Returning to Canada with Korea duty-free purchases

Arrival-country rules to check

Less than 24 hours outside Canada

No personal exemption for cross-border shopping.

24 hours to less than 48 hours

Up to CAD 200. If exceeded, this exemption cannot be claimed.

48 hours or more

Up to CAD 800. Applicable duties and taxes generally apply to the excess.

7 days or more

CAD 800; rules for goods arriving later differ. Declare all goods on arrival.

Report purchases in Canadian dollars and keep receipts. Alcohol and tobacco have separate conditions. Personal exemptions cannot be pooled with another traveler’s.

Does shopping at a Korean duty-free store count?

Report duty-free purchases and other shopping when you return. For the 24-hour and 48-hour exemptions, your goods must accompany you.

Keep a receipt-based shopping list

Keep each receipt and a list of product names, sizes and prices. Use CBSA’s instructions for reporting values in CAD. The KRW, USD and estimated JPY prices shown by DFMOA help with shopping comparison and do not determine the exchange rate used by customs.

A long Korea trip does not create separate CAD 800 allowances for each day, or let you combine the 48-hour and 7-day exemptions. Review the official conditions for your trip length.

Compare exact products before buying

These are examples from our comparison catalog, not a recommendation about your customs eligibility.

• Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum 90ml: observed Korea duty-free price
• Byredo Blanche EDP 100ml: observed Korea duty-free price
• Estee Lauder ANR 100ml: observed Korea duty-free price

Collect in Korea before your flight

Verify your departure terminal and collection counter on the retailer’s order confirmation. Check every transfer point’s rules before buying liquids; sealed packaging alone is not a guarantee of onward carriage.

Compare Korean duty-free and tax-refund store costs