Customs tax when carrying own gear?

[Enos]

Hi guys!
I am planning a holiday trip from the UK to Canada this summer and plan to stay for a month. It is not a professional trip and no work will be done. But I would love to take my recorder and microphones with me (744T, Senn 416, etc..)
Anyone have any experience regarding custom fees and/or taxes on bringing such gear in and out of the country? I have read about that ATA Carnet but does such a document apply for a one month leisure travel if the goods are taken in and back out of the country. Any information would be nice!

[Nicholas Varley]

Contact the Canadian Consulate perhaps ?

[Whitecat]

You can get a carnet, but the problem is, with that kind of kit the Canadian border guys might think you are going to try to find work, and will subsequently put you on the next flight back to LHR and the carnet won't matter.

(Most people on carnets have work visas in place already - coming in on a holiday it's going to look a bit suspect.)

Suggest you buy a Zoom H2 and have a lot of fun with it.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

I am in the US

I have a good friend that has to travel to Canada a lot to do setups and trouble shoot recording studios. He had a very nice tool case that he use to take along. Every time he went though customs they raised a fuss. He had the case inventoried and could provide that inventory for customs both on entering and leaving Canada. They have given him so many problems over the years that he finally broke down and bought a new case with all new tools, had them shipped to a friend in Canada and now goes to his friends house first picks up his tools does the job takes the tools back to his friend's house and returns to the US.

IMHO with the current security situation globally the less you take with you the better it will be for you. A digital recorder can look very suspicious and microphones even more so. I would leave it all at home - you are after all ON VACATION!!!! <GRIN>

FWIW and YMMV

[Enos]

(Most people on carnets have work visas in place already - coming in on a holiday it's going to look a bit suspect.)

I have Canadian citizenship. Would that make a difference?

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by Enos

I have Canadian citizenship. Would that make a difference?

In that case no, then. There's still the potential tax issue, which that actually complicates somewhat though (since you don't have to leave if you don't want to!) - as suggested earlier on then, suggest you get in touch with the Canadian authorities and just ask them. Would start with the CBSA. You'll also need proof that your kit is tax-paid-up in the UK in case you get stopped when you return.

The carnet will solve all your problems either way... what you need to find out is whether you actually need to go that far (they're expensive, temporarily!)