# Sticky  My first time importing fish from the US by myself - a step by step guide



## tony1928

So I thought it would be a nice idea to post exactly my experience as I know many BCA members have asked this on multiple occasions. The process is pretty simple.

For my current import, I was able to source out some great looking wild discus at a great price. I shared the order with another BCA member. For me, finding the right fish is the toughest part and the most important part. I would always try to buy local if possible but as many of you know that's not always easy. So please, ask our local sponsors if they can get what you need first before trying this. I did that first. Not being able to find wild red discus locally at this time, I decided to try my hand at bringing in some fish myself. In my limited experience, here's the key factors to consider before even trying it:


Check to see if the fish is available locally. Why bother importing and taking on more effort and risk if you don't have to
Check out CBSA and CFIA to ensure that what you want to import is allowable in Canada
Make sure vendor knows how to ship to Canada. Many don't. Make sure they have experience in exporting to Canada
Make sure you schedule the shipping so that it can arrive at a convenient time for you


Step 1: So as I mentioned above, this import was for some wild discus, coming from California. I checked the CFIA website first to make sure its allowable. Importation of Pet Aquatic Animals - Animals - Canadian Food Inspection Agency Within this page, there's a link that shows susceptible species lists. If your fish is on this list, then you will need a permit to import which may make it not really worthwhile anymore but that's up to you. Normally with government that usually just means you have to pay money and fill out more forms. HOWEVER, if you look a little further down on the first page, there is a Pet Aquatic Animal Exemption. This exemption is meant for personal (non commercial) importation of specific fish from the susceptible species list. Discus luckily being one of them! So I filled out the form and brought it with me when I picked up the fish. It's basically a declaration saying you are bringing in the fish for personal use. Here's the form. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/DAM/DAM-animals-animaux/STAGING/text-texte/c5685_1337093551531_eng.pdf The list of fish that you could get this exemption for is quite short. So if you really wanted to do this still, you could go the route of getting a permit. Check this out if you need to go that route. Aquatic Animal Imports - Animals - Canadian Food Inspection Agency More forms and fees and work but if you can't get what you want locally, then why not.

Step 2: Timing of delivery. This is one that I should have done a better job on but with airlines, sometimes there's not much you can do. The shipment was flying out of LA in the morning via Southwest, with a stop over in Vegas, then to Vancouver via Westjet. Original scheduled arrival was about 5pm. Great. Of course, that didn't happen, and the delivery came in after midnight. Most air cargo (at least the cargo that I've shipped from the US) appear to get distributed at logistics companies, not directly by the airlines. For Westjet and some other airlines, this company is Menzies Aviation. It's just before you get to the YVR terminal, among those warehouses on the south side of the main road. See map. Its real easy to find. A Map to 3611 Jericho Road, Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Richmond, BC V7B 1C2, Canada It's the building half way down the page on Jericho Road and Bella Bella Road.

This of course lead to a problem. Menzies is only open until midnight, so since the flight didn't arrive til 1230AM, I couldn't pick it up until they opened again at 5AM the next day. Just be aware, Menzies won't usually have the cargo ready for a few hours after the flight arrives, so plan for that. The fish should be fine if your vendor has experience in packing for cold weather. I was told by Menzies to call them before going, but I couldn't get anyone to answer the phone at 5AM, so I just went anyway. I don't live far away so it wasn't a big deal. Low and behold, I get there and the guy says the fish isn't in the warehouse yet, check back in another hour or so. Sigh....off the McDonalds for a coffee. I go back at 730AM and the guy had all my documentation ready. Perfect. Off to CBSA office to clear customs.

