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Goods accompanying vs goods to follow?

8thwonder

Member
Sep 25, 2022
12
2
Hi everyone,

My parents are going to soft land and return at a later date. I have a question about B4 and B4a?
During the landing processes itself, they don't carry any goods with them other than clothes and shoes, a little bit of cash, but at a later date they will move their personal belongings, nothing fancy just house hold items, tvs yada yada.

While looking at these forms and reading the forums it is so confusing. Some people say just print out B4s and use that as goods to follow, which makes no sense to me.

Can someone clear this for me once for all?

Do they need to fill B4, (goods accompanying with them during the first landing) I thought they can ignore this B4 since they don't really have anything to declare? But fill out B4a which is goods to follow. Am I wrong?

What do we need to fill out, when we don't have anything during landing to declare, but we will bring stuff in at a later date? (no jewelry)
Can you please eli5?

Best
 

citizenshipcanada

Hero Member
Sep 1, 2011
382
103
Hi everyone,

My parents are going to soft land and return at a later date. I have a question about B4 and B4a?
During the landing processes itself, they don't carry any goods with them other than clothes and shoes, a little bit of cash, but at a later date they will move their personal belongings, nothing fancy just house hold items, tvs yada yada.

While looking at these forms and reading the forums it is so confusing. Some people say just print out B4s and use that as goods to follow, which makes no sense to me.

Can someone clear this for me once for all?

Do they need to fill B4, (goods accompanying with them during the first landing) I thought they can ignore this B4 since they don't really have anything to declare? But fill out B4a which is goods to follow. Am I wrong?

What do we need to fill out, when we don't have anything during landing to declare, but we will bring stuff in at a later date? (no jewelry)
Can you please eli5?

Best
you dont have to fill any ,but it definitely makes things easier

Form BSF186 (or B4): This is used to outline and keep track of the items you are bringing with you at the time of entry into Canada. Items listed on this form are ones that you owned in your home country and intend on using for your household and personal use in Canada. The list will help border officers determine if you need to pay duty on any of the goods. You can find the exhaustive list of permitted and restricted items on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) website. This form is required even if you have no goods with you at the time of arrival.

Form BSF186A (or B4A): This is a goods-to-follow list and is used to track all the items that will be arriving in Canada separately – either on the day of your arrival or after your arrival. You should fill this form if you’re having any of your belongings shipped. If you don’t complete this form and your goods arrive at a later date, you may have to pay duty for importing them into Canada. One of the major benefits of completing form B4A and getting it stamped by the CBSA offer is that your goods will qualify for duty- and tax-free importation into Canada.

You’ll need to have two copies (one for you and one for the CBSA officer) of both forms. CBSA officials will stamp both copies and assign a file number. They will keep one set of completed forms and return the other to you along with a receipt.
 

8thwonder

Member
Sep 25, 2022
12
2
you dont have to fill any ,but it definitely makes things easier

Form BSF186 (or B4): This is used to outline and keep track of the items you are bringing with you at the time of entry into Canada. Items listed on this form are ones that you owned in your home country and intend on using for your household and personal use in Canada. The list will help border officers determine if you need to pay duty on any of the goods. You can find the exhaustive list of permitted and restricted items on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) website. This form is required even if you have no goods with you at the time of arrival.

Form BSF186A (or B4A): This is a goods-to-follow list and is used to track all the items that will be arriving in Canada separately – either on the day of your arrival or after your arrival. You should fill this form if you’re having any of your belongings shipped. If you don’t complete this form and your goods arrive at a later date, you may have to pay duty for importing them into Canada. One of the major benefits of completing form B4A and getting it stamped by the CBSA offer is that your goods will qualify for duty- and tax-free importation into Canada.

You’ll need to have two copies (one for you and one for the CBSA officer) of both forms. CBSA officials will stamp both copies and assign a file number. They will keep one set of completed forms and return the other to you along with a receipt.

Thank you for the detailed answer. My confusion comes from B4 form itself, as it has a box to check that says, goods to follow, yes or no. I mean, they don't have anything to declare at the time of landing, so can we just not fill B4, but only fill B4A instead, and get that stamped? Does one need to fill B4 without any list of items on it, but check that box mentioning goods to follow, yes, in order to fill B4A as a continuation?
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,505
7,895
Thank you for the detailed answer. My confusion comes from B4 form itself, as it has a box to check that says, goods to follow, yes or no. I mean, they don't have anything to declare at the time of landing, so can we just not fill B4, but only fill B4A instead, and get that stamped? Does one need to fill B4 without any list of items on it, but check that box mentioning goods to follow, yes, in order to fill B4A as a continuation?
I won't claim to be an expert, but I believe they should NOT fill out goods to follow until they are returning to Canada permanently AND shipping goods that will arrive after them.

If they're doing a soft landing and not shipping goods, they are not settling. When they come to Canada in a year or so and have a shipment, that's when (on arrival) they submit and get stamped the goods to follow forms.
 

citizenshipcanada

Hero Member
Sep 1, 2011
382
103
Thank you for the detailed answer. My confusion comes from B4 form itself, as it has a box to check that says, goods to follow, yes or no. I mean, they don't have anything to declare at the time of landing, so can we just not fill B4, but only fill B4A instead, and get that stamped? Does one need to fill B4 without any list of items on it, but check that box mentioning goods to follow, yes, in order to fill B4A as a continuation?
if you are sure of the goods to follow then you only have to fill B4A getting it stamped
 

YVR123

VIP Member
Jul 27, 2017
6,567
2,508
Can I declare gold valuation and land valuation as funds to follow?
gold appraisals can be declare in goods to follow form.
You can keep your land valuation as record. If you sell your land in the future, the capital gain would be taxed.
Also good to use that to declare foreign assets when you file your tax return (will not be taxed until sold)