Tobacco Duty
 

I'm pretty sure almost no-one knows this about cigars, and it is certainly not clear on the declaration form.(simple 'special duty may apply) is silly......the card really does imply that they are duty free!

The communication I got from CBSA on this when we were looking to bring back cigars is that cigars are supposed to be in that list you quote above. You pay special duty even if you have less than 50 cigars. The website is not complete. That's the kind of stuff that drives me nuts, by the way. We're supposed to be responsible for knowing all the rules and yet accurate and complete information is hard to come by.

What was referenced to me was that all duty paid tobacco is being stamped as Canada Duty Paid, including cigars. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/rlss/...10718-eng.html

The problem as you've noted is the page I referenced http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-vo...ns-eng.html#a7 specifically mentions non duty paid cigars and the page you reference above does not. We played it safe, used the regular lane, officer didn't ask, we didn't pay.

But, like I said, it drives me nuts.

Now imagine someone losing their Nexus card for not knowing (not that I've heard of it but it's technically possible). Especially considering I'm willing to bet very few officers send people in the regular lane to pay the duty, if they even ask about tobacco.

Help! First time nexus user
 

I am a UK citizen, Canadian permanent resident and I recently got my nexus card. When I got it I'm sure the agent said to go through regular passport control the first time, and then I would be able to go through the nexus line proper. But when I asked the border agent today he said that I had to go to the nexus office at YVR....? I have activated my card online. What do I need to do? Thanks, lisa

That is absolutely bananas - Drives me nuts too.

That being said, over the past decade I have brought back fifty or less cigars as part of my duty free allowance dozens of times. I've always declared, and never been asked to pay duty.

...so like I said, I think to play it safe if I have cigars I will just use the non-nexus line and declare them.

If there is a line you can always use Nexus, answer 'Yes' to being over your exemption (which puts a '$' in the middle of your card) and then go to the cashier who is just as likely as a desk agent to waive the duty, at least in my experience.

As there seems to be some confusion on when one can/cannot use NEXUS lanes in to Canada (US has their own rules), I thought I remind folks of this:

Source: http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage...tions-eng.html

I have not used the nexus machines when entering the US from CAN from the moment I got enrolled in the program. Always sticking with the GE kiosk.

Same for me

I love seeing people walk behind me when I am using the GE machines and say to their travelling partners ... we are Nexus we cannot use GE ;) I do not tell them they are likely able to use GE or register for it ... let them stand in line for the Nexus machines :D

Timeline for my Nexus Application so far:

Applied: October 3th
Conditional Approval: October 17

First available interview in Ottawa is Feb 21, so I will be waiting for a closer slot to open before booking.

NEXUS land crossing with American and Canadian
 

My boyfriend and I have both have had NEXUS for a little while, but we have really only used it for air travel. I am American and he is a Canadian residing in the USA on a TN. We did do a land crossing once earlier this year, but that was all of 5 minutes so he could re-enter the USA and renew his TN.

Since we always get mixed reactions crossing borders as a couple, I want to make sure I understand the land crossing mechanics as we are planning a long weekend trip to Montreal.

When we cross into Canada, my understanding is that we will not need to fill out a TDC since we will only be bringing in personal baggage and not bring any gifts nor leaving anything. On the return back into the USA, we can just make a verbal declaration that we bought some things, but are within our $800, 48+ hour, personal exemption.

It seems simple when I write it out, but I want to make sure that I am correct.

Thanks.

Hi Reid,

Let me share a trick that I used to get an early interview date for 6 of my family members. Book the date available to you right now however distant it may be so you can demonstrate that you are following the policy of scheduling interview within 30 days of conditional approval. And then you are allowed to change the appointment as many times as you like. Only catch is if you schedule an interview falling 48 hours from now you may be locked out of making changes online and will either commit to attending the interview or calling the office to cancel.

Having explained thr first step and risks I will proceed to tell you what I notices was the best time to get closer interview slots. Login to your GOES account several times a day and you can click on manage interview link and then reschedule interview link and lastly pick the most convenent office to you and click next. This will list all available time slots at all offices near your selected office along with the office you selected. This is where if you find a better interview slot you can change it. The best times I have found to find slots that seem almost impossible to get are between 12am and 4 am. I dont know why this is but by following this mehod I was able to get interview within days of conditional approval for each one of my relatives including my mother who was conditionally approved on Oct 12 and interviewed today and got approved. Hope this helps. The interview slots change every few minutes, if you are obsessive enough about checking you can possibly get a slot in days:) Good luck and enjoy this fantastic service.

Thanks for the advice! I ended up grabbing the earliest date (Feb 14) and will be keeping an eye on an earlier date.

That sounds correct to me . . . since I am not a US resident I can't say for sure based on my experience, but your interpretation for entering Canada is correct.

Based on some conversations I've had with the US CBP though I can't see what's wrong with your interpretation.