Who is a settler under tariff item 9807.00.00?

**A settler is establishing a residence for the first time.** The CBSA wording is entering Canada with the intention of establishing, for the first time, a residence for one year or more. That status is tariff item 9807.00.00 and Memorandum D2-2-1. Settlers must have owned, possessed and used the goods abroad before arriving. Leased goods are dutiable. The goods still have to appear on the two lists made before departure.

Who is a former resident under tariff item 9805.00.00?

**A former resident is returning after a continuous absence.** The wording is returning to resume residence after a continuous absence of one year or more. That status is tariff item 9805.00.00 and Memorandum D2-3-2. Goods must have been owned, possessed and used abroad for at least six months, and the six months is waived after five years abroad.

Does the mover clear customs for you?

**The mover does not clear customs for you.** The mover drives and inventories, and a bonded carrier can move the load in bond to an inland office for clearance. Goods to follow is your phrase, not a mover's phrase. The container that leaves before you does not exist to CBSA until you say so at the booth.

What did reviewers pay to move from the US to Canada?

**The reviewer-reported median on this lane is $5,000.** As of 21 Sept 2026, that figure is from 91 reviews with a US origin and a Canadian destination, and 37 of them are dated 2022 or later. The reverse median is $5,270 across 148 reviews. A cross-border job usually prices as a long or cross-country band plus the border day, beside a US interstate median of $4,500.

Two movers wrapping a sofa in quilted pads on a US porch

United States to Canada

Moving from the US to Canada: the two lists, Form BSF186, and what the truck costs

The mover drives and you clear. If you are a settler or a former resident, Form BSF186 and the two lists written before the truck loads decide what stays duty-free, and the reviewer-reported median on this lane is $5,000 as of 21 Sept 2026.

Anthony BaleMoving industry professional, author and writerReviewed 22 September 2026

Which tariff item you are

A settler and a former resident are different tariff items.

A settler and a former resident are different tariff items. A settler is a person "entering Canada with the intention of establishing, for the first time, a residence for one year or more," under tariff item 9807.00.00 and Memorandum D2-2-1. A former resident is a person returning "to resume residence after a continuous absence of one year or more," under tariff item 9805.00.00 and Memorandum D2-3-2.

Former residents carry a six-month rule. Goods must have been owned, possessed and used abroad for at least six months, and the six months is waived after five years abroad. Settlers must have owned, possessed and used the goods abroad before arriving. Haulest does not give customs or immigration advice. The CBSA page and the D-memoranda govern. See the Canada pages for the destination side of the lane.

The two lists, written before the truck loads

The recurring cross-border review is a truck at the border with a list that does not match the boxes.

Write the two lists before the truck loads. You need two lists before departure and two copies, with value, make, model, and serial number. The first section is goods with you. The second section is goods to follow. Goods to follow qualify duty-free later only if they are on the original list. Build those lines in the inventory calculator.

The list has to match the boxes. The recurring cross-border review is a truck at the border with a list that does not match the boxes. Write the serials while the goods are still in the house, using the 12-week international checklist. A serial number made up in the lineup is fiction.

The two lists, as a job. Written by the desk from the CBSA guidance checked 22 September 2026.

Step	What to do
Decide your tariff item	Settler (9807.00.00) for a first Canadian home of a year or more. Former resident (9805.00.00) after a continuous year away.
Write list one	Everything travelling with you. Value, make, model, serial number where there is one.
Write list two	Everything to follow: the container, the second truck, the boxes at your parents' place. Same detail.
Make two copies of both	One set for the officer, one set you keep. Add photos and appraisals for jewellery.
Match the mover's inventory to list two	Every carton number on the mover's inventory should map to a line on your list. Fix mismatches before loading.
Hand the lists over at the first point of entry	Even with nothing in the car. The officer completes Form BSF186 and returns a copy with a file number.
Keep the stamped copy	The goods to follow clear duty-free against that file number. Without it they are a fresh import.
Do not sell within a year	Selling or giving away exempted goods inside twelve months means paying the duty and taxes back.

At the booth: Form BSF186

The form can be completed ahead of time.

Hand over the list even with nothing in your hands. At the first point of entry, give the list to the officer even with no goods on you. The officer completes Form BSF186, Personal Effects Accounting Document, assigns a file number, and returns a copy. That copy is needed to clear the unaccompanied goods. The form can be completed ahead of time.

BSF186A is the continuation list. When the lines on the main form run out, the rest goes on BSF186A. Keep the copy the officer returns, with its file number, because the goods to follow clear against that number and nothing else. The CBSA page calls itself general guidance. The Customs Tariff and Customs Act govern.

The forms and memoranda, by number.

Form or memo	What it is	Who
Form BSF186	Personal Effects Accounting Document. The officer completes it from your lists at the booth.	You, at first entry
Form BSF186A	Continuation sheet when the main form's lines run out.	You, at first entry
Memorandum D2-2-1	Settlers' Effects, tariff item 9807.00.00. The governing rules for a first-time resident.	Read before you list
Memorandum D2-3-2	Former Residents of Canada, tariff item 9805.00.00. Six months of ownership, possession and use; waived after five years abroad.	Read before you list
Transport Canada vehicle import	A car is a separate import with its own requirements and a registration fee.	Vehicle owners

What stays duty-free and what does not

Leased goods are dutiable.

