Bringing an emerald home to Canada

Canadian rules are more explicitly tied to how long you were away than the American ones, and they are straightforward once you know the thresholds. This is general guidance, not customs advice: the CBSA is the authority and the amounts should be confirmed before you travel.

Personal exemptions by length of absence

• Less than 24 hours: no exemption.
• 24 hours or more: goods worth up to CAN$200.
• 48 hours or more: goods worth up to CAN$800.
• 7 days or more: also CAN$800, with more flexibility about goods arriving separately.

A trip to Cartagena will normally put you in the 48-hour-or-more bracket.

What happens above the exemption

Duty and taxes apply only to the amount that exceeds your exemption, not to the whole purchase. There is also a beneficial duty rate of 7% on goods valued up to CAN$300 beyond the exemption, in addition to any applicable taxes.

Exceeding the exemption is normal. Not declaring is what creates the problem, and it can mean seizure and penalties.

Declare the jewellery

Jewellery must be declared. Have the invoice showing what you actually paid, and the certificate describing the stone, the metal and the treatment. Keep the piece in your carry-on.

Before you leave Canada

This is the step most travelers do not know about and the one worth taking. For valuable jewellery you already own and intend to travel with, the CBSA recommends obtaining an appraisal and photographs from a certified gemologist and having them validated at a CBSA office before you depart. That way there is no argument on the return about whether the piece was bought abroad.

Items with serial numbers can be listed on a CBSA identification form. Jewellery usually cannot, and the appraisal is what takes its place.

A note on valuation

Declare what you paid, in Canadian dollars at the rate on the day. Do not ask the store for a lower invoice. A seller willing to falsify a document for you is telling you something about the rest of the transaction.