There is a way to correct an "error" made on a prior customs declaration. But that is not applicable here because the kids got caught.

In a prior case, I filled out a NEXUS TDC card incorrectly which resulted in paying tax and duty when I was within my limits. CBSA was very helpful on the phone and processed the correct with 4-5 weeks.

I'm afraid I don't have much sympathy, the form is incredibly simple and there's no reason why he shouldn't of been able to fill it in accurately, first time or not. How well did he do in English?

One golden rule of travel, don't @&#* with customs or you will get burnt.

For those unfamiliar, here is a sample form. Seems pretty clear to me.

Sorry but how does this relate to either AP or AC?

That was my main concern, thanks for the info.

Yes, I know, he has to live with his mistakes, but I guess I will not fly him with me anymore ..

I doubt he will be flying enough to need a Nexus card.

I will take your advice for this, contesting it doesn't seem a good way.

I don't think I will fly him with me anymore..

Thanks for your reply, greatly appreciated.

I guess it wasn't about the cheese, as much about the clothes, the charges are for the clothes.

I stated in my OP that I'm not sure where is the proper forum for this post..


Thanks for the advice and feedback everyone, greatly appreciated.

Nope, the young offender act are more lenient. He failed to declare.

The fee is like a slap on the wrist. The punishment for failure to declare is seizure of all goods plus a fine many time the fees he was assessed

Yup. Do not return to Canada on the same declaration or vehicle with him. His passport is flagged in the computer.

I am not a lawyer but I would consider him lucky to get off with just a small fee assessed. YYZvoyaguer has given you the link to do something about this if you want to; but you might be opening up a larger can or worms for both of you which you will regret.

This is over a year old but I had some personal experience I'd like to add and hope someone will find it useful via Google one day. Anyone who says "he should know better" is obviously not helping. It has happened, and the poor lad is looking for next steps. I'll share you the story of mine.

I first arrived at Canada when I was 16. I carried in my baggage wine, eggs, and meat, which I all said "no" to on the form. My baggage was searched and being under 19, I was not allowed to bring any alcohol. The officer (at Pearson) initially said my fine was $300, but after some checks, he gave me a warning, but no fine. He said it was my first time and I was under 18 so some leniency was given. My name probably entered the system too.

Five years later, in 2005, I left Canada for the first time. When I came back, no one bothered checking my luggage or asking any extra question. I walked straight out of the airport.

In the summer of 2011, I forgot to declare some items when I came back the from US. They found them in the car search. I had to pay the duties & taxes on them, with the invoice saying "Force payment. Duties & taxes collected in lieu of seizure action". The CBSA officer there said since it was my first time (???), it was only a warning. If I were to be found "untruthful" in the future, the goods may be confiscated and my record would be permanently marked.

Moral of the story? Yes, they do flag you, but they also forgive after a while. The consensus in the Red Flag Deal forum is 2 years, and 5 definitely did it for me. This is a common and (in most cases) small mistake. No need to treat all Canadians as crooks if they made the mistake only once.

On to your questions:

No, but they may treat your brother more leniently, like I got in my case.


The failure to declare excludes you from the duty-free limit.


I had the same fear when I got it. It may subject your brother to more questions, but it goes away with time. Learn the lesson and be careful. Over declare to be sure.

I had a friend, who never had any incidents with the CBSA, and yet checked FOUR times when he recently boarded a flight from Honduras to Canada, connecting in Miami. They search people for different reasons, sometimes just a random pick, sometimes on a zero-tolerance day.

I don't think contesting is good idea. The charge is small, the evidence is unfavourable. But if you want, other have answered the question.

Regarding NEXUS...
That card is really not worth it to me. I have to sacrifice a lot more personal information, just for the right to jump the queue by... 15 mins? You have to be a perfect citizen to apply, something I doubt even Jesus can qualify. This is but a small mark, it will go away (in 2 - 5 years). Calm down, learn the lesson, and tell your brother to focus on his academics -- that's more important to him.

I declared cheese last year - I *think* the limit was 15Euros or 15kg, whichever is less - that would be 15 E then! They were fine with it, didn't even look at the cheese, just asked type and country and value - they were very surprised I knew the law tho!

A good example why people who travel, whatever their age, need to know the rules. Is there some good reason that this 17-year-old wasn't curious about customs when bringing something back? To me, bringing things back means customs. Customs means declaring what you didn't have when you left. I think if a guy is old enough to travel, he's old enough to understand this since it isn't some kind of advanced science.