As a fellow Canadian, one of the most frustrating things about ordering from US stores online and shipping internationally are the dreaded surprise bills that you get upon receipt. You could buying something for $100 and your courier will slap you with a bill for another $50. Even worse, sometimes the customs fees are equal to the value of what you bought.
Sound familiar? In purchasing some gifts for travel lovers and stocking up on camping gift ideas, I finally said no to paying the king’s ransom every single time and finally figured out how to avoid paying DHL customs fees in Canada. In speaking to the CBSA, turns out you can do this with pretty much all couriers.
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What are the best ways to save money on travel?
- Latest travel deals – Bookmark the travel deals page which is updated daily.
- Car rentals – Stop getting ripped off and learn about car rental coupon codes.
- Hotels – Use corporate codes or get Genius 2 tier with Booking.
- Flights – Have you ever heard of the “Everywhere” feature?
- Insurance – Make sure you’re covered and learn more about where to buy the best travel insurance.
How to Stop Paying Customs Fees to Courier Companies
If you’ve read stories on CBC, and covered by other news outlets, the couriers control the entire workflow of how your packages get from the United States to Canada.
That is reasonable except for the fact that companies ranging from DHL, FedEx, and UPS, have their own arbitrary set of rates that they charge you to help get the packages across the border.
This will often come to you as a surprise bill after the package has been delivered which really sours the experience of making purchases across the border.
So what exactly are the fees that are charged? is there anything you can do to avoid paying DHL customs fees, and those charged by other courier companies?
Breakdown of the type of fees
It’s worth understanding what makes up these fees that couriers like DHL charge when importing goods from the US or other countries.
Taxes
This is the unavoidable charge. For most things that you ship into Canada, they’ll be taxed according to your province’s rate. In Ontario’s case, that’s a 13% HST.
If it’s not HST, it could be GST or any PST on the item’s value.
Duty
Duty is a bit more complicated because it depends on the type of goods you bought and where they came from or where they were made in. Officially, it means having a good understanding of HS Codes and Trade Agreements.
Every item has its own classification and it’s quite the extensive list. Luckily, there is a Canada Tariff Finder where you can find out whether there is duty on a specific type of item.
Generally, if an item is coming from the US, through the Free Trade Agreement (now called CUSMA), there shouldn’t be duty on your purchases.
Exceptions
The exception to the above two fees is that if the value of the item is worth less than $20 CAD, there is no tax or duty according to CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency).
If you’re able to get the seller to mark an item as a gift, there’s an exception of $60 CAD. Anything more than $60, you’ll be responsible for paying taxes for.
Customs Processing Fee/Broker Fee/Brokerage Fee/Clearance Entry Fee
This comes in many names but they’re all the same thing.
When packages come into Canada, they have to clear customs and the courier essentially takes care of it by paying CBSA for you to keep the process moving along.
For handling the customs clearance, and effectively “footing the bill”, the courier will charge a service fee. The thing is, every courier charges something different and some are definitely worse than others.
- DHL: This is called Customs Clearance Customers without DHL Brokerage Account. It is 2.5% of duties and taxes with a minimum of $17.50 CAD. This means it will cost a fixed amount until your taxes/duties exceeds $700 CAD. [See the DHL customs services chart]
- FedEx: This scales based on the value of Duty. Here are the first 5 on the scale with the rest found on the FedEx transportation-related fee table.
- [$40.01 – $60] – $15.45
- [$60.01 – $100] – $19.30
- [$100.01 – $150] – $25.50
- [$200.01 – $500] – $45.35
- [$500.01 – $1,000] – $50.75
- UPS: UPS has a similar fee schedule except its scales worse.
- [$40.01 – $60] – $18.45
- [$60.01 – $100] – $22.00
- [$100.01 – $150] – $29.357
- [$150.01 – $200] – $33.55
- [$200.01 – $350] – $63.15
- [$350.01 to $500] – $70.30
- [500.01 to $750] – $83.75
- It’s worth noting that this is free if you pay for their a UPS Worldwide Express Plus, UPS Worldwide Express, UPS Worldwide Express Freight, UPS Worldwide Express Saver or UPS Worldwide Expedited services.
- USPS/Canada Post: They actually don’t charge customs fees. They just pass along the tax and duty fees which is what makes them a better option for large purchases if speed isn’t a concern.
Note that the above fees are for shipments from the United States to Canada. Also, there’s tax on top of these fees.
If you’re looking specifically to avoid UPS brokerage fees, we’ve written about them too!
Handy calculator
If you’re looking to estimate your duty and taxes, CBSA has a basic calculator that can help give you an idea. The only trouble I had with it is finding the right category for specific items.
