Flying w/ equipment into the US - Duties, Brokers and Customs, oh my.

May 15, 2015 2:46 PM

I am flying a contractor to Montreal today to pick up some very important, time-sensitive packages for my business, and then flying him back to the US tomorrow with the parcels. I'm really out of my element here and it's super critical that the delivery go off without a hitch. Please help walk me through the process of retrieval, customs, dealing with agents and brokers, paying duties, etc.

These are prototypes of products we've been developing with a Canadian manufacturer. They are not for resale. What, if any fees will I need to pay? Do I need to fill out a mountain of paperwork? Would a customs broker help? etc. Thanks!

posted by atreyu to Travel & Transportation (1 answer total)

Re U.S. customs: there are several options for how to enter commercial prototypes - they are outlined here. The safest bet is to -not- bring the prototypes back with you tomorrow to the U.S., but to hire a Canadian customs broker who can help you make the correct determination as to the cheapest way to enter these prototypes into the U.S. and prepare the associated paperwork. In many instances, the prototypes can be entered without duty, but you really don't want to make an incorrect determination concerning this when it comes to a CBP declaration (it can be expensive).
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:48 PM on May 15, 2015