HI All,
I wanted to make a thread on flying with alcohol.
I find lots of info on bringing-in alcohol to Canada but not flying out. Does anyone know how much I can bring OUT of Canada?
Bringing into Canada allowance is 1.5L
-Wine Up to1.5 litres of wine Two 750 ml bottles of wine
-Alcoholic beverages Up to 1.14 litres One large standard bottle of liquor
Added: thanks to @Phonophoresis, i found the answer via your link.
“-The percentage of alcohol by volume is 70% (140 proof) or less.
-The quantity does not exceed five litres per person for alcoholic beverages between 24% and 70% alcohol by volume
-Alcoholic beverages containing 24% alcohol or less are not subject to limitations on quantities. “
Last edited by Henry626 on Feb 19th, 2023 10:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
Alcohol
You can pack alcoholic beverages (including homemade wine and beer, and commercial products) in your checked baggage if:
The percentage of alcohol by volume is 70% (140 proof) or less.
The quantity does not exceed five litres per person for alcoholic beverages between 24% and 70% alcohol by volume.
Alcoholic beverages containing 24% alcohol or less are not subject to limitations on quantities.
Curious what alcohol is worth exporting. Is it something like ice wine or maybe some small batch product.
It’s defiantly going to vary based on the countries import laws. Unless it’s Middle East or Norway or something alcohol is usually cheaper abroad but of course unique products may have their place.
Also worth investigating what defines personal vs commercial import.
Henry626 wrote: ↑
HI All,
I wanted to make a thread on flying with alcohol.
I find lots of info on bringing-in alcohol to Canada but not flying out. Does anyone know how much I can bring OUT of Canada?
Bringing into Canada allowance is 1.5L
-Wine Up to1.5 litres of wine Two 750 ml bottles of wine
-Alcoholic beverages Up to 1.14 litres One large standard bottle of liquor
Wouldn’t it be more beneficial just to stop at Duty Free before exiting the country to get the liquor without duty and then they can tell you right there how much you can take?
Good posts here by the others
Esp the CATSA link posted by @Phonophoresis
And …
The Importation info posted by @wirespeed
When you are exiting Canada …
Various factors come into play
1) By what means … land, water, or air
Cuz how you go may determine what you are allowed to carry with you
Example … Air Travel = Checked Bags vs Carry On
2) Where you are headed
And what countries you’ll need to go thru to get there
So Enroute / at your Destination … you are subjected to OTHER COUNTRIES RULES regarding importation / transport
3) And also if the alcohol you are exporting / importing is for commercial or personal use
Or a gift etc
.
.
.
Generally speaking …
When you import booze INTO Canada as you’ve noted your PERSONAL EXEMPTION of Duties & Tax after 48 Hours
Is …
Up to 8.5 Litres of Beer (about 24 Cans or Bottles of 355 ml )
OR
Up to 1.5 Litres of Wine (2 x 750 ml Bottles )
OR
Up to 1.14 Litres of Spirits (about 40 Fluid Ounces )
Other countries may have similar limitations
After which …
It’ll either be a case of paying duty & taxes on the overage
Or the need to obtain a permit to import
You’ll have to look up each country’s Importation Laws
starchoice wrote: ↑
Wouldn’t it be more beneficial just to stop at Duty Free before exiting the country to get the liquor without duty and then they can tell you right there how much you can take?
Im going to a multi-country & city trip in East Asia this year and bought some Late Harvest wines and IW to bring as gifts. Wanted to max out my alcohol allowance. My first stop is Vietnam HCMC.
Last year when browsing at Perason’s dury-free, a bottle of 375ML icewine cost $70 CAD. I got some Late Harvest from Pillitteri at boxing day which saved me a ton of money.
Based on Vietnamese Canadian embassy site, we are allowed to bring into Vietnam 2L of wine/alcohol up to 22%. But I wasn’t sure about limit from LEAVING Canada boarder because all i could find info was “returning to Canada”
Ill be flying into these countries in person along with the wines through US and Japan. Also, does the numbers of bottle have any impact too? Ie, 4 bottles of 200ML vs 2 bottles of 375Ml?
thanks to @Phonophoresis, i found the answer via your link.
“-The percentage of alcohol by volume is 70% (140 proof) or less.
-The quantity does not exceed five litres per person for alcoholic beverages between 24% and 70% alcohol by volume
-Alcoholic beverages containing 24% alcohol or less are not subject to limitations on quantities. “
Vietnam Allowance.
a) Liquors containing more than 22% alcohol by volume: 1.5 liters or Liquor containing below 22% alcohol: 2.0 liters or Alcoholic beverages, beers: 3.0 liters
starchoice wrote: ↑
Wouldn’t it be more beneficial just to stop at Duty Free before exiting the country to get the liquor without duty and then they can tell you right there how much you can take?
A lot of people like buying quirky and unusual stuff that simply isn't sold at duty-free shops which cater to the mass consumer. There's a wonderful winery in Strathcona County (Sherwood Park) which makes rhubarb wine that we've often given as a gift. If I were traveling abroad to visit friends and wanted to bring something quintessentially Canadian, I'd probably bring them a bottle of this wine.
Im going to a multi-country & city trip in East Asia this year and bought some Late Harvest wines and IW to bring as gifts. Wanted to max out my alcohol allowance. My first stop is Vietnam HCMC.
Last year when browsing at Perason’s dury-free, a bottle of 375ML icewine cost $70 CAD. I got some Late Harvest from Pillitteri at boxing day which saved me a ton of money.
Based on Vietnamese Canadian embassy site, we are allowed to bring into Vietnam 2L of wine/alcohol up to 22%. But I wasn’t sure about limit from LEAVING Canada boarder because all i could find info was “returning to Canada”
Ill be flying into these countries in person along with the wines through US and Japan. Also, does the numbers of bottle have any impact too? Ie, 4 bottles of 200ML vs 2 bottles of 375Ml?
thanks to @Phonophoresis, i found the answer via your link.