How to self clear your own packages
Now that you know a bit more about all the fees surrounding shipments from the US to Canada, how can you actually avoid paying them?
It’s called “self-clearing”. I had this confused with “pre-clearing” at one point but yes, the official term for what you’ll be doing is to self-clearing the package instead of letting the your courier do it for you.
As you learn the steps below, you’ll find out that self-clearing is way easier than you think it is and it’ll help you save a good amount of money.
The frustrating part is that retailers aren’t knowledgeable about this so you really need to figure this out on your own. The good thing is that once you’ve done it once, you’ll know how to handle it for future packages.
The below is a specific DHL example as this is something we had first hand experience with but can be applied to the other couriers.
Step 1: Don’t Pay The DHL Custom Fee or Accept Delivery
With DHL specifically, they are good enough to at least let you know that a duty/tax payment is required. This means that they won’t deliver your package until you’ve paid the import duty/tax and clearance fees.
For most people that don’t know how, you’ll feel like you won’t have a choice but to pay. However, in order for self-clearing to work, you can’t pay the charges and you also can’t accept delivery.
The thing is, once you’ve paid, you’ve contractually accepted the DHL customs fees and there’s no way to reverse it.
If you’re with another courier like FedEx that loves to deliver and then drop the “you owe us money” surprise in the mail later, refuse the delivery if they attempt it.
Step 2: Wait Until The Package Has Landed in Canada
You’ll feel like you want to jump the gun immediately after receiving your tracking number but you can’t do anything unless your package has physically landed in Canada and started the clearance process.
Step 3: Call DHL For Documentation
DHL has a self-clearance page which is essentially a contact form but I recommend that you call DHL directly at 1-888-899-0289 (gets to the direct person you will want to speak to) or use the general line at 1-855-345-7447. The reason is because DHL takes a painfully long amount of time to respond.
When you call, let them know you’ll like to self-clear your package. Make sure you have your tracking number. They’ll ask for your e-mail address and they’ll be able to generate the documents you’ll need.
TIP: If you’re asked for a waybill number, that’s the same as your tracking number.
What CBSA is looking for in the document is the text “released under the LVS courier program”.
Where some frustration comes into play is that companies like UPS and DHL will pretend to not know what you’re talking about when you ask about self-clearing. If that happens to you, make sure you continue to pester them and keep calling back.
ALTERNATIVE: We’ve heard from our readers on our UPS brokerage fees article that you could take a gamble and bring the item’s order invoice and a screenshot of the DHL customs fees and the CBSA officer can help sort out the rest. I haven’t tested this personally but thank you for sharing Kari. It’s worth trying if DHL is giving you the run around.
Step 4: Look For Your Closest CBSA Office
This part really tripped us up because all of the guides out there just say “go to the CBSA” office but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out which one that was.
CBSA has a number of different type of offices but what you’re looking for is the Inland Office. You can use the map or sort the table below by Province and see which one is closest to you.
If you’re in the Toronto area, you’re most likely going to be going to the Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport Commercial Operations (2720 Britannia Road East, Mississauga).
If you’re in the Vancouver area, you’ll be going to Vancouver Commercial Operations West (1611 Main Street, Vancouver).
If you’d like to speak to someone at CBSA, you can use call 1-800-461-9999.
Step 5: Visit CBSA to Pay Tax and Duties
Before you head out, make sure you print the documents you received in Step 3. You will also need a piece of ID. Your driver’s license will be sufficient.
The office itself is very clean, organized and spacious. You’ll get in line where there’ll be several CBSA officers ready for you.
What you’ll find is that these CBSA officers are in a way better mood than at the airport so there’s no need to be nervous and feel free to ask a ton of questions.
Handing over the documents, they’ll enter the information into the system and from there, they’ll pass along the paperwork to the cashier.
What you will owe are the taxes and duties on the shipment.
The cashier is at a separate booth which is practically next to the officers. Here, you’ll pay the taxes (and duties if owed) and they’ll print out a “Casual Good Accounting Document” with a stamp that says “Duty Paid”.
DHL calls this a “stamped manifest”.
TIP: Yes, they take credit card and American Express is accepted.
Exception: If your package is being held for further inspection, you will need to go to warehouse where it’s being held. In DHL’s case, this is in Hamilton. This is a rare case but could happen if your items have a high risk of being questioned or they are extremely large and expensive shipments.
Step 6: Email Photo of Receipt and Send to Courier
In Step 3, DHL will provide instructions for what to do once the duty/taxes have been paid, including an e-mail address to send this to ([email protected]).
