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Food, Plant and Animal Inspections
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Inspection fees
If you are intending to bring pets or plants into Canada, you should be aware that fees now apply to some inspection and quarantine services provided by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and/or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Why fees?
Travellers who use inspection and quarantine services to bring animals or plants into Canada must pay a portion of the cost for the CBSA to provide these services.
Why is inspection necessary?
Animals and plants coming into Canada are monitored and inspected to prevent the introduction of diseases and pests that could pose a risk to the country’s health, wildlife, pets, livestock, crops, forests, lakes, rivers and oceans. Sometimes, imported animals and plants must be quarantined in order to verify that they are free of harmful diseases and pests. Inspections are also necessary to ensure compliance with Canada’s wildlife trade laws.
Examples of charges
(Fees subject to change)
The fee for an import inspection on a domestic dog, domestic cat or ferret is $30. If you are travelling with more than one pet, the inspection fee for each additional animal is $5. (Domestic dogs, domestic cats and ferrets originating from the United States are subject to an import inspection but are exempt from inspection fees.)
For pet birds being brought into Canada from countries other than the United States, the applicable charges are $35 for an import permit, $100 for the approval of a quarantine site for the bird, $35 for inspection and $130 for overseeing a quarantine period.
A $13 fee for each shipment (with a transaction value of less than $1600) applies for import services pertaining to regulated plants that have been certified by the country of origin as meeting Canadian requirements. (A regulated plant that is not certified is not allowed into Canada.)
The goods and services tax and other applicable taxes may be charged on these services. The fees cannot be claimed under a traveller’s personal exemption.