Step 3: Clear Customs. Menzies will give you the detailed air waybill that was attached to the boxes (which they stamp to show CBSA that they possess the number of packages that you are trying to clear). This is what you will need to provide to CBSA. Also make sure you have an invoice clearly indicating the fish you purchased. Make sure the vendor puts the scientific name on there. There are multiple CBSA offices in YVR, however the only one that's guaranteed to be opened 24/7 is the office just outside the Arrivals area on the main floor of the Main Terminal. Easy to find. You can't miss it. Take the paper work and your Importation form as mentioned above and give it to the agent. My agent reminded me of Roz from Monsters Inc. She was pretty grouchy. I told her what I wanted and I guess she thought I was a commercial importer and pointed to the computer (I guess the commercial guys do their own data entry). Then I said no, its personal. Then she barked that I need permits. I said, no, I don't. I told her I called CFIA and they told me to just bring the form in, pay your taxes and that's it. She grumbled something and she went and started keying away at her desk. Our tax dollars at work here. She came back, called another clerk to collect money from me and I was outta there! Having traveled extensively, I know better than to piss off customs agents. You just never know when you might get the rubber glove treatment! That's to be avoided at all costs. LOL. So bite your tongue, stay quiet and keep your comments to yourself or at least till you get home and post on your forum. So I just paid HST, and was given my forms back with the appropriate CBSA stamps.

Step 4: Back to Menzies. Now that I have my customs cleared documentation I returned to Menzies and gave it to them. They collected their fee....yes, of course there's a fee. LOL. For 3 boxes, it was $60. Not bad at all. It's done by weight so I guess about $1 a pound or so. Anyways, by that time, I am just happy that my fish are minutes away from moving to their new home. The young girl that worked there wasn't a hell of a lot better than CBSA. Maybe it was just too early in the AM. Anyways, monies paid, she gave me a piece of paper and I was directed to walk next door to the warehouse. Gave the warehouse guy the piece of paper and he forklifted the 3 boxes outside for me. DONE. Give yourself a pat on the back later and get the fish the heck home! They've now been in the boxes for about 24 hours.

That's it. Not that hard right? I guess the thing is that if you haven't done it before, you just don't know and make a lot of assumptions. I just wanted to share that with everyone. If anyone has their own experiences with importing fish, feel free to chime in. I hope this helps others looking to do the same thing.

PS. Got the fish home, floated the bags for 10 minutes, then netted the fish out and put them into their new home. They are awesome fish (will post pics later after the fish when the lights come on).


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## Diztrbd1

Great post Tony! Thanks for taking the time to post this useful info and experience.


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## 2wheelsx2

Awesome Tony, next time Mickey D's coffee is on me! Bwhahahaha...guess who's the lucky guy who shared the shipment?


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## tony1928

No problem. We get posts all the time asking about this. I hope this helps others who have had these same questions and have not been able to get a straight answer. 

For those who want to try, just be aware, importation rules change all the time, so do your homework.


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## tony1928

2wheelsx2 said:


> Awesome Tony, next time Mickey D's coffee is on me! Bwhahahaha...guess who's the lucky guy who shared the shipment?


Hehe, actually as much as I hate to say it (since I'm a coffee snob), I don't mind the coffee there at all. It's pretty good everyday coffee. I could go for another right now.

I'm still blown away at how big the fish were. (will update with pics in different thread later).


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## 2wheelsx2

tony1928 said:


> Hehe, actually as much as I hate to say it (since I'm a coffee snob), I don't mind the coffee there at all. It's pretty good everyday coffee. I could go for another right now.
> 
> I'm still blown away at how big the fish were. (will update with pics in different thread later).


Me too. It's better than Timmy's.

Yep, biggest 4.5" fish I've ever seen.


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## jobber

tony1928 said:


> .... Gave the warehouse guy the piece of paper and he forklifted the 3 boxes outside for me. DONE. Give yourself a pat on the back later and get the fish the heck home! They've now been in the boxes for about 24 hours.....


This is a very great write up.
Quite the sight seeing boxes of fish being fork lifted for pick up.

From a previous group order with tony1928:


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## tony1928

jobber said:


> this is a very great write up.


Thanks Ming. I tried to be thorough in case someone really wanted to try it themselves. But if anyone has questions, feel free to post. Want to try to make this a useful thread.


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## josephl

Great post. Only thing I would add would be that if you didn't want to go all the way to the main terminal for customs, there is a customs office within a few blocks of Menzies but they only open at 8.30 am.


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## davej

this needs to be a STICKY!
Great info


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## crazy72

Wow Tony you're brave!

Excellent idea to document it here. Thanks.