In this e-mail, take a photo of the stamped manifest and let them know the associated tracking number for the package to be released.
You will get an automated response that tells you that they’ll get back to you within 5 days.
If you’re impatient DHL also provides an e-mail address to the team leader ([email protected]) so you could also e-mail them if you’re hoping to speed things up.
They actually got back to me in 24 hours but I noticed according to the tracking that it was put on a truck before I received the e-mail back so I’d say pay closer attention to the tracking details.
How Quickly Do You Need To Self-Clear?
It’s worth highlighting how quickly you need to do this self-clearing process. Do you need to do it immediately or do you have some time to work with?
The answer is yes, you should try to do this as soon as you can but you have a few days to work with.
Yes, you probably want to do this as soon as you can because couriers will not hold your package indefinitely. For customs brokerage specifically, there is a hidden fee called “warehouse storage”. This is applied when packages remain in the warehouse for longer than 2 days.
For UPS, this cost is $20 + $0.04 per lb per day according to their rate guide. For FedEx, this is outlined by their ancillary clearance services which is $0.25 per lb per day. Lastly, DHL provides 3 calendar days before they charge $7.50 + $0.20 per kg per day.
Note that this policy is different from their standard customer vacation hold that companies offer because customs clearance is involved.
How Much Money Do You Save By Self-Clearing?
This really depends on which courier you’re using. In the case of DHL, you’re ultimately saving $17 + tax by self-clearing your own packages.
However, if you’re using FedEx or UPS, you’re most likely saving even more. If your duty is, let’s say $120, you’re saving $25.50 for FedEx and $26.60 for UPS.
The decision you’ll have to make is whether the extra effort and driving time to a CBSA Inland Office is worth it for you. Some will say that the $17 to DHL is worth the convenience, while others will find the rate to be ludicrous. To each’s own!
I think for many of you that attempt it, this is as much of a way to save money as it is a middle finger to DHL, UPS, or FedEx.
Summary of How to Avoid Paying Custom Fees
These broker fees are a scam mainly because couriers make it look like you don’t have a choice or they just don’t give you a choice at all.
To self-clear your package, these are the summary of steps you need to know:
- Don’t pay taxes/duties and if they try to deliver, refuse the package.
- Wait for the package to arrive in Canada.
- Call the courier and let them know you’d like to self-clear. Wait for the required documents via e-mail.
- Find your closest CBSA Inland Office
- At the CBSA office, pay the taxes and duties owed.
- Email the receipt to the courier. They will then release the package for delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
After the package arrives in Canada, how much time do you have to self-clear?
You will need to do the self-clearing process within 48 hours (FedEx), 2 calendar days (UPS), or 3 calendar days (DHL) to avoid your courier charging you storage fees.
Will DHL just deliver the package to your door without a signature?
Since the package has taxes/duty associated to it, they won’t release the package for delivery. In the case where they do attempt delivery, they will require a signature. Make sure you refuse the package if you plan on self-clearing.
How much money do you save by self-clearing?
This depends on the courier that you use. For DHL, you’re saving $17 + tax in most scenarios. For UPS and FedEx, this could save you from $15.45 to $70+.
Are there ways to avoid paying taxes and duties?
The only way to reduce taxes is to ask the retailer to reduce the declared amount of the item purchased or better yet, ask them to declare it as $20 CAD or less.
Which is the best courier to use to reduce customs fees?
The best courier is the United States Postal Service (USPS) which transfers to Canada Post. They do not charge any customs fees/broker fees.
How easy is it to avoid paying custom fees?
Once you know the steps, it’s much easier than you think.
Is there a tool to calculate the taxes and duties on deliveries?
Yes, there’s a nifty tool called Canada Tariff Finder that you can use.
What happens if you don’t pay DHL customs?
If you don’t pay the DHL custom fees, the package will eventually be returned back to the sender.
What you should read next
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Hi William,
Thanks for the great info. I was able to save $12 by self-clearing a FedEx package.
Do you have any experience doing this with DHL eCommerce (separate from other DHL entities)?
I’ve called to request documents numerous times, and they always tell me, “That’s not a service we offer.”
I went to the CBSA anyways (same timing as the Fedex package that went smoothly). They sent me to the DHL warehouse at the airport. The DHL guy said, “yeah, I can print those for you”, but as soon as he saw it was a DHL eCommerce package, he told me he couldn’t do anything to help.
What’s worse: I can’t even try to refuse the package because DHL just gives the package directly to Canada post with a COD charge for me to pay, and they instruct Canada Post to NOT deliver the package, but just to deliver the notice card and make me go pick it up at the Post Office.
