renting a U-haul truck for the move.
Question:
My questions are:
1) The first time I cross, it will be just my girlfriend and I--no goods
to declare. When I cross the border for the first time, and they ask how
long I've been out of the United States, which answer is more correct?
a) Three months (I visted my girlfriend in February)
b) Something longer than that, considering that I've lived in Canada
for many years.
2) On the second crossing, I'm more concerned about not being held up
excessively at U.S. Customs. The U-haul will be loaded with my
belongings, including clothing, computers, stereo, VCR, books, and
furniture. Needless to say, I want to minimize any duty on the value of
my goods.
a) I have original boxes for my VCR, CD Player, scanner and computer.
I've heard that using original boxes can make the inspectors suspicious
(i.e. you're importing the equipment for resale). As much as I'd love to
use the original boxes to protect everything, am I exposing myself to
heavy duties if I do so? Does it help if I have dated sales receipts?
What if I don't? What if there's no evidence of wear? For example, my
VCR is a couple of years old, but looks like new...should I bang it around
for a bit?
b) I'm going to make an inventory of the major items, in case they
ask for descriptions. How much detail is required?
e.g. Computer $1200
Clothing $600
Stereo $500
or, should it be more detailed...
e.g. Pentium System w/ 540M and 1.08G HD, tape drive....
Clothing
15 T-shirts @$10 $150
6 pair pants @$30 $180
Stereo (itemized by components)
etc.
3) Also, the second time I cross the border will probably be the day
after we pick up the U-Haul. Technically, our stay in Canada will be at
most a day long (to load the truck). Is it worth staying in Canada for an
extra day to be eligible for a larger personal duty exemption? Is there a
way I can qualify for a larger exemption if the entire purpose of my
'visit' to Canada is to load a truck?
Those are the major questions I have right now. I know the mechanics of
my move are not simple (I have to cross the border into the U.S. twice).
I'm not breaking any laws, but I don't want to confuse the border
patrol (and thus cause a complete, exhaustive inspection of everything on
the truck).
I apologize for a surprisingly long website posting. If you have any
helpful advice, I will be very grateful.
Answer:
At this point, you can honestly say that you still live in Canada.
You're just making a short trip into the US. If, on this crossing,
ou're asked how long you've been out of the US, you can tell the
customs officer that you live in Canada, but that last time you
visited the US was in February.
Note that Canada customs normally does not let Canadian residents
bring in or drive US registered vehicles in Canada. However,
they do permit you to bring in a vehicle to export goods. They will
want to know where you are taking the vehicle and when do you plan
to recross the border.
On this crossing, you be entering as a new resident of the US.
From what I understand, you should be able to bring in your household
posessions duty free. Make an itemized list of the goods you're
bringing in, with the current value of the items. You do not have
to itemize each individual piece of clothing, or each book, but make
sure to list the serial numbers of "expensive" items (computer, TV,
VCR, etc.)
When you come to border crossing you tell the officer that you're
moving from Canada to the US
First, a US resident must be out of the country for at least
48 hours to qualify for any significant duty free allowance.
But, in your case, you don't have to worry about this because
for customs purposes, you are not taking up residency in the US
until you cross into the US with the truck. Like I said earlier,
as a person moving into the US, you will be able to bring your
posessions in duty free.
Submit Your Comments and Answers