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## tony1928

josephl said:


> Great post. Only thing I would add would be that if you didn't want to go all the way to the main terminal for customs, there is a customs office within a few blocks of Menzies but they only open at 8.30 am.


Ah thanks Joseph. Yeah all depends on day of week and time of day. It was fun.


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## tony1928

Thanks Dave and Franck. I did it out of necessity. And yeah I was either really brave or really foolish. Lol. Bureaucracy doesn't scare me, at most it just makes me angry.


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## effox

Very well written, and great information. I saw this earlier but didn't read due to workload, finally got a chance to glimpse over everything and see that John had already beat me to stickying it!

Thanks Tony.

Cheers,
Chris


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## tony1928

effox said:


> Very well written, and great information. I saw this earlier but didn't read due to workload, finally got a chance to glimpse over everything and see that John had already beat me to stickying it!
> 
> Thanks Tony.
> 
> Cheers,
> Chris


Glad you guys think its worthy of a sticky. Happy I could share my experience.


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## skfish

Nice write up. Some pictures of the new fish would be great!

Rob


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## April

Greet post but as of Monday you do need permits for discus and possibly a vet check that has to be booked . Their vet and pay the vet check. 
It's in transition and this week was the last week for no permits. 
As tony said check the list. 
Lots of unsuspecting fish are on it . Tiger barbs, Gouramis, zebra danio, guppies, goldfish, discus, etc etc.


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## crimper

davej said:


> this needs to be a STICKY!
> Great info


I second!

Thanks for sharing your experience Tony.


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## mikebike

Great write up.

I have not importe fish is other than driving across the boreder with some and telling the agent.
got the go ahead<G>

the secret to remember with customs YOU are GUILTY until you prove your innocence.

I hate saying "Yes Sir" so some guy waring a 9 mm.


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## josephl

April said:


> Greet post but as of Monday you do need permits for discus and possibly a vet check that has to be booked . Their vet and pay the vet check.
> It's in transition and this week was the last week for no permits.
> As tony said check the list.
> Lots of unsuspecting fish are on it . Tiger barbs, Gouramis, zebra danio, guppies, goldfish, discus, etc etc.


Thanks April, good to know


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## tony1928

April said:


> Greet post but as of Monday you do need permits for discus and possibly a vet check that has to be booked . Their vet and pay the vet check.
> It's in transition and this week was the last week for no permits.
> As tony said check the list.
> Lots of unsuspecting fish are on it . Tiger barbs, Gouramis, zebra danio, guppies, goldfish, discus, etc etc.


Thanks for your input April. Like you said you gotta keep checking the rules. It will only get harder down the road for both personal and commercial importers. I hope it won't be but I'm a skeptic with government. Sadly half of the government staff don't seem to know their own rules when you call.


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## tony1928

mikebike said:


> Great write up.
> 
> I have not importe fish is other than driving across the boreder with some and telling the agent.
> got the go ahead<G>
> 
> the secret to remember with customs YOU are GUILTY until you prove your innocence.
> 
> I hate saying "Yes Sir" so some guy waring a 9 mm.


Yes I've driven fish across many times myself. Just be honest and declare. At the road crossings I've never been asked for anything besides tax. But with things changing you never know. The government keeps tossing fish regs between CBSA and CFIA. The borders being controlled by CBSA. So confusing even to them and me.


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## dZilla

Don't know if it was posted, but this is a good website that lists (or THE website) that lists what you need if anything for importing well anything that is regulated by CFIA. Input all the information it lists what you need.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Automated Import Reference System (Airs)