Thanks for sharing this with us. We unfortunately don’t have experience with DHL eCommerce. Strange that it’s managed differently but there’s probably a different process because it’s passed along to Canada Post. That’s really sneaky…
Hi William, thanks for writing this post. I live in Canada and my mother often sends packages worth less than C$60, and she clearly labels as gift. DHL knows this and does not charge tax or duties; HOWEVER, they do charge the CUSTOMS PROCESSING FEE of C$17.50 + tax !
After paying for this for a while, I decided to fight back. I am writing an email to [email protected] and asking them to remove this fee. There are no tax or duty, so even no point in “self clear” here.
Thanks again,
Rogério
That’s definitely either a mistake or scam. If there were no taxes/duties, they did not need to foot any of DHL’s own credit to advance the import process.
Hi again William — So here is the reply I got after writing to [email protected]. I think I am going to take this to [email protected] !
Good day,
Thank you for contacting codhold.
Gifts under 60 CAD are eligible for duty and tax exemption but they are not exempted from custom processing fees . The process of clearing a gift, replacement, repair, and certain duty free commodities is exactly same as clearing a dutiable item.
DHL Express Canada charges a clearance fee for all shipments sent DDU and that require rating and entry processing with the CBSA. This clearance processing is required even if the shipment ultimately does not generate duties or taxes owing. Based on factors such as country of origin, the declared value, trade/tariff treatment agreements and the HS Code duties and taxes may or may not apply.
If you need any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further assistance.
Thank you for contacting DHL Express.
Regards
Prerna
COD Specialist
1-888-899-0289
DHL Express (Canada), Ltd.
http://www.dhl.ca
Yikes, it sounds like they’re brazenly slapping on this processing fee even if nothing gets accessed. That’s crazy to me. Anyone else agree??
I think the UPS needs an update.
I just received a bill from them. $29 for customs, $90 for UPS brokerage fee. It’s outrageous.
That’s brutal! Have you read our guide on how to avoid UPS brokerage fees? $90 is really high for brokerage fee. Last I checked, that’s for a pretty high bracket of value ($500+).
Thank you William for taking the time to do this. This is so helpful. I almost choked when I saw that the duty & fees for bringing in a $40 item was over $20! That’s crazy. I checked the CBSA website and found it should have only been about $8 incl taxes. So Taking the time to read your research has save me a ton of time and I appreciate your tips!
I’m so glad that we were able to help and that you saved all of that money!
This is awesome! I’m doing this now – in fact, I *just* called DHL and I now have my documents ready to take to the local CBSA office. The inconvenience is not worth the cost savings on my package ($35 fees), but giving a big middle finger to these carriers definitely IS!!! The item was worth $75 (USD) + $19 (USD) to ship (!!), and now DHL wants another $34 (CAD)? screw-them. The only problem for me is that the offices close at 4:30pm, so that makes it difficult to get to before they close.
Do you know if there is a way that someone else can clear the package on your behalf? I guess it’s not “Self-Clearance” then, but if DHL can do it for you, why can’t someone else?
Hey Andrew! Glad this article helped. You’re right, sometimes the trouble of making out out there isn’t always worth it but it’s frustrating that this isn’t a transparent process. In terms of getting someone else to clear it, that’s a good question. I haven’t had someone else do it for me but I would imagine that it might be possible for someone in the same household but I also am not 100% sure. They do ask for a piece of ID to of course match against the documentation but similar to picking up mail at the post office, in theory someone with the same address should work. If you do end up trying this, let us know what happens!
I’ve cleared a package in my wife’s name before. I had to bring in a photocopy of her ID, and a “letter of consent”.
I just had her write (on the printed page with ID photocopy) “I, , give consent for my husband, , to clear my packages.” And then sign and date the page.
(I called CBSA in advance to ask what to bring)
That’s a good call! Good to know that this works.
This is a brilliant article and I’m so pleased to have found it, especially since I am currently in DHL hell myself. The Canada Tariff Finder is great. Even though there is no duty on anything I order these courier companies will charge “in anticipation” and sometimes, not always, give you a refund.
