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How much money should I carry when I land in Canada?

alstar

Star Member
Dec 7, 2015
163
14
LANDED..........
07-08-2017
Hi Guys,

I am going to land in Canada for the first time next month and wanted to know if there is an minimum amount of cash that we should carry with us if the immigration officer asks us. I know the max limit per person is $10000 but wanted to know if there is a minimum amount. We are a family of 3 (2 adults and I kid).

Honestly I dont want to carry a huge amount all that once, since it has its own risks. Can I carry like $5000 cad and then bank statements from my bank to show them how much I have?

-A
 

21Goose

VIP Member
Nov 10, 2016
5,246
1,615
AOR Received.
Feb 2017
Hi Guys,

I am going to land in Canada for the first time next month and wanted to know if there is an minimum amount of cash that we should carry with us if the immigration officer asks us. I know the max limit per person is $10000 but wanted to know if there is a minimum amount. We are a family of 3 (2 adults and I kid).

Honestly I dont want to carry a huge amount all that once, since it has its own risks. Can I carry like $5000 cad and then bank statements from my bank to show them how much I have?

-A
Yes, that sounds good. There's no real minimum limit in terms of the cash you need to carry - CBSA may ask you to prove that you have the minimum funds you need, and bank statements are usually OK. There are some rare cases reported where the officer didn't like something about the bank statement, but as long as it's a reasonably big bank and everything is legit, you'll be fine.
 

picklee

Hero Member
Feb 19, 2017
726
173
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hi Guys,

I am going to land in Canada for the first time next month and wanted to know if there is an minimum amount of cash that we should carry with us if the immigration officer asks us. I know the max limit per person is $10000 but wanted to know if there is a minimum amount. We are a family of 3 (2 adults and I kid).

Honestly I dont want to carry a huge amount all that once, since it has its own risks. Can I carry like $5000 cad and then bank statements from my bank to show them how much I have?

-A
There is no maximum limit to the amount you can bring into Canada. If you bring $10,000 or more then you need to declare it and be prepared to show proof of source for the funds.
 

pisces88

Hero Member
Apr 4, 2019
297
156
Hi, good day. I’ve been reading different opinions and comments about POF once you land in Canada. I have a query concerning this topic and I’d appreciate a response from any of you.

It’s stipulated that if you’re bringing more than 10,000cad into Canada, you need to inform the border officer. If I bring less than 10k in cash and have some bank certificates with me from my home country which will amount to more than 10k (for both the cash and bank certificates), do I need to declare the amount in my bank certs? Or is this not needed as I’m only bringing less than 10k in cash? Your thoughts on this, @legalfalcon. Thank you.
 

legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,048
9,915
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
Hi, good day. I’ve been reading different opinions and comments about POF once you land in Canada. I have a query concerning this topic and I’d appreciate a response from any of you.

It’s stipulated that if you’re bringing more than 10,000cad into Canada, you need to inform the border officer. If I bring less than 10k in cash and have some bank certificates with me from my home country which will amount to more than 10k (for both the cash and bank certificates), do I need to declare the amount in my bank certs? Or is this not needed as I’m only bringing less than 10k in cash? Your thoughts on this, @legalfalcon. Thank you.
The answer is yes. Any money or monetary instruments you carry, cannot be in excess of 10K CAD per person.

It is not that you cannot carry more than 10K, but if you do, you will have to report it and provide evidence of where the money originated. This is due to the requirements of the anti money laundering act and terrorist financing laws.

When you declare, the CBSA officer will ask you to show evidence, and if satisfied, will let you go. If not, they may confiscate the funds and you will then have to provide more elaborate evidence to show the source. If you do intend carrying more then 10K, consider transferring it online to a bank account in Canada.

Yes, you can open a Canadian bank account in Canada. see https://startright.scotiabank.com/international-application.html

To read CBSA rules on funds, see See https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ttd-vdd-eng.html

To read generally on landing and settling in Canada, see https://bit.ly/373aatj
 

pisces88

Hero Member
Apr 4, 2019
297
156
The answer is yes. Any money or monetary instruments you carry, cannot be in excess of 10K CAD per person.

It is not that you cannot carry more than 10K, but if you do, you will have to report it and provide evidence of where the money originated. This is due to the requirements of the anti money laundering act and terrorist financing laws.

When you declare, the CBSA officer will ask you to show evidence, and if satisfied, will let you go. If not, they may confiscate the funds and you will then have to provide more elaborate evidence to show the source. If you do intend carrying more then 10K, consider transferring it online to a bank account in Canada.

Yes, you can open a Canadian bank account in Canada. see https://startright.scotiabank.com/international-application.html

To read CBSA rules on funds, see See https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ttd-vdd-eng.html

To read generally on landing and settling in Canada, see https://bit.ly/373aatj
Thank you so much for this comprehensive response!
 
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pisces88

Hero Member
Apr 4, 2019
297
156
The answer is yes. Any money or monetary instruments you carry, cannot be in excess of 10K CAD per person.

It is not that you cannot carry more than 10K, but if you do, you will have to report it and provide evidence of where the money originated. This is due to the requirements of the anti money laundering act and terrorist financing laws.

When you declare, the CBSA officer will ask you to show evidence, and if satisfied, will let you go. If not, they may confiscate the funds and you will then have to provide more elaborate evidence to show the source. If you do intend carrying more then 10K, consider transferring it online to a bank account in Canada.

Yes, you can open a Canadian bank account in Canada. see https://startright.scotiabank.com/international-application.html

To read CBSA rules on funds, see See https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ttd-vdd-eng.html

To read generally on landing and settling in Canada, see https://bit.ly/373aatj
Hello @legalfalcon, I was reading these links you included and I couldn’t be any more thankful. It’s my first time to actually read up on the Personal Effects Accounting Document, and I’m quite confused. Does this mean that I have to list down all the things that I carry in my luggage/bag for both check in and hand carry?