Freightworks has compiled this information sheet to help you to understand what happens when moving to the Canada, and to inform you of procedures once your shipment arrives at the relevant port of entry. Please try and take time to read the information carefully and please contact us or our Canadian agents if you require further clarification of any of the points outlined below – we are all available to help you.

This information is provided without obligation and at the individual’s risk. We accept no responsibility for any inaccuracy of whatever nature.

• Arrival in Canada
• Customs Regulations
• Customs Clearance

Our computer system will automatically generate a shipping advice email which will be sent to the email address you supply us with, giving you the name of the vessel your shipment is on, the arrival date into the port, the destination agent and other important details. This notification is usually sent a week after the vessel sails.

Our destination agent will contact you before the vessel arrives regarding clearance formalities and request further details regarding the access at your delivery point.

Our agent will arrange to have the container uplifted from the wharf and hauled to their Customs bonded depot, where your shipment will be cleared through Customs. Clearance normally takes 5 – 8 days, but this time frame can vary during the year. Clearance times during July and August are usually longer. Deliveries to the main metropolitan areas usually take place between 7 and 14 days after clearance. Deliveries to other destinations take a bit longer, but our agents will contact you to make arrangements for a suitable delivery date.

You must be present in Canada and you must have status to live in Canada in order for your consignment to clear customs.

If your shipment is going to Canada then you must report to customs upon arrival in Canada that you have goods to follow. Canadian Customs will supply you with customs paperwork to be completed and stamp this to show that you have reported in. If this is not done then you will need to pay a visit to your local office and advise you have goods to follow. The paperwork will be given a stamp then. It is advisable that you have a copy of your inventory with you or you may have to make one from memory. If you are a returning Canadian but have not been out of the country for more than a year you will have to appear in person to the Customs office and explain this to Customs.

Please note that we do not accept firearms (including air, gas, and starting pistols), gun replicas, fireworks, explosives, narcotics, drugs, incitements, food, alcohol and paint in both sea and air freight consignments. Please note that all gas bottles for diving tanks, gas stoves and barbeques etc must be empty and free of gas. Garden implements, outdoor furniture, golf clubs, tents, camping equipment, barbeques, shoes, bicycles, buggies/prams need to be cleaned thoroughly and be free of dirt, soil, grass, food etc. These items may attract attention from Quarantine and be order for cleaning. All dangerous goods are prohibited by sea and air shipments.

All shipments entering Canada must be cleared through Customs before delivery can be arranged. In order to clear the shipment you will have to complete and sign a packing list or inventory. If your shipment is an owner-packed shipment, we will supply you with a packing list form on which you list the goods in your shipment. If your shipment is a household relocation including professional packing, our packers will make an inventory for you at the time of the relocation.

You will also need to provide a copy of your passport photo page and visa page if applicable. We will then forward it these documents to our agent in Canada in advance of the vessel arriving at the port.

Finally, please feel free to call us or our any of our agents in Canada if you require any further advice on any aspect of your shipment. Remember also that our agents will be able to help you should you require shipping services after you have arrived. Please call us for full details of our Canadian agents and their locations.

All information on this sheet is given for guidance only, and although we believe it to be correct at the time of writing, we do not accept any liability for errors, omissions, inaccuracies or misinterpretation. All charges, regulations and procedures are liable to change without notice.