I order online from the UK now and again, virtually every company/organization will send via Royal Mail -> Canada Post, which is economical and better service levels. Often courier companies will mis-delivery, lose the package, their pick up points are in the middle of nowhere and not as convenient as local Post Offices, Canada Post staff know our community and will provide a more personal and professional service. Even within Canada I prefer not to use courier companies.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Hi William,
First off, I just wanted to say thank you so much for this information. It’s greatly appreciated. I’ve followed your guide/steps in the past and had no problems. Today, I went through the same process to self-clear some shirts I bought online from the US; the DHL total for the duties was $33.14, $19.38 of that was levy charges, and $13.36 was the government tax. When I talked to the CBSA officer, he processed my documents and said my total was slightly more than $33 dollars. I was surprised to hear that and asked him to verify the amount cause, in the past, I would only pay $15-$20 dollars in tax and they would waive the brokerage fee. He said CBSA charges you government tax and something about 17% for duties. I was wondering if you could help me out – is there a way for me to only pay the government tax like I did in the past? After this interaction, I was left wondering, what’s the point in self-clearing if CBSA is now going to charge me more than it would cost to pay DHL directly?
Off the top of my head, I’m thinking that there’s a reason for the 17% duty as that’s something that’s I haven’t encountered. Did you by chance ask why there were 17% duties. It’s possible it could be because of its origin, the category it belongs to, or something else.
They said something about the fact that the shirts were probably manufactured in China. I ordered them from a company based in California. Similar to what you said, I believe they said they charge duties due to the origin of the items. I think they said the item has to be made in North America or something along those lines. Furthermore, I’m pretty sure they said to waive the 17%, I would have to prove the origins of the item. To do that, they said I would need a NAFTA certificate of origin, which, according to them, would be almost impossible for me to obtain. If this is the case moving forward, I don’t think there’s any way to reduce customs and duties for items coming in from outside of Canada since most of them will be manufactured in China and therefore, at the end of the day, they’ll charge that duty fee. They were getting pretty technical. It was a lot to digest but I tried to relay the information here to the best of my ability. From what they told me, there isn’t much I can do, but if you can offer any additional information/advice on how I can go about this, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you once again.
It sounds like you had quite the stickler of an agent at CBSA. I am pretty sure that the manufacture location of my items if they looked closely were from China. What I can’t remember is whether on the shipping manifest itself, whether they declared it as items from China or from the country it was shipping from. What confuses me is that couldn’t you make the argument that the printing process and design itself is from the US? Unfortunately at this point there’s not a whole lot you can do as CBSA has already made their judgement and like they said, you’d need that NAFTA certificate of origin. I’d attribute this to a bit of bad luck as I haven’t encountered this before but if others have, please let us know!
I have a package due to be delivered to Canada. UPS have sent me duties and taxes amounting to 189 cad. Brokerage charges from UPS is over 90 cad. On the tracking page they’ve stated that I have to pay now or pay on delivery. I’m in Saint John, New Brunswick and I’m not sure how to proceed with self-clearance. If you have any details to provide that’ll be great.
Hey! Check out how to self clear for UPS. All the details should be there.
Thanks so much for this information, it’s answered so many questions that I’ve had that I haven’t been able to find an answer too. There is something missing however in this article that I think is important to mention and that is the EXCESS LINE FEE that is charged if you are shipping more than 5 items at a time. If I were to clear my package myself and one of these service locations would I still need to pay the DHL Excess line fee or would that been waived?
That’s a good question and one that I haven’t encountered in the past. I can only assume that this line would be removed as well but it might be best to explicitly ask when you ask for your self clearance documentation.
Could you do a review on Asendia coming to Canada?
Thank you
Hi Janelle! I haven’t used their service before but if it comes up I will. That said, the process should be pretty similar for them. The key is to ask to self clear your package and to not use their own clearance broker.
Thank you. Very useful informations. I try it in Montréal, and it goes very well. I will do it again.
Glad to hear that it worked!!
Hi!
Do you know if it works with Fedex?
They are asking me to sign some form and they attached commercial invoice to the email, which from what I understand, it is the form I need to go to the Inland office.
Hi! The process should be very similar. You’ll see that even between DHL and UPS, it’s quite similar.
excellent information and thank you for the article. yet what can you do if you’re not geographically close to toronto or Vancouver office?
I’m glad it helped! If you’re not close to one of the bigger offices, you can definitely look for an Inland office closer to you. To be safe, I’d call ahead of time to find out if they have CBSA officers that can help. Check out our article for UPS where we have an anecdotal example from someone living in Prince George and eventually got help through the phone from the Kelowna Inland office.
Bought something for 50 USD (68.92 CAD) and using DHL to ship to my home in Vancouver, BC. DHL was asking me to pay 31.52 CAD… That’s a 46 % charge!!!!
Ended up paying 8.16 CAD at the in-land office, so you saved me 23.36 $ !
Thank you Will!
I’m so glad it worked out!!
