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I think the CBSA officer messed up my duty-free import. Am I going to get hit with duty?

poporopos

Full Member
Sep 22, 2021
41
17
Arrived in Montréal airport as a landing PR on Jan 5 and told the CBSA officer that I had goods to follow and asked how long I had to send them. He said technically I had no time because they are supposed to arrive with me when I land (ridiculous though because I cannot transport furniture in the airport).

I said he would give me 12 months to get my goods and put a blue rectangular stamp on the back of my COPR with three choices:

-No goods to follow #B4
-Goods to follow #B4
-B4 to follow - Settling for less than 12 months

He handed my inventory list of goods to follow back to me and checked the third box. I thought the third box meant I had 12 months to get my stuff. Now I'm reading it as I'm working with my moving company and it says "SETTLING FOR LESS than 12 months"

Did he think I was coming to Canada temporarily to do a soft landing and then go back to the US to get my stuff? I never mentioned hiring a moving company because he didn't ask but that is what I am doing. I'm not returning to the USA to get my things as I am going to have a shipping company do it and all my stuff is left with family so they can be there. I'm reading I needed to be given a BSF186 form in the airport but he didn't do this?

Am I going to have trouble with my move now and do I need to contact CBSA to straighten this out?
 

karma0512

Star Member
Jan 4, 2020
112
19
Arrived in Montréal airport as a landing PR on Jan 5 and told the CBSA officer that I had goods to follow and asked how long I had to send them. He said technically I had no time because they are supposed to arrive with me when I land (ridiculous though because I cannot transport furniture in the airport).

I said he would give me 12 months to get my goods and put a blue rectangular stamp on the back of my COPR with three choices:

-No goods to follow #B4
-Goods to follow #B4
-B4 to follow - Settling for less than 12 months

He handed my inventory list of goods to follow back to me and checked the third box. I thought the third box meant I had 12 months to get my stuff. Now I'm reading it as I'm working with my moving company and it says "SETTLING FOR LESS than 12 months"

Did he think I was coming to Canada temporarily to do a soft landing and then go back to the US to get my stuff? I never mentioned hiring a moving company because he didn't ask but that is what I am doing. I'm not returning to the USA to get my things as I am going to have a shipping company do it and all my stuff is left with family so they can be there. I'm reading I needed to be given a BSF186 form in the airport but he didn't do this?

Am I going to have trouble with my move now and do I need to contact CBSA to straighten this out?
Hi @poporopos , were you able to figure this out? I seem to have the same issue.
 

poporopos

Full Member
Sep 22, 2021
41
17
It wasn’t a problem because the moving company took care of it. They handed me their inventory list and the cargo control document and I took it to the CBSA office for shipment release. In the end, they stamped the inventory list I made, not the one the shippers created at pickup, so you need to have your own list. Whatever they don’t look at during landing, they will probably check in the office when you clear the shipment
 

karma0512

Star Member
Jan 4, 2020
112
19
It wasn’t a problem because the moving company took care of it. They handed me their inventory list and the cargo control document and I took it to the CBSA office for shipment release. In the end, they stamped the inventory list I made, not the one the shippers created at pickup, so you need to have your own list. Whatever they don’t look at during landing, they will probably check in the office when you clear the shipment
oh okay. glad it worked out for you.
I am worried that they stamped the "Settling for less than 12 months" option and I plan to stay here - by any chance, do you know anything about this?