Rules
US and Canada bullion purchases: CBP declaration, GST/HST purity, and USMCA basics
What US and Canadian border rules mean for bullion: CBP declaration and exemptions, GST/HST purity thresholds, USMCA tariff treatment, and shipping records.
What to take away
- Bullion is not duty-free by default. Most US trips carry an $800 personal exemption and a flat 3 percent rate on the next $1,000 above it.
- Declare every coin and bar to US Customs and Border Protection, including metal you owned before the trip.
- Canada zero-rates GST/HST on gold at 99.5 percent purity or finer, and on silver, platinum and palladium at 99.9 percent or finer, supplied as coins, bars, ingots or wafers.
- Provincial tax is separate. Alberta and the three territories levy none, HST provinces fold theirs into the same zero-rating, and British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec apply their own tax.
- USMCA can lower the tariff rate for goods meeting its origin rules. It does not remove the declaration.
What CBP requires when you bring bullion into the United States
Every good acquired abroad must be declared on arrival. Bullion is a good, and no exemption turns a gold bar into something you can leave off the form.
The exemption is a number. Returning US residents out of the country for 48 hours or more may bring back $800 in goods free of duty, once every 30 days. Trips under 48 hours carry a $200 exemption, and families traveling together may pool theirs. The arrival guidance at Travel | USAGov covers documents and inspection lanes.
Above the exemption, the next $1,000 is dutiable at a flat 3 percent. Confirm those CBP figures before a metal run.
[figure 1]
CBP Declaration Checklist
- Declare all goods acquired abroad
- Declare bullion in writing
- Carry dealer invoice with purity and weight
- Carry assay certificate from refiner
- Keep copy of declaration form
- Report currency over $10,000
Declare in writing whenever a form is offered, and keep a copy. Undeclared metal can be seized, and the penalty costs more than the duty.
An invoice naming the dealer, the item, weight, purity and price paid answers most questions at the primary lane. An estimate does not.
GST/HST: the purity thresholds that decide the answer
GST is Canada's federal consumption tax, and HST adds a provincial part in participating provinces. Purity and form decide whether either applies.
The Excise Tax Act zero-rates precious metal supplied as a coin, bar, ingot or wafer. Gold qualifies at 99.5 percent or finer. Silver, platinum and palladium qualify at 99.9 percent or finer. A one ounce gold Maple Leaf clears the gold test.
Lower-purity products do not qualify. A 90 percent silver bag, a coin set, jewellery, and a numismatic coin sold for its collector premium are taxable.
The classification belongs on the invoice. The CRA sets out which supplies are taxable, zero-rated or exempt: GST/HST: which rate to charge.
An unmarked or undocumented bar invites a taxable classification, and the fineness failures covered in this guide to fineness and assay problems are the ones border officers question most.
[figure 2]
GST/HST Treatment by Item
Exempt
- Gold Maple Leaf
- 99.99% pure
- Gold bar
- 99.99% pure
- Silver coin
- High purity
- Numismatic coin
- —
- Platinum/palladium
- High purity
Taxable
- Gold Maple Leaf
- —
- Gold bar
- —
- Silver coin
- Lower purity
- Numismatic coin
- Collectible
- Platinum/palladium
- Lower purity
Provincial tax: how the invoice changes by province
Federal zero-rating does not bind the provinces. In HST provinces the provincial part is zero-rated with the federal tax, so qualifying bullion arrives untaxed. Elsewhere the retail tax stands on its own statute.
Provincial tax by province
| Province or territory | Retail tax structure | Typical treatment of qualifying bullion |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island | HST, federal part plus provincial part | Zero-rated with the federal tax |
| Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | No provincial retail tax | No provincial charge |
| British Columbia | PST, separate from GST | Confirm the provincial exemption |
| Saskatchewan, Manitoba | PST or RST, separate from GST | Confirm the provincial exemption |
| Quebec | QST, separate from GST | Confirm the provincial exemption |
Delivery address drives the result. The same bar shipped to Alberta and to British Columbia can produce two different invoices, so ask which tax applies at the ship-to address.
Landed cost also moves with the exchange rate and the dealer premium. The bullion pricing guide separates spot, premium, spread and fees, which is what a US invoice needs before it can be compared against a Canadian quote.
USMCA and the duty rate it can change
USMCA governs tariff treatment for goods traded between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Metal meeting the agreement rules of origin can qualify for a preferential rate. Metal that does not falls back to the general rate.
Origin needs documentation. Without paperwork naming the metal and its source, the importer carries the burden of proof and the lower rate is not automatic.
The agreement does not cover services and does not replace either tax code. Sales tax, income tax and capital gains reporting stay national questions.
Licences, shipping and the documents that settle disputes
Most personal bullion purchases need no import or export licence. Licences attach to controlled goods, commercial shipments and restricted parties. Work the question in this order.
Licences, shipping and documents
- Identify the itemmetal, purity, form, weight, and whether it sells as a collectible.
- Identify the transactionpersonal holding, dealer inventory, auction, or a transfer into a trust.
- Identify the partiesshipper, receiver, and any match against a restricted list.
- Confirm with the carrier, and with a customs broker when the value is commercial.
Carrying, shipping and storing the metal on one side each leave a different trail. The ownership, cost and record questions behind those choices are set out in this physical precious metals guide.
A Canadian resident returning home faces a separate exemption, typically CAD $200 after 24 hours away and CAD $800 after 48 hours, subject to limits. Canadian entry runs through the Canada Border Services Agency.
Insured shipping with a declared value and carrying the metal yourself differ in cost and in the evidence they produce. Storing bullion in Canada avoids an import event until you move it, though custody records still matter.
Keep the invoice, the assay certificate, the declaration copy and the payment record together. A bank or card statement dates the purchase and ties the payment to the item.