Having self-cleared at Pearson before, I just wanted to say that you’ve done a fab job of explaining the process. Was happy to hear that DHL delivers after a self-clearance; have had a smaller courier force me to pick it up from them, which was a hassle, but then the savings were considerable, so well worth it.
Aww thanks! For smaller carriers, did they allow you to self-clear in a similar way?
In my case, the process was largely the same up until Stage 6; instead of taking a photo of the paid invoice, I took it directly to the courier office.
Hey Rob! Thanks for sharing your experience. I know it’s not always the most consistent process so good to hear from someone else. When you say courier office, you went to a DHL store?
Hey William! In my case, it wasn’t DHL that I had to deal with, but a smaller company I had not heard of before (or since). Luckily for me it was located near the airport, so I was able to deal with everything on a single afternoon off from work.
As a general rule of thumb, I try to avoid having items from abroad sent by courier, so that this issue of carrier fees doesn’t raise its ugly head. There are some retailers who won’t ship any other way though, so I do appreciate having a guide to self-clearance to refresh my memory.
Hopefully there won’t be any new ghost bikes up at Pearson this time round.
Hi, if i don’t pay the duties at all, will the package eventually be sent back to the sender? (I’m in Canada with a parcel coming from the UK with DHL).
Thank you so much!
Yes, if you don’t pay the duties, eventually they’ll just send it back to the sender.
Do you actually have to physically go to a CBSA office? My nearest one seems to be 3 hours drive away. The gas alone would make it a moot point to go there just to save $17.
Yeah, I’d say in that case it probably isn’t worth it. The only way to self-declare is to go to the special in-land CBSA offices.
Hi William,
Thanks for the detailed article.
I noticed that with my DHL parcel, I actually don’t have any import duty or anything charged to it. As it was labelled as a gift and value under $60. But, I am still being charged $17.50 by DHL?
How do I self clear this parcel. Any suggestions?
It should be pretty easy to self clear the parcel. They will apply tax on anything over $20 unfortunately. The instructions are laid out in this article so just make sure you follow them.
Everything I order from the US and UK to Ontario now is getting a duty charge, before the pandemic I used to order stuff all the time and I think paid duties maybe twice, ever. Has any else noticed and influx of this as is 2022 and/or know why?
That’s a good question! What courier have you seen this happen more for or has it been across the board? I think Canada Post has been quite consistently good for us and UPS is still the worst. They even charged duty for something that didn’t actually require duty so it might be a directive for those at Canadian customs to be more strict? If you can, self clear always!
I am going to self clear with DHL but they informed there is no charges if it stays in their storage last 3 days and I haven’t don’t paperwork yet. I am still waiting for the paperwork for another package which is why I haven’t done it yet.
Thanks for the heads up! I have never left it in their warehouse for that long so I was going off their policies but glad to hear that they don’t charge those fees.
My package is in Ontario right now but I’m in Regina Saskatchewan. Do i wait for it to get to my city then self clear or self clear now? Cuz then where would I pick it up if I self clear now
Hey! You should be able to start the process right away as it’s already been tagged with some sort of tax/duty. This will give you the maximum amount of time to get everything done. Once it’s done, it’ll either start making your way to Regina from Ontario, or it’ll move as far as it can (possibly to a Regina warehouse) and pause until you’ve self-cleared it.
Hi Great article.
I just finished doing this with a package from FedEx. I had been looking into it for a while but hadn’t gone through the process. This was before I read your article.
I’ve got another package coming from DHL which is how I found your article.
I do have a question. Is there a reason why we should wait till the package is in Canada ?
Could the process not be started before ?
That’s a good question! I suppose, if I think about my experiences with UPS, it technically hadn’t arrived in Canada before I knew that there were was going to be taxes/duty on it so I was able to start the process right away. I was told by the DHL people that was the case but you’re right, there’s no reason why you can’t get it started once you know you’re going to be hit with something.
In Calgary the CBSA office is near the international airport. 175 Aero Way NE. It may seem overwhelming the first time, but this article is correct, it’s really easy.
Computers are available on site to fill out a customs form, they will help you if its your first time. The CBSA agent will send and electronic message to your shipping company once you’ve paid any duties and taxes. They’ll then release the package to you, or you can leave it to be delivered by the delivery company.
However….keep this in mind….
Certain companies like UPS will occasionally clear a package and delivery it to you with an invoice for handling, duties and taxes. If this happens to you take it to the CBSA office and pay it there. They’ll only charge you what is owed to the government, and send a notification to UPS.
Also….
