How Much Alcohol Can Visitors Bring Into Canada

If you are a visitor to Canada, you are allowed to bring a small quantity of alcohol (wine, liquor, beer, or coolers) into the country without having to pay duty or taxes on it as long as: the alcohol accompanies youyou meet the minimum legal drinking age for the province or territory at which you enter Canada.  The legal age for purchase and consumption is 19 years  of age in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Yukon;  and  18 years  of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. Please note that rules change, so confirm this information before you travel.   Alcohol Quantities Permitted You may bring in only  one of the following: 1.5 liters (50.7 U.S. ounces) of wine, including wine coolers over 0.5 percent alcohol. This is equivalent to (up to) 53 fluid ounces or two 750 ml bottles of wine.  1.14 liters (38.5 U.S. ounces) of liquor. This is equivalent to  (up to)  40 fluid ounces  or one large standard bottle of liquor.Up to 8.5 liters of beer or ale, including beer with more than 0.5 percent alcohol. This is equivalent to 287.4 U.S. fluid ounces or about 24 cans or bottles (355 ml or 12.004 U.S. fluid ounces each). According to the Canadian Border Services Agency, the quantities of alcoholic beverages you can import must be within the limit set by provincial and territorial liquor control authorities that apply where you will  enter  Canada. If the amount of alcohol you want to import exceeds your personal exemption, you will have to pay the duty and taxes as well as any provincial or territorial levies that apply. Contact the appropriate provincial or territorial liquor control authority for more information  before  you go to Canada. Assessments typically start at 7 percent. You must be staying for more than 24 hours to bring alcohol into the country. For Canadians  returning after a stay in the United States, the amount of personal exemption is dependent on how long the individual was out of the country; the highest exemptions accrue after stays of more than a 48 hours. In 2012, Canada changed exemption limits to more closely match those of the United States. More on the Taxes Visitors are allowed to bring into Canada $60 in gifts duty-free per recipient.  But alcohol and tobacco do not qualify for this exemption. Canada defines alcoholic beverages as products that exceed 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. Certain alcoholic and wine products, such as some coolers, do not exceed 0.5 percent by volume and, thus, are not considered alcoholic beverages. If you go over your personal exemption, you will have to pay duty on the full amount, not just the excess. Note that each personal exemption is per person, not per vehicle.  You are not allowed to combine your personal exemptions with someone else or transfer them to another person. Goods brought in for commercial use or for another person do not qualify under the personal exemption and are subject to full duties. Customs officials calculate the duties  in the currency of the country you are entering. So if you are a U.S. citizen crossing into Canada, you will need to convert the amount you paid for your alcohol in the United States into Canadian currency at the applicable rate of exchange. If You Exceed the Duty-Free Allowance   Except in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, if you are a visitor to Canada and you bring in more than the personal allowances of liquor listed above, you will pay customs and provincial/territory assessments. The amounts you are allowed to bring into Canada are also limited by the province or territory in which you enter Canada. For details on specific amounts and rates, contact the liquor control authority for the appropriate province or territory before you travel to Canada. In the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, its illegal to bring in more than your exempted amount. A Growing Problem of Alcohol Overconsumption in Canada   Although there have long been restrictions on the number of alcohol visitors can bring into Canada, a growing problem of rising and overconsumption of alcohol has raised alarms in Canada. Anyone trying to bring in large quantities of cheaper American alcohol, wine, and beer might be unpopular  at the border. Staying within personal exemption quantities is the safest path. Since about 2000 and the release of the Canada Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines in 2011, the first such national guidelines, many Canadians have  been on a mission to reduce alcohol consumption across the board. Much research has been done on how harmful even moderate alcohol consumption can be and the  serious long-term effects on  young adults ages 18–24, when risky alcohol consumption peaks. In addition, risky drinking is on the rise in other segments of the population. High Canadian Prices Tempt Importers There has been a movement to encourage lower consumption by  increasing or maintaining the overall price  of alcohol through interventions such as excise taxes and indexing prices to inflation. Such pricing, according to the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse, would encourage production and consumption of lower-strength alcoholic beverages. Establishing minimum prices, the CCSA said, could remove inexpensive sources of alcohol often favored by young adults and other high-risk drinkers. Visitors may be tempted to bring in large quantities of alcoholic beverages bought in the United States, which can sell for about half the price of such drinks in Canada. But if this is done, well-trained officers of the  Canada  Border  Services Agency will find such goods, and the offender will be assessed duties for the entire amount, not the just excess. Customs Contact Information If you have questions or need more information about bringing alcohol into Canada, contact the Canada Border Services Agency.