1.
What is UPU?
UPU
is the acronym for Universal
Postal Union. Established in
1874, the Universal Postal Union
(UPU) is now made up of 189 member
countries. The UPU provides affordable
and reliable access to postal
services to people throughout
the world. The UPU is comprised
of multiple countries postal
departments who in this case,
agree to work together to provide
postal services by using a courier
to transport the mail envelopes
and packages, known as express
mail, between countries, and
to present the reporting of such
mail delivery to the respective
Customs Revenue departments.
Certain UPU countries use Purolator
Courier to deliver their “Express
Mail” product to ensure end to
end tracking and Proof of Delivery
capabilities.
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2.
What role does Purolator Trade
Solutions (PTS) play in the UPU?
As
an international logistics provider,
Purolator Trade Solutions (PTS)
partners with Purolator Courier
in processing Express Mail Service
(EMS) packages being shipped from
other countries to a receiver in
Canada. PTS acts on behalf of the
original shipper and Postal Administration
to clear items through Canadian
Customs, including settlement for
duties and taxes to Revenue Canada.
For shipments under $1600.00 Canadian
value, PTS provides the brokerage
service immediately upon arrival
of the courier mail at the Canadian
ports of Toronto, Montreal and
Vancouver (ports of entry are determined
by each UPU Postal Administration),
allowing the package to continue
on to it's destination without
interruption (unless the item has
been identified by a Revenue Canada
officer for a random inspection).
The PTS invoice provided to you
is evidence of the accounting for
duty and taxes to Revenue Canada
and also includes the PTS service
fees to cover the costs of performing
this work.
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3.
If I disagree with the duty and
taxes applied to my item, or
if I decide to return my purchased
item, can Purolator Trade Solutions
(PTS) refund my money?
No. Purolator
Trade Solutions (PTS) provided
the importation brokerage service
in order to expedite the delivery
of your package. Purolator Trade
Solutions (PTS) is not permitted
under government regulations to
obtain a refund from Revenue Canada
if you disagree with the duty and
taxes applied on your invoice OR
if you decide to return your goods.
Our invoice must be paid, and you
must personally make application
for a refund from Revenue Canada.
You may do this by applying for
a Casual Refund on form B2G Customs
Informal Adjustment Request. You
can obtain the form and instructions
on the CBSA website. www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
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4.
If someone wants to send me a
gift in the mail, will duty and
taxes be applied to that item?
A gift must
be sent to you personally, person
to person, not company to person,
and must include a card or other
notice indicating it as a gift.
If the gift is worth $60.00 Canadian
or less, duty and taxes do not
apply. If the gift is worth more
than $60.00, duty and taxes are
applicable to the balance of the
value that exceeds $60.00.
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5.
If I am living in Canada and
am the recipient of articles
sent to me through the mail,
courier or the post office from
companies or individuals from
other countries, are those articles
sent directly to my mailing address?
It is the
responsibility of the transport
carrier, courier service or postal
service to report to Canada Border
Services Agency all articles and
packages being shipped to a Canadian
address. This reporting process
enables all applicable duties and
taxes to be accounted for to the
Canada Border Services Agency on
all importations, and gives Revenue
Canada officers the opportunity
to randomly inspect mail with as
little interruption to the mail
delivery flow as possible.
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6.
Does Purolator Trade Solutions
(PTS) charge a fee for their
service?
Yes. An
import processing fee of 3% of
the total duty and tax outlay,
minimum $5.00 Canadian is billed
to you for the service that Purolator
Trade Solutions (PTS) provides.
A minimum fee is invoiced even
if your shipment is duty and tax
free as the shipment required Customs
clearance and an entry submission
on your behalf to Canada Customs.
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7.
Where do I send my payment?
Send your
payment to the address highlighted
in RED located on your invoice
– bottom center right. The invoice
also includes a web payment option
that may be utilized. You may also
pay you invoice online at http://payment-can.pbb.com
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8.
If I am in Canada and order items
through a mail order catalogue,
on the Web using a virtual shopping
cart, or order items from a television
shopping channel, will those
articles be subjected to duty
and taxes?
All items
being imported from other countries
(except for gifts – see below)
are subjected to applicable Canadian
duties and taxes and inspection
by Revenue Canada. Unless the items
that you ordered are being distributed
from a Canadian warehouse and duty
and taxes have already been accounted
for to Revenue Canada, duty and
taxes must still be paid. Your
mail order catalogue, web, or shopping
channel provider, may or may not
identify these additional costs
to you when placing your orders.
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9.
Do shipping and handling charges
include the cost of duty and
taxes?
No. Shipping
and handling usually refer to a
transportation and packaging fee.
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10.
If someone mails me an item from
another country and the value
is $20.00 Canadian will I have
to pay duty and taxes on that
item?
In most
cases, no. Items worth $20.00 Canadian
and less are not subjected to duty
and taxes. A Revenue Canada officer
may still inspect the package.
Tobacco, books, periodicals, magazines,
alcoholic beverages, and goods
ordered through a Canadian post
office box or intermediary are
NOT eligible for the $20.00 exemption.
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11.
What does “account for duties
and taxes to Revenue Canada”
mean?
The knowledgeable
employees of Purolator Trade Solutions
(PTS) are aware of the government
importing regulations and work
on the importers behalf, you, to
identify the applicable harmonized
tariff code and related duty and
taxes for the items being mailed
to you. Purolator Trade Solutions
(PTS) pays Revenue Canada, on your
behalf, the calculated duties and
taxes applicable to the items being
sent to you.
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12.
Can I account to Revenue Canada
myself for the items being imported?
Yes, however
it is time consuming and costly.
You will have to notify the sender
to indicate on the commercial invoice
that you wish to process the shipment
through Revenue Canada accounting
yourself. When the package arrives
in Canada you will have to personally
go to the Purolator Trade Solutions
(PTS) office location that has
your package, in order to retrieve
the customs accounting documents
(commercial invoice that contains
the value of the item, description,
number of pieces, and cargo control
number.) You will then have go
to the Revenue Canada Customs office
(where the goods are located),
pay them directly, and in person
for the applicable duty and taxes.
You will then have to return to
the Purolator Trade Solutions (PTS)
location with proof of accounting,
prior to PBB releasing the goods
to you.
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13.
Will Purolator Trade Solutions
(PTS) service charges be applicable
to gifts?
Yes.
Even though the $60.00 exemption
applies to the duty and taxes,
the gift itself must still be accounted
for to Revenue Canada. Purolator
Trade Solutions (PTS) provides
this service on your behalf and
assesses a fee when the value of
the gift exceeds $60.00 Canadian.
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14.
Are there any restrictions to
items being imported to Canada?
Yes. Some
articles are controlled or prohibited
goods. Check the CBSA, Canada Border
Services Agency web site for specifics. http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
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15.
Does the origin of the goods
being shipped to Canada affect
duty rates?
Yes. If
the items are originated from a
country who has a trade agreement
with Canada, the goods are subject
to a lower rate of duty or duty
free entry into Canada. Canada
has agreements with the US, Mexico,
Israel, Chile. Be sure that the
country of origin is made clear
on paperwork accompanying the item
being imported. Applicable GST,
and PST will still apply.
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For
more information email upufaq@pbb.com. |