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## April

Ok well pet Importation is simpler than commercial. The one clause is you are meant to keep them for a year. Which tony is . You did your homework very well tony. 
So people buying, selling, flipping...this isn't the way it should be done. 
Transshipped, resellers, wholesalers there's alot more involved. The process started well over the last couple of years and the deadline was extended as they didn't have things in place yet. As of feb 4th the permits had to be ready . Permits for each supplier . 
I believe they also have limits for personal use. It used to be 60 fish. Otherwise...most likely you aren't keeping them for yourself. If your importing for breeding its also not considered personal.
Just read your last post tony. Yes they extended it to February from December as customs didn't know what's going on yet. From department to department getting everyone on the same page took time. I'm sure there is more tweaking. 
I'm also sure there will be more species listed and some banned . Here's some I heard they are thinking on. Of course. Snakeheads..then I heard weather loaches...and here's one...white cloud minnows! Whoa...scary! But their idea was they can live outdoors..I told the person from ubc well...if anything they would be in someone's barrel on their deck..not likely someone would say we can't keep them anymore and throw them in a lake. There were a few others also. Don't remember.
We are still lax compared to Australia where thry need a two week quarantine at an acquis registered quarantine center with their own staff. Paid and renting of the space. If disease is found the shipment is destroyed. My friend had one whole shipment of discus destroyed. Of course the supplier from Singapore didn't replace as he said no disease when he sent...a costly loss. Considering most shipments with shipping is about 8 grand .


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## tony1928

Thanks April. This post was purely meant for people importing for their own use. If people want to go and commercially import, then by all means, do your research and start a biz and become a sponsor here! 

The way I see it, if you can't get the fish locally, that's no reason not to be able to go and get it yourself. I think in my old age, I just can't settle for no for an answer.



April said:


> Ok well pet Importation is simpler than commercial. The one clause is you are meant to keep them for a year. Which tony is . You did your homework very well tony.
> So people buying, selling, flipping...this isn't the way it should be done.
> Transshipped, resellers, wholesalers there's alot more involved. The process started well over the last couple of years and the deadline was extended as they didn't have things in place yet. As of feb 4th the permits had to be ready . Permits for each supplier .
> I believe they also have limits for personal use. It used to be 60 fish. Otherwise...most likely you aren't keeping them for yourself. If your importing for breeding its also not considered personal.
> Just read your last post tony. Yes they extended it to February from December as customs didn't know what's going on yet. From department to department getting everyone on the same page took time. I'm sure there is more tweaking.
> I'm also sure there will be more species listed and some banned . Here's some I heard they are thinking on. Of course. Snakeheads..then I heard weather loaches...and here's one...white cloud minnows! Whoa...scary! But their idea was they can live outdoors..I told the person from ubc well...if anything they would be in someone's barrel on their deck..not likely someone would say we can't keep them anymore and throw them in a lake. There were a few others also. Don't remember.
> We are still lax compared to Australia where thry need a two week quarantine at an acquis registered quarantine center with their own staff. Paid and renting of the space. If disease is found the shipment is destroyed. My friend had one whole shipment of discus destroyed. Of course the supplier from Singapore didn't replace as he said no disease when he sent...a costly loss. Considering most shipments with shipping is about 8 grand .


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## 2wheelsx2

It's pretty difficult to keep fish in Australia because of the importation laws. But then of course it's like that for all pets there. A guy on planetcatish talked about how he paid almost $100 for an L128 which was a juvie.....if I had to do that, I don't think I'd be keep any fancy fish, maybe just local creek fishes.


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## clairel

Tony...your post on importing fish was one of the most comprehensive bits of info that i have seen on this site or any other site, for that matter. Your personal experience, advice and attention to detail was top notch. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your experience and i thank you for the information. Well done!


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## stratos

April said:


> Greet post but as of Monday you do need permits for discus and possibly a vet check that has to be booked . Their vet and pay the vet check.
> It's in transition and this week was the last week for no permits.
> As tony said check the list.
> Lots of unsuspecting fish are on it . Tiger barbs, Gouramis, zebra danio, guppies, goldfish, discus, etc etc.


Hi April - I checked the government list of controlled fish looking for tiger barbs, _Puntius tetrazonasite_ Susceptible Species of Aquatic Animals - Animals - Canadian Food Inspection Agency and could not find them listed; I did see a fish called the "pool barb" or _Puntius sophore_. Looks like we all need to know some Latin now when we go to clear fish through customs. 

Great write-up Tony.


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## tony1928

Thanks guys. Reading the regulations will make your head spin. Like I mentioned before, the CBSA officer that I saw appeared pretty clueless when I mentioned that I did not need a permit. I held my ground and she cleared it. So they are just as confused as we are. I'm sure their staff are real pleased with having to administer another layer of documents for another department. That's likely why you rarely if ever get asked when you cross by land. Air clearance is much more formal. They can't just wave you through.


