List of Goods Brought to Canada-- How Specific?

[88mv]

Hi everyone,
I'm using my day off to start doing a bit of inventory of what I want to bring with me to Canada and what is going to charity. I haven't received my visa quite yet, but I wanted to get a head start so I'm not frantically using my last days in the states to do it.
When you did this, how specific were you? Did you lump some items into general categories (i.e. clothes, sweaters, books...) or did you list every item specifically?
Also, I believe I saw something about wedding presents that are less than 3 mo old are allowable without duty. We haven't used most of our gifts (mixer, dishes, ice cream maker) as we have been living with family and haven't needed to. Our wedding was in June, so I'm not sure if its okay if I bring receipts or if I just need to take everything and use it.
Any advice would be great, thanks.

 

[piker751]

I am also very interested in how specific, so I can have the forms all filled out for when we land.

 

[AllisonVSC]

I can't address the wedding presents issue, but I can tell you what I did with my list of goods.

Categories are definitely okay (examples: kitchenware, dishes, books, office supplies, clothes, accessories, shoes, linens, etc). I made a list as I was packing boxes. I labeled each box with a number and brief description and then added it to my list. I also wandered around my house and made a separate list of all the pieces of furniture, bikes etc that were too big to go in boxes.

When I brought the pages of lists to customs at landing (these were all goods to follow items since I was visiting during PR processing), the agent said I could shorten using the categories above instead of listing each box and large item and then assign a value to the categories. He did ask that I separate jewelry and list it separately (costume pieces separate from more valuable items). You should also include photos of valuable jewelry items and appraisals (but I didn't have anything I felt was of significant value to do that for). You will also need to note the value and serial numbers of electronic items like big tvs, cameras and computers, etc.

I was pretty detailed about my packing, but the agent didn't even look at any of my belongings when I crossed the border. So don't sweat the small stuff too much. He just asked if I was bringing anything that was not listed, stamped my form and sent me on my way.

Now, importing my vehicle was a whole different story. So let me know if you are planning to bring your car. There are definitely steps you could do now to ensure a smooth import process on that.

Good luck and happy packing. Allison

 

[waitingintz]

From what I understand the rule is that you are not allowed to bring in new things (that you've owned for less than x months) EXCEPT for wedding presents. If you have had a wedding in the past 3 months you can bring in new items as wedding gifts.

As for packing lists - you can definitely categorize (in fact, it's prefered). So list Clothing Items and give a general value, kitchen ware with a value, etc.

It's mostly the valuable stuff that you need to list properly (with value and serial numbers if relevant)