Eligible goods were owned, possessed and used abroad. Settlers must meet that test before arriving. Leased goods are dutiable. A house or large residential trailer, and anything used commercially, are not personal effects. Wedding gifts within three months either side of arrival must have been owned and possessed before arrival, and use is not required.

Former residents have a CAN$10,000 line on one item. A single item worth more than CAN$10,000 is taxed on the amount above CAN$10,000. Selling or giving away the goods within one year of import means paying the duty and taxes that were exempted. A separate personal exemption of up to CAN$800 covers goods bought abroad or in transit.

What a mover can and cannot do

The container that leaves before you does not exist to CBSA until you say so at the booth.

The mover drives and inventories. A bonded carrier can move the load in bond to an inland office for clearance, but the mover does not clear customs for you. Haulest is not a carrier. Check the firm on credentials and the license lookup, and read the paper with the estimate guide.

Goods to follow is your phrase. It is not a mover's phrase. The container that leaves before you does not exist to CBSA until you say so at the booth. The second section stays duty-free later only if those goods were on the original list you handed over.

What the truck costs

A cross-border job usually prices as a long or cross-country band plus the border day.

Reviewers on this lane reported a median of $5,000. As of 21 Sept 2026, the corpus has 91 reviews with a US origin and a Canadian destination, and 37 of them are dated 2022 or later. The reverse lane is 148 reviews with a median of $5,270. The cross-border mean rating is 3.10. Of 239 cross-border reviews, 49 mention customs, the border, or paperwork in the Canada reviews.

Price the job as a long band plus the border day. The US interstate median for comparison is $4,500. Diesel is $5.60 for the week of 31 Aug 2026. Planning bands are US tables. A cross-border job usually prices as a long or cross-country band plus the border day. Start with long-distance movers, the US cost page, and a cube calculation.

Reviewer-reported prices on this lane and its reverse. Corpus as of 21 Sept 2026. Self-reported; a small sample, not a tariff.

Lane	Reviews	Median paid
United States to Canada	91	$5,000
CA to US	148	$5,270
US interstate, 2025		$4,500

Restricted items and the vehicle

A vehicle follows Transport Canada import requirements.

Some goods are restricted or separately controlled. The categories are alcohol and tobacco, food, plants and animals, firearms and weapons, currency, prescription drugs, firewood, used mattresses, and cultural property. Open the prohibited calculator before a restricted item is written onto either list.

A vehicle follows Transport Canada import requirements. It is a separate import with its own paperwork, and vehicle import registration fees may apply. A house or large residential trailer, and anything used commercially, are not personal effects either.

Reviewed by Anthony Bale, 22 September 2026. CBSA pages checked 22 September 2026; corpus as of 21 Sept 2026. Drafted with Grok 4.7 (Cursor agent CLI) on 22 Sep 2026, then edited. General information, not customs or immigration advice.

Sources

Links go to the publisher. Haulest does not add findings. Checked September 2026; if the live page moved, believe the agency.

Ask out loud

Questions people ask

Who is a settler under tariff item 9807.00.00?: **A settler is establishing a residence for the first time.** The CBSA wording is entering Canada with the intention of establishing, for the first time, a residence for one year or more. That status is tariff item 9807.00.00 and Memorandum D2-2-1. Settlers must have owned, possessed and used the goods abroad before arriving. Leased goods are dutiable. The goods still have to appear on the two lists made before departure.
Who is a former resident under tariff item 9805.00.00?: **A former resident is returning after a continuous absence.** The wording is returning to resume residence after a continuous absence of one year or more. That status is tariff item 9805.00.00 and Memorandum D2-3-2. Goods must have been owned, possessed and used abroad for at least six months, and the six months is waived after five years abroad.
What has to be on the two lists?: **You need two lists and two copies before departure.** Each line carries value, make, model, and serial number. The first section is goods with you. The second section is goods to follow. Goods to follow qualify duty-free later only if they are on the original list. Hand that list over at the first point of entry even with no goods on you.
What does Form BSF186 do?: **Form BSF186 is the Personal Effects Accounting Document.** The officer completes Form BSF186, assigns a file number, and returns a copy. That copy is needed to clear the unaccompanied goods. The form can be completed ahead of time. BSF186A is the continuation list. The CBSA page calls itself general guidance, and the Customs Tariff and Customs Act govern.
Does the mover clear customs for you?: **The mover does not clear customs for you.** The mover drives and inventories, and a bonded carrier can move the load in bond to an inland office for clearance. Goods to follow is your phrase, not a mover's phrase. The container that leaves before you does not exist to CBSA until you say so at the booth.
What did reviewers pay to move from the US to Canada?: **The reviewer-reported median on this lane is $5,000.** As of 21 Sept 2026, that figure is from 91 reviews with a US origin and a Canadian destination, and 37 of them are dated 2022 or later. The reverse median is $5,270 across 148 reviews. A cross-border job usually prices as a long or cross-country band plus the border day, beside a US interstate median of $4,500.

About Anthony Bale

A moving industry professional, author and writer. Anthony has been at different positions in the industry for the last 10 years, gaining significant knowledge on the relocation process. He himself has moved 6 times already, which helped him explore the other side of the moving process.

At Haulest he writes the US cost, hiring, and rights pages, reading the licensed review file every week so the numbers on the page are the numbers people reported.

All 4 pages by Anthony

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