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## datfish

So I would just like to double check with you guys on this. "Aquatic animals that are brought into Canada must be declared and in the case of aquatic animals on the susceptible species list, must have an import permit unless otherwise exempt." Does that mean if I wanted to import a few fish that are hard to get here and isn't listed on any of those websites I would just have to declare it and nothing more? Like I just have to go there, collect my fish and do some declaration and pay some taxes?


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## davej

If the fish you want to import is not on Schedule III then you only need to provide a few details.

*Aquatic Animals not Listed in Schedule III

194. No person shall import an aquatic animal that is not listed in Schedule III unless it is accompanied by a document that is satisfactory to an inspector and that includes the following information:
(a) the name and address of the exporter;
(b) the name and address of the importer;
(c) the taxonomic name of the aquatic animal, the life stage, and the number being imported, if more than one; and
(d) the country in which the aquatic animal was born or where the germplasm came from and, in the case of an aquatic animal, whether it was born in captivity or in the wild.
SOR/2010-296, s. 4.*

For fish listed on Schedule III then you can import them if they are one of the 14 listed in the regulation as long as you fill out the proper owners deceleration.

*Importation of Aquatic Animals

Aquatic Animals Listed in Schedule III

191. No person shall import an aquatic animal listed in Schedule III except in accordance with a permit issued under section 160.
SOR/2010-296, s. 4.

Pet Aquatic Animals

192. (1) Despite section 191, an aquatic animal listed in Schedule III may be imported without a permit for use as a pet if
(a) the aquatic animal is a member of one of the following species, namely, Barbonymus gonionotus, Carassius auratus, Colisa lalia, Danio rerio, Glossogobius giuris, Osphronemus goramy, Oxyeleotris marmorata, Poecilia reticulata, Puntius sophore, Symphysodon discus, Toxotes chatareus, Trichogaster pectoralis or Trichogaster trichopterus;
(b) the aquatic animal has not been taken to a show or display outside Canada;
(c) the aquatic animal is imported by its owner;
(d) the aquatic animal is accompanied or picked up by its owner at the point of entry into Canada; and
(e) the owner presents proof of the owner's identity and his or her ownership of the aquatic animal to the inspector.
(2) An aquatic animal imported under subsection (1) shall be kept in an aquarium in the household of its owner, and the owner shall not, for the year following the importation, expose it to any aquatic animals other than those kept in the household.
(3) The owner of an aquatic animal imported under subsection (1) shall not, in the period of 90 days after the importation, import another aquatic animal under that subsection.
(4) The owner of an aquatic animal imported under subsection (1) shall keep the records of the importation, including the documents required under paragraph (1)(e).
SOR/2010-296, s. 4.*

I think the following section deals with fish that are dead and being brought across the border to be eaten, even though it doesn't clearly state this. 
If you were bringing back 10 or less you could try and argue the fact. 
Not sure how far you may get. 
Not worth the hassle in my opinion.

*Aquatic Animals for Personal Use

193. (1) Despite section 191, an aquatic animal listed in Schedule III may be imported without a permit if
(a) the aquatic animal is imported by a person for his or her personal use;
(b) the person brings the aquatic animal into Canada or picks it up at the point of entry into Canada; and
(c) the person presents, to the inspector, proof of his or her identity and proof of the manner in which he or she acquired the aquatic animal.
(2) The quantity of aquatic animals that may be imported under subsection (1) shall not exceed
(a) four crustaceans;
(b) three kilograms of molluscs; and
(c) ten finfish that are not eviscerated.*

Link to schedule III
Health of Animals Regulations


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## tony1928

Busy boy Dave even while enjoying the sun!



datfish said:


> So I would just like to double check with you guys on this. "Aquatic animals that are brought into Canada must be declared and in the case of aquatic animals on the susceptible species list, must have an import permit unless otherwise exempt." Does that mean if I wanted to import a few fish that are hard to get here and isn't listed on any of those websites I would just have to declare it and nothing more? Like I just have to go there, collect my fish and do some declaration and pay some taxes?


