Originally Posted by
Mustangs1
Purchased Duty Free bottle of Knob Creek whiskey in SAN DIEGO USA from Duty Free America Store. It was bagged and sealed. Had to go through Customs for a second time in Toronto before I could get to my connecting flight to Halifax. Customs confiscated my bottle and would not say why.
Had ITD OSS on my boarding pass. Does anyone know why they took my bottle.
Welcome to FlyerTalk. I can’t imagine why this occurred - but:
In most cases airline passengers with a sealed “STEB” (security tamper evident bag) and receipt as supporting evidence are allowed through, but of course that may be prohibited in some airports - and ultimately security (CATSA in this case, as well as Customs) agents will have the authority to allow or disallow a particular item.
In Canada, you are generally allowed by Customs laws to import up to 1.14 litres of liquor day f you have been absent from Canada over 48 hours. The minimum age for possessing and importing liquor / alcohol as well as the quantities of alcoholic beverages you can import must be within the limit set by provincial and territorial liquor control authorities that apply where you will enter Canada.
CATSA (
link) Rules:
Duty-free Purchases as Carry-on Baggage
Since January 31, 2014, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority accepts, subject to screening, duty-free liquids, aerosols and gels purchased from any airline or airport retailer that are properly sealed in official security bags and accompanied by an itemized receipt.
These do not count as part of your carry-on allowance.
Screening officers may open your security bag to screen its contents, then re-seal it after inspection.
You may be asked to surrender your duty-free purchases if:
either the bag or the product within does not pass required security screening;
the retailer did not use an official security bag;
the clerk improperly packaged your purchases at the point of sale or did not include an itemized receipt;
you opened the bag yourself after making the purchase and before screening; or
more than 48 hours have passed since you made the purchase (official security bags are only valid for two calendar days).
Please note that duty-free liquids, aerosols and gels may be intercepted if you pass through pre-board screening at a connecting airport in another country.
If your duty-free purchases do not clear security, you can:
- surrender them to the screening officer;
- transfer them to your checked baggage, if possible and time permits;
- ship them via mail, cargo or courier. Please keep in mind that shipping options vary at airports.