firequall

Relatively new Nexus member here and likely going to end up calling CBSA to get a definitive answer since all my scouring has given conflicting answers.

Planning a weekend camping trip in the US and will be gone over the 48hr limit. I'm planning to bring back 51-60 cigars and will be over my exemption limit. Obviously I plan to make a truthful declaration and have no problem paying additional duty, so am I able to use the Nexus lanes despite exceeding my personal exemption limit? Or should I stick with the regular lanes?

As this will also be my first declaration of being over the exemption limit, am I correct in thinking that I will only pay duty on the 1-9 additional cigars? Or will I have to pay additional duty based on the value of all 51-60 cigars?

I'm banking on getting waved through but I'd rather have all my ducks in a row and not risk screwing this up.

Finkface

I regularly go shopping for a few hours and therefore no exemption limit at all on certain things, returning via a land border. I always use the Nexus lane. Just make a truthful declaration. In hundreds of trips, I have only been sent in to pay GST twice, both times because I had 5 bags of dog food. Most of the time, they just waive me through even with a couple of bottles of wine or a case of beer. One guy did ask me if I knew the limit for alcohol for a less than 24 hour absence. I said yes, no limit, which is why I am declaring it. He said he was just testing that I knew the rules and, as a trusted traveller, if I hadn’t, he would have had a problem with that and come down hard on me. It was about knowing the rules, not about what I had. He waived me through.

As for the duty amount, it is my understanding that if you exceed your limit, you must pay duty on the total amount, not just the excess. I know that is the case with the monetary limits and for absences of 24 hours or more, but not sure if it applies to longer absences or what the deal for excess tobacco is. Better check because they expect you to know the rules as a trusted traveller, and just make sure those cigars are worth it.

https://travel.gc.ca/returning/custo...home-to-canada

FinsToTheLeft

Badenoch

Use the Nexus lanes. Declare accurately. They will tell you what to do next.

firequall

For those curious, spoke with CBSA today. Was told to use the regular lanes when declaring cigars and duty is only paid on the excess amount (first 50 are free).

FXWizard

IME, filling out the Travelers Declaration Card ahead of time - including payment info - means that I haven't even had to go into the building to make payments when I've been over the exemption limits; they just take the form and wave me through and I see the charge on my next CC statement.

Even if I know I'm going to be under my exemption limits I'll fill the TDC out, and if I don't have to submit it to CBSA then I shred it when I get home.

firequall

You can't use the TDC to declare cigars, says right on the form.

FXWizard

Guess that just goes to show you that someone who doesn't smoke shouldn't comment on bringing tobacco products across the border...sorry about that!