As with any time you have to bring stuff over the border, YMMV. As many of us have seen, most times, the customs agents are unclear as to the regulations and what must be done. But essentially, your statement is correct. If the fish are not on any of the lists, then do your due diligence, make sure you ensure you have appropriate scientific names on the invoices and then you should be fine. As I said, that doesn't prevent customs from hassling you due to pure ignorance either. Good luck! We've done it several times ourselves now and have not had "real" issues other than some agents being unaware of the regulations causing much time spent at the border.


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## Rossco

would you mind sharing the costs associated with this importation? (other than the prices you paid for the fish)

thank you


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## 2wheelsx2

When we drove across the cost was zero. Zippo. Nada. We were waved through.


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## jobber

There's always costs associated with any endeavour. 

Costs to pick up and clear customs:

Actual
-time (driving, time off work, waiting in line ups, pick up)
-gas
-wear and tear on car
-unfavourable exchange rate

Potential
-GST
-emotional energy dealing with csba
-more time to wait for csba agent to figure out the paperwork
-the health and stress of the fish during transport
-dead on arrivals which will lead to additional costs

That's why it's important to weigh the option between supporting your local LFS or going through this process as a last resort.

Sent from my mobile phone


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## Rossco

jobber said:


> There's always costs associated with any endeavour.
> 
> Costs to pick up and clear customs:
> 
> Actual
> -time (driving, time off work, waiting in line ups, pick up)
> -gas
> -wear and tear on car
> -unfavourable exchange rate
> 
> Potential
> -GST
> -emotional energy dealing with csba
> -more time to wait for csba agent to figure out the paperwork
> -the health and stress of the fish during transport
> -dead on arrivals which will lead to additional costs


I was more interested in the $$$ paid out for this, not time, gas, repairs to the car, lost wages since you went on a workday, stress, headaches, etc


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## davej

Other than the actual cost of the fish and the shipping from the supplier there was no other cost at all. If customs wanted to they could have charged tax and possibly duty (not sure at what rate)
But we were just waved thru.


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## tony1928

Yeah if I'm reading the rules correctly, it would have been hst and nothing more. Don't forget that this is personal importation, commercial importation may very well be different and have other costs involved like permits.


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## coral frager

Good info i all way's wounder'd about ordering from other country's i did this ones before with a dog my dad ordered from Oklahoma.


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## indreamx

So if CFIA ok with the fish you are getting to canada from US, by road there should be no problem crossing? Would it be better to say u are bringing pet fish? Than not saying anything? If the number of fish is just one or two?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tony1928

I've driven fish back across the border as well. To be safe you should always declare and have the appropriate paper work filled out whether or not they want to see it. I'd say most of the times, from my own experience they just ask you to pay taxes if you are over your limit and that's it. When coming in through air you have to deal with the formal customs clearance process as described above. 

Sent from my gigantic Samsung Note 2


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## indreamx

Say it came from transhipper and that transhipper is getting fish overseas. I dont have record of how much i bought the fish for. They were bought with paypal. How do u suggest? Im picking them up across border to avoid delays. So i dont want them to quarantine the fish.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jobber

indreamx said:


> Say it came from transhipper and that transhipper is getting fish overseas. I dont have record of how much i bought the fish for. They were bought with paypal. How do u suggest? Im picking them up across border to avoid delays. So i dont want them to quarantine the fish.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


If you paid by paypal, then you know.

Sent from my LT30a using Tapatalk


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## tony1928

If you show them the paypal receipt, that should be sufficient. I've bought tons of stuff online that I've brought back over the border without issue. If, and this is a big if, CBSA/CFIA wishes to quarantine your fish, they have every right to do so. All you can do is to ensure you have all your paperwork in place in case you need it. The reality of it is unless you have a massive dollar quantity, they don't normally bat an eye. Once you break a few thousand dollars, they start to get curious as to whether or not the fish are for personal use. Once they consider it a commercial venture, there's permits and other things you have to consider. My biggest concern is the same as yours in that they may QT or simply delay you getting your fish home and the fish won't survive.