Many items imported into Canada fall under CUSMA, or NAFTA and are Duty Free if manufactured in the USA or Mexico. Most other countries fall under MFT they’re likely to have a higher excise tax (ex. furniture from China). Generally the company you purchased from provides a completed customs form (or commercial invoice) to the shipping company (freight forwarder). This means the shipping company has literally done nothing but prepare an invoice with an up-charge for you to pay once your shipment reaches customs.
I suggest getting the companies you order from to send the customs form (or commercial invoice) they have submitted to the shipping company to you at the time of ordering. If your order has tracking, once it says ‘At Customs for Review’ go pick it up. This is what we do.
*We also use Montana Shipping Outlet and drive over the boarder to pick up packages. Many American companies ship for free to the boarder.
Great article! Stick it to these Jerks!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with is. This is super valuable!
I finally tried this out today and it was EXACTLY as you said, even the layout CBSA office! I just emailed DHL my stamped manifest and I’m waiting eagerly. Thank you for the clear and useful information!
Sweet, I’m glad it worked out!
Hi Will,
Just wondering..i am waiting for a phone i got on Amazon france, phone is 790 euros, in CAD around 1100. So i will pay taxes, but not sure if the process above applies..
I searched for inland CBSA office, and it shows that is INSIDE Pearson airport..how do i go there? Did they change location with the Covid stuff? Or can it be done online?
Hi Stephanie, you won’t be able to do this online. If you’re in the GTA area, the Toronto office is 2720 Britannia Road East, Mississauga which looks like is inside Pearson but if you look at the photo in the article, it’s actually a separate building that you can drive to. With Amazon, what you’ll have to eventually figure out who the carrier will be and what their process will be. You won’t be able to do anything yet until you can get the self-clearing paperwork from the carrier.
Yes, i will keep an eye on the shipping info in amazon.fr and see who the carrier is. The process is very similar for UPS/Fedex, right? I have to call them and refuse to pay.
Glad to see that the building is outside and accessible :) Google maps puts me to walk across the landing strip :)
If it is Canada Post i will not bother, i believe they have a flat 10 CAD fee for processing.
Do you have a blank self-clearance form by any chance? To see what to expect?
Thanks a lot!
Yes, it’s a pretty similar process. They *should* let you know that there’s duty coming in for your package but many times they don’t and since all delivery is contact-less, they’ll just drop it at your door and send you the bill later which is a pretty dirty move. Once you get the tracking number, I’d reach out to the carrier and pro-actively get the self-declaring process going so they can’t surprise you. And you’re right, if it’s Canada Post, just pay the fee. In regards to the form, there wasn’t anything that I had to fill out. DHL created the paperwork for me and that’s what I provided to Canadian Customs.
Yayyyy..
Phone shipped, and it is DHL. I have a tracking # from amazon.fr, it shipped today.
Now, can i call DHL ahead of time and ask for the self-clearing package and start this process? So in the moment it lands in Canada, duty is already paid? I mean, all is electronically sent, paperwork, price is known already (1100 CAD) etc..
So, if i go now to DHL site, and i click on Self clearance, i am being asked for name, email, phone, and tracking #. Can i do it now? So if i fill in the info, i guess they will send me by email the self-clearing package, right? Or it is better to call?
Thank you!
You could fill out the form but I found that it was faster to just call directly and get the process started. Your next step is to get the paperwork so you’ll be able to go to the CBSA office.
Very weird. I got the DHL email that I have to pay 153 CAD, which is just 10 CAD more than what CBSA site estimates to be the tax.
Could this be an error? Would I get another bill in the future?
For 10 dollars i should not bother, but I am afraid that they will recalculate somehow :)
It seems to me too low, when I look on their website.
I don’t believe you would. If you have access to the full invoice, can you see all the line items and do you see a customs fee built-in? That is essentially what you’re trying to avoid by self-clearing.
My problem was that after 5 days of hearing nothing from dhl about paying of duty fees but seeing the parcel on hold I finally searched and paid myself. Finally the package is released but when it will be delivered I don’t know
Did the package end up getting to you?
UPS just left my package at the door and left, I never signed for it. Also, it was a gift so I never knew it was coming.
Fast forward a few weeks and I get a bill for 150 dollars. Is it possible to get that money for “self clearing” back?
Hi Sarah, ah man that’s terrible. That seems that all courier are dropping packages at the door which in a way is really screwing people with custom fees. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do because they’ve already cleared the package for you and hence the custom fee + brokerage fees. You can potentially try to reject the package by bringing it back to UPS but that might not be ideal either because it was a gift for you.
Two years ago I refused a package worth $100 from the UK from DHL cause they were asking for like $30 in duties and taxes. I didn’t self clear or anything as it wasn’t an option. So then the driver said it would be reviewed.
