Bringing Items though Customs

One of the things I get asked about sometimes is and what can be taken back through customs.

The basic rule is: know what you must declare. If you live in Canada you can find answers to the most common questions here

A case in point. On once occasion during a period of time when I had been travelling a lot I was coming back from France with some foie gras in my suitcase. The foie gras was sealed in a jar. When I arrived into Canada I had checked the box on the form indicating I had no food. But when the customs officer asked me, I suddenly remembered that I did indeed have a small jar of foie gras and I mentioned it.

From that comment I did get flagged and had all of my luggage searched. I was told that I could be given a $400 fine and I had to plead with them not to give it. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I had told the customs officer the truth, but that I had just filled out the form incorrectly.

On another occasion I was returning from Russia with 5 bottles of vodka in my luggage. This was of course more than I could bring back and as such I declared it. As my luggage came out on the belt I could smell it from 20 feet away. One of the bottle had leaked, soaking my entire bag with vodka! I am pretty sure that I would have been searched if I had not claimed the fact that I had it with me.

Tags: Airports, business travel, travel