Things to get from India — import rules, meds rules, and the cost trap (verified 24 Oct 2026)

1. The trap that costs money: goods carried for Anjal are NOT covered by the traveller's exemption

CBSA, Guide for residents returning to Canada:

"In general, the goods you include in your personal exemption must be for your personal or household use… Goods you bring in for commercial use or for another person do not qualify for the exemption and are subject to applicable duties and taxes."

Translation: if a parent or relative flies in carrying a suitcase of items for Anjal's household, the relative cannot shelter those items under their own $800 exemption. Duty + HST can be assessed on the full value of those goods. The exemption only protects things for the traveller.

The only clean route: Anjal travels himself and claims the goods under his own exemption, or the items are shipped and duty/tax is paid, or they are sent as gifts of ≤ CAD$60 each (see 3).

2. The personal exemption table (per person, depends on days absent)

• Over $200 on a 24–48 h trip = duty and taxes on the entire value, not just the excess. Over $800 on 48 h+ = duty/tax on the excess only.
• Alcohol (48 h+): 1.5 L wine or 1.14 L spirits or 8.5 L beer — one of the three, not all.
• Tobacco (48 h+): 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 g manufactured tobacco, 200 tobacco sticks — and it must be stamped "DUTY PAID CANADA DROIT ACQUITTÉ" or a special duty applies.
• Exemptions cannot be pooled between people and cannot be stacked (9 days ≠ $800 + $800).
• Must be reported in Canadian dollars at the CBSA rate. Source: cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/declare-eng.html; travel.gc.ca personal exemptions; form BSF192.

3. Sending parcels instead

• Gifts mailed to Canada: duty/tax free up to CAD$60 per gift, and cannot be alcohol, tobacco or advertising matter. Card marked "gift" required.
• Anything above $60 → recipient pays duty/tax plus provincial levies.

4. Medicine — the part that actually gets seized

Health Canada GUI-0116 and CBSA D19-9-1: - OTC cough/cold/allergy medicine: a Canadian resident or visitor may bring a 90-day supply or a single course of treatment, whichever is less — no licence, no permit. Quantity is judged against the label's directions for use. - Packaging is mandatory: original retail package, or pharmacy-dispensed package, or original label clearly naming the product and contents. Loose strips in a bag = detained. - Prescription drugs cannot be mailed or couriered to a Canadian resident. Hand-carried only, 90-day supply, and only for treatment dispensed before leaving, renewed abroad, or started abroad. - Controlled substances (incl. codeine-containing products): 90-day supply, must be prescribed by a practitioner, labelled with patient name, prescriber, drug name, daily dose, form/quantity/strength — and must be declared at customs. If the cough syrup contains codeine, it falls in this bucket, not the OTC bucket. - If a medicine needs no prescription in India but is on Canada's Prescription Drug List, it needs one here. Check the PDL before buying a case of anything.

Practical rule: stock up only on products that are (a) OTC here too, (b) in sealed original labelled packaging, and (c) under a 90-day supply for the people who will use them. Anything prescription-only or codeine-based is not worth the customs risk.

5. What the traveller needs to know before leaving India

• Confirm who is flying, on what date, and on which airline — baggage allowance differs by carrier and fare class, and that, not customs, is the real limit on volume.
• Weigh the suitcase before the airport: excess-baggage fees on India–Canada routes usually exceed the value of the goods being carried.
• Keep receipts or a value list — CBSA can ask, and the officer's valuation is what counts.

Blocked on

• Who is travelling to Canada, on what date, and from which Indian city — the allowance, the cutoff for ordering online, and the delivery address all hang off that one answer.
• The actual item list with approximate rupee prices, so it can be split into "carry" vs "ship as ≤$60 gifts" vs "don't bother".