About two weeks later they delivered it without requesting any pay, just leaving it at my door. In Ontario.
Whoa that’s interesting! That’s probably not the norm but really lucky that it happened to you!
After I do all this and pay the duties and taxes at CBSA, does DHL deliver the package to my door? Or do I have to go somewhere and get it? I am on Vancouver Island and I don’t want to have to travel off island to get the package.
Hi Karen, after you do the clearing, you’ll let DHL know and they’ll deliver it to you.
Great article. Canada Post actually does charge a $10 flat fee for processing , its not free as you have stated.
Is that the case? I didn’t know they did that but that’s good to know! Thanks for sharing.
my retailer(from uk deliver to toronto) told me they can bring the order to canada post instead of dhl. do you know if canada post charges less custom fees? Thanks
Hi Harry, if your retailer is offering you both options and there’s risk of taxes and duty, I’d go with the local carrier which would be Royal Mail which then transfers to Canada Post. They don’t charge customs fees/brokerage fees to help process your package in the case there are taxes and duties.
hi there, thank you so much for the article! DHL just dropped the bomb on me, instead of the usual $17.5 clearance service fee, this time they added a whooping $31.5 for excess line fee charge (whatever that is) ><
so this time i decided to do self-clearance. but my question is: do you know if the CBSA office has to be the one near airport, or is it ok as long as they have the “Accounts Receivable Ledger Office (ARL)” service? e.g., this CBSA office in Montreal (400 Place d'Youville, Montreal QC H2Y 2C2)
thank you!!
Hi! I’m glad the article was helpful. First of all, what the heck is “excess line fee charge”. I’d definitely call DHL to find out what that means and why it was charged.
Now for self-clearing, the office in Montreal (400 Place d’Youville) is the right one as it has the inland office services. Good luck!
So, how much money will you actually save? I ordered some clothes from Redcast Heritage in Madrid, over $700 worth. The customs fee was $100. So how much would I have saved?
Is the customs fee just your shipper’s fee or does that also include the tax on it? Usually they break it down and you can find out what they are charging you on top of just the taxes/duty.
THANK YOU! This post is amazing. So clear, so helpful. I now understand which fees were charged and why and which ones I have to pay. All the information I needed is right there. Quick note – for me the DHL Customs Fee was spelled out in the email from them separate from the taxes and duty so it was clear what was a fee and what was from the government (if you knew that “Customs Fee” was from DHL) and the fee was only $10 instead of $17. I would guess that is a change that has occurred in response to feedback and publicity they have received.
You’re so so welcome!
Interesting!! We’ll update the article to reflect this new change. Thanks for the heads up!
Hands down, this is just *chef’s kiss*. Undoubtedly one of the best guides I’ve ever read. As someone with anxiety, this guide eased my mind and answered questions I didn’t even have (or thought of yet).
Thank you for all the pictures and details, as well as taking the time to research all this information for us. We appreciate it.
Thank you so much for your feedback Rikka!
This post is just gold.
Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I am also in the middle of a process after gettin charged again through DHL. Doesn’t happen through Canada Post.
They even were sued in British Columbia due to this practice.
We’re so happy that this helped! We tried to find all the details in one place when we had our issue and couldn’t find it so we compiled it ourselves :)
It worked. Thank you! All clear, no brokerage fees paid and I am spreading your post everywhere I can.
Blessings!
If you want to join the right person directly at DHL (brokerage), use this number:
1-888-899-0289. You won’t have to spend half an hour navigate through the menus and get transferred.
Hey Fred! Super helpful. I’ve added it to the article as well. Thank you!
I’m in the same boat as Ronald. I don’t understand what amount I’d be saving. DHL wants to charge me $120 for shorts that cost me 180!!! How much would i save by self-clearing?
Hi Mike, this will depend on what they’re telling you the fee is. In your case for DHL, their “brokerage fee” is $17+tax. I know it might not seem like a huge amount but it’s a saving nonetheless. When you self-clear, you are pay the taxes yourself instead of DHL doing it for you.
I don’t get it. Doesn’t step 5 defeat the whole purpose? So you just drive there and pay instead?
Yes and no. You’re still paying taxes but what you’re avoiding are the customs fees that couriers like DHL, UPS, FedEx and others charge because of the clearing they do on your behalf. In some instances, it might be relatively small like $17 + tax but if the value of your item is much higher, this could be much more. So you’re right, it might not be worth it to save $17 if you have a long drive to the airport but if you’re nearby, it’s not as difficult as people think. Hope that helps!
That’s really help!! Thank you for the information!!
You’re welcome!!