“-The percentage of alcohol by volume is 70% (140 proof) or less.
-The quantity does not exceed five litres per person for alcoholic beverages between 24% and 70% alcohol by volume
-Alcoholic beverages containing 24% alcohol or less are not subject to limitations on quantities. “
Vietnam Allowance.
a) Liquors containing more than 22% alcohol by volume: 1.5 liters or Liquor containing below 22% alcohol: 2.0 liters or Alcoholic beverages, beers: 3.0 liters
I used to work for Canada Customs … so I can address some of your questions but not all, as my focus was far more on what was coming into Canada vs going out (we are CBSA not CATSA )
My own personal travels have only taken me to North American countries … Canada, USA, Mexico, the Caribbean. Where Customs is more concerned with the importation of commercial liquors by quantity (and Homemade / Moonshine by alcohol percentage volume) and what the importer plans to do long run with that booze … personal use vs reselling it.
In my world … it was always total volume … in Ounces or Litres … not so much about how many bottles or how big or small they were.
My GUESS is other countries outside of North America treat their alcohol limits similarly (but like I said, it’s just a guess … as I’ve not be to / thru Japan, Vietnam, or Thailand ).
And TRANSITING THRU a country often has different rules for whether it’s done inside an airport without going thru Customs … vs actually having to go thru a Customs Check Point.
But … this is stuff you’ll have to determine from others or the Countries themselves.
I enjoy them both, and they are quite similar. But real ice wine, where the grapes are harvested by hand at an exact moment in time based on the weather conditions that freeze the grapes on the vine briefly (usually January) is the gold standard of this Cdn icon.
Ill be flying into these countries in person along with the wines through US and Japan. Also, does the numbers of bottle have any impact too? Ie, 4 bottles of 200ML vs 2 bottles of 375Ml?
[/quote]
The fly in the ointment will be the transit countries. Are you ticketed through to Vietnam or do you have to collect your bags and check in again anywhere? If, say, you were flying Canada to Japan to Vietnam and your bags were ticketed all the way, and you remained airside in Tokyo, you wouldn't have to satisfy Japanese customs limits. But the moment you have to collect your bags and check in for another flight you have to meet all the customs rules for the transit country and are subject to their alcohol limits and potentially taxes, given that you are bringing it (however briefly) into their jurisdiction. I'm assuming you're flying to Thailand and then have a separate itinerary to Vietnam, given that there are direct flights to Vietnam from Japan.
This is why when we come back to Canada with alcohol, we always fly on one ticket and choose itineraries where we don't have to collect our bags en route, therefore we don't have to clear customs until landing back at Pearson or Trudeau. I always say that if I have alcohol with me I don't want to see my bags until I'm standing on Canadian soil.
The one I worry about most on your itinerary is the United States. If you are pre-clearing in Toronto you will have to declare the alcohol and be subject to U.S. customs rules, even in transit. You will likely be subject to the rules and taxes of the state where your flight enters the U.S. (e.g. if you are flying via L.A., then California rules).
I brought 5 bottles of ice wine with me to give as gifts to family members in South Korea a number of years ago and there was no issue flying out of Canada, transiting through USA and entering South Korea.
Each bottle was 200ml, the alcohol content was 11%, if I remember correctly. I don’t recall “declaring” these bottles beforehand, if that was even a requirement, but that could simply be due to ignorance or simple mistake of not remembering to do so.
I agree with other posters about checking import laws of the countries you are visiting. Have a great trip!
canabiz wrote: ↑
I brought 5 bottles of ice wine with me to give as gifts to family members in South Korea a number of years ago and there was no issue flying out of Canada, transiting through USA and entering South Korea.
Each bottle was 200ml, the alcohol content was 11%, if I remember correctly. I don’t recall “declaring” these bottles beforehand, if that was even a requirement, but that could simply be due to ignorance or simple mistake of not remembering to do so.
I agree with other posters about checking import laws of the countries you are visiting. Have a great trip!
With 5x200mL you would have only had one litre total. Most jurisdictions would allow you 1L of wine duty-free anyway, so you would have been unlikely to have had any issues. You may not have even been asked by U.S. Customs about the alcohol.
Nevertheless my advice is always to declare--even if you have less than the duty-free limit--particularly when dealing with zealous agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
IceBlueShoes wrote: ↑
Pretty much as much as the other country allows you to "import". CATSA has no bearings on it, unless if it's a controlled substance or something.
Lol, except ALCOHOL is considered a controlled substance
Same with tobacco products
You need to read the CATSA Link back in Reply # 2 that @Phonophoresis provided
There actually are rules & limitations
PointsHubby wrote: ↑
Lol, except ALCOHOL is considered a controlled substance
Same with tobacco products
You need to read the CATSA Link back in Reply # 2 that @Phonophoresis provided
There actually are rules & limitations
OP asked about icewine, which is under the 24% alcohol. Anything about 18% is pretty much fortified wine.
So, in short, he has no limit to fly out with. The other country's law's are of course a different topic, but the US has no limit for personal consumption at least on the federal level. Or so my friends in the (CA) US tell me. I'm jealous since they can ship over a bunch of wines from Europe whereas I get a max of 8-10 bottles and have to haul them around with me.
Such is life!
Thanks everyone for such detailed knowledge on this subject.
I'll be flying to Vietnam through US and Japan in one ticket and claim baggages at Vietnamese airport so ill be adhering to Vietnamese allowance which is 2L.
Im looking to bring 3x200ML ICewines and 3x375ML late harvest with me.
I hope the local immigration officers wouldnt pester me when they see the many bottles.
