of restricted items for mailing to Canada. For further information, or further clarification please refer to the Canada Post website

Please also refer to:

- The Universal Postal Union - UPU - prohibitions and restrictions full list - PDF - link

- The Postal Guide which provides the most up to date information and procedures for restricted and prohibited items to Canada: https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/default-e.asp?ecid=murl07001132

You must not send any item addressed to a country in which the item is unlawful or prohibited. When an item is restricted you must comply with the restriction. Prohibitions and restrictions vary from country to country, and can sometimes apply to items which you may think are ordinary. The information above is provided in good faith, but Royal Mail is not responsible for it, and it should be viewed as a guide only. Specific restrictions and changes may be enforced at short notice, so for clarification please contact the destination country's trade, postal, and customs authorities as appropriate. Business customers are strongly recommended to do this.

Please remember that Royal Mail also prohibits and restricts certain categories of items. For more information visit royalmail.com/prohibitedgoods

Restricted items to Canada

• copyright works
• currency
• dead animals, including wild birds or their parts
• diamonds (rough)
• drugs and other controlled substances
• eggs, milk and other dairy products
• films
• fish, game, meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables and their products
• intoxicating liquors
• liquids, liquefiable substances and powders
• live chicks, parasites, leeches, bees and bees' wax
• medical material, including specimens
• plants, seeds, fruits, bark, plant parts and soil
• seed potatoes, onions and other raw root crops
• tobacco
• wheat, straw, bran, chaff, barley and their products.

Alcoholic Beverages
The importation of alcoholic beverages (including wine) to Canada is strictly prohibited unless being mailed to a Provincial Liquor Board or Commission, or to a manufacturer or distributor of such beverages in Canada.

Periodicals
Canada prohibits periodicals:

• that contain advertisement primarily directed to a Canadian market and which does not appear in identical form in all copies of that issue in the country of origin
• in which more than five per cent of the advertising content indicates specifically where goods or services may be obtained in Canada, or indicates specific terms or conditions relating to the sale or provision of goods or services in Canada.

Tobacco products
Tobacco and tobacco products may be imported for personal consumption in limited quantities, provided that they meet the requirements of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Importation of tobacco products must also meet the requirements of the Tobacco Departmental Regulations available at the following website: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/E-14.1/sor-2003-288/219094.html and the Tobacco Act at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/T-11.5/.

NOTE: Labelling and stamping requirements of the Tobacco Departmental Regulations do not apply when an individual imports five (5) or less units of packaged tobacco. A unit is defined as: 200 cigarettes; 50 cigars; 400 tobacco sticks; or 400 g of manufactured tobacco.

Electronic smoking products (i.e. electronic products for the vaporization and administration of inhaled doses of nicotine including electronic cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and pipes, as well as cartridges of nicotine solutions and related products) currently require market authorization by Health Canada prior to being imported. Failure to obtain this authorization will result in your items being refused entry by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). For additional information, refer to the Notice - To All Persons Interested in Importing, Advertising or Selling Electronic Smoking Products in Canada on the Department of Health Canada website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodpharma/applic-demande/pol/notice_avis_e-cig-eng.php.