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## Atom

Hi. This thread hasn't gotten any posts in a year and I was wondering if anyone has any other RECENT experiences they can share? Specifically anyone have experiences DRIVING across the border with fish with or without a permit. I read all the posts as well as another thread on here and my head is spinning. 

I was planning on picking up some fancy goldfish at a FedEx/UPS office in Seattle on a future trip, but now I hear a permit and vet check is involved after speaking with April. I spoke to the American breeder and she said her last Canadian customer was this last December 2014 and he crossed back into Canada with no problems without a permit. She didn't even realize the laws had changed. She was still advertising that it was possible to bring her goldfish across the border until I mentioned it. Was this one guy just lucky? Is it sorta hit and miss with who you get at the border and does it differ in certain Provinces?

What if I went to a Petco in the states and wanted to bring back a Betta? Do I need a permit for that as well? 

This is all for curiousity sakes. I've pretty much given up all hope of bringing back anything based on what I've read. Just thought that it was odd someone made it through just a few months ago when it seems the permit requirement has been around for a year now?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Steve

If you look at the susceptible species list you'll see that "Carassius auratus" aka goldfish are on the list. In order to bring them back, you would technically need a permit. I'm not sure how hard a permit is to get, but if you really want certain fish it could be worth looking into.


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## April

It's
Luck of the draw on which agent and how much they want to adhere to the rules. 
Bettas are not on the list. 
No vet now but Heslth certificate and country of origin . 



Sent by tapatalk in north Burnaby


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## Atom

April, 

Does the health certificate require the seller to submit their fish for testing? Do you know how that works? Thanks!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## davej

As long as the fish are for your own tanks and not for resale then the following applies.

192. (1) Despite section 191, an aquatic animal listed in Schedule III may be imported WITHOUT A PERMIT for use as a pet if

(a) the aquatic animal is a member of one of the following species, namely, Barbonymus gonionotus, Carassius auratus, Colisa lalia, Danio rerio, Glossogobius giuris, Osphronemus goramy, Oxyeleotris marmorata, Poecilia reticulata, Puntius sophore, Symphysodon discus, Toxotes chatareus, Trichogaster pectoralis or Trichogaster trichopterus;

(b) the aquatic animal has not been taken to a show or display outside Canada;

(c) the aquatic animal is imported by its owner;

(d) the aquatic animal is accompanied or picked up by its owner at the point of entry into Canada; and

(e) the owner presents proof of the owner's identity and his or her ownership of the aquatic animal to the inspector.

(2) An aquatic animal imported under subsection (1) shall be kept in an aquarium in the household of its owner, and the owner shall not, for the year following the importation, expose it to any aquatic animals other than those kept in the household.

(3) The owner of an aquatic animal imported under subsection (1) shall not, in the period of 90 days after the importation, import another aquatic animal under that subsection.

(4) The owner of an aquatic animal imported under subsection (1) shall keep the records of the importation, including the documents required under paragraph (1)(e).

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You will note that there are no limits set as to the allowable number of animals, however, this is not meant to be a loophole for a commercial operator
to bring in fish without a permit, as they have to sign a declaration, stating the fish will not be sold for at least one year after importation and that the importer will not import other pet aquatic animals for at least 90 days. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/DAM/DAM-animals-animaux/STAGING/text-texte/c5685_1337093551531_eng.pdf


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## Amitabha

Don't know if it was posted, but this is a good website that lists (or THE website) that lists what you need if anything for importing well anything that is regulated by CFIA. Input all the information it lists what you need.


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## kivyee

I suggest anyone contemplating importing any fish look up CFIA's AIRS. You can go species, location and use specific to your case. For personal use as an example of ornamental goldfish from thailand, all that's required is the following:

"When importing pet aquatic animals, the owner is required to complete and provide the Importer's Declaration of Ownership for Pet Aquatic Animals Form at the point of entry. This form can be found at: Forms Catalogue - Canadian Food Inspection Agency

For more information on Pet Aquatic Animal Exemptions, please refer to : http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/imports/aquatic-animals/eng/1331906471842/1331908089467"


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## vince1688

OHH nice


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