Crossing the Border with a U-Haul – Need Advice

[Tejveerthind]

I’m moving from the US to Canada at the end of this month and could really use some advice from anyone who’s done it before. I’ll be driving a U-Haul across the border with a couple of TVs, laptops, a few phones, gaming consoles, and some small furniture—all personal stuff. I’m wondering what I should keep in mind when crossing with all this. Will I need a detailed inventory? Do they charge duty on used electronics or household items? How smooth is the process usually? I’d really appreciate any tips, things to prepare for, or just your own experience if you’ve done a similar move.

 

[Ponga]

I’m moving from the US to Canada at the end of this month and could really use some advice from anyone who’s done it before. I’ll be driving a U-Haul across the border with a couple of TVs, laptops, a few phones, gaming consoles, and some small furniture—all personal stuff. I’m wondering what I should keep in mind when crossing with all this. Will I need a detailed inventory? Do they charge duty on used electronics or household items? How smooth is the process usually? I’d really appreciate any tips, things to prepare for, or just your own experience if you’ve done a similar move.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/mrc-drc-eng.html

Declaring your goods​

Even if you have no goods with you on arrival, you must give your list of goods to the border services officer at your first point of entry in Canada. Based on the list of goods you submit, the officer will complete Form BSF186, Personal Effects Accounting Document, assign a file number to it, and give you a copy of the completed form as a receipt. You will need to present your copy of this form to claim free importation of your unaccompanied goods when they arrive. Goods to follow may be subject to import restrictions before you can import them.


To facilitate the clearance process, you can complete Form BSF186 before your arrival in Canada.

 

[armoured]

I’m moving from the US to Canada at the end of this month and could really use some advice from anyone who’s done it before. I’ll be driving a U-Haul across the border with a couple of TVs, laptops, a few phones, gaming consoles, and some small furniture—all personal stuff. I’m wondering what I should keep in mind when crossing with all this. Will I need a detailed inventory? Do they charge duty on used electronics or household items? How smooth is the process usually? I’d really appreciate any tips, things to prepare for, or just your own experience if you’ve done a similar move.

From my experience - not at ground border - it's okay to group things by box, if the things aren't valuable. Just type up a list and you should be fine, basically. Valuable stuff - serial #s. You may not have much that valuable except for say laptops and consoles.