Importing T's to Canada???

[Prometheus]

Does anyone know how to go about obtaining an import license or if one is even needed to bring T's from the USA to Canada? And if anyone has gone through the process personally what was the cost of obtaining it and are there any costs to transfer them at the border??? Thanks a lot everyone.

 

[KnightinGale]

Since nobody is answering I guess I'll jump in here. All spiders and scorpions are allowed into Canada with no restrictions. The issues start cropping up with transportation and with the laws in the country of origin. (For instance, if you were trying to transport tarantulas from overseas, the only legal method is air freight and that usually costs more than is worthwhile.)
Since you're talking from the States, that isn't a problem. You, and the sender, only need to worry about import/export licenses if the shipment is large enough to be considered commercial...which your order is not likely to be if you are not a dealer. As always, they are not supposed to be sent by post as it is illegal to ship live animals this way and also they need to be declared. Many people in the States also don't ship to Canada, though this is often because they don't know our laws, and some may change their minds if you have a thorough knowledge and take the time to explain. Keep in mind, though, it also takes longer for a shipment to arrive, and the health of the animals should be considered. If you happen to be going to the States and pick up some specimens while there, then great! There are no legal issues bringing them back (though of course they should be declared at the border.)
Finally, any CITES restricted species (all Brachys and select Aphonopelma on CITES II) have their own realm of paperwork regardless of where they are from or where you are taking them. Generally it is much easier to buy these in your own country from a reputable dealer. Crossing any borders, you would need paperwork proving they are captive bred.
Also, if you are not part of the Canadian sub-forum yet, you should send a request to join up! Then you have easy access to all this Canada-specific info!

 

[Anansis]

Join the Canadian forum and ask the same question. It's not as simple as made out to be.

Ollie

 

[Prometheus]

Thanks

Ok sounds good. I was wondering because I go to cali like 2 times a year with my kids on vaction to disneyland and figured the pricing is like double if not triple in canada for the same species in the states, so why not buy them there and bring them back. I will def sign up for the sub forum thanks for the info.

 

[pocock1899]

I've never imported IN to Canada, but I can tell you a bit about exporting from the US.

If you are sending from yourself to yourself, and there aren't a huge number of spiders, you can declare it as a personal shipment. If you are shipping a lot of spiders (more than say 8-10), you might have to explain to a USFWS Wildlife Inspector why it isn't a commercial shipment.

You will have to file a USFWS Form 3-177 Declaration. A live, non-commercial declaration is $74. If you are shipping CITES species, you'll have to apply for a CITES certificate. Allow 6-10 weeks and $100 for this.

You might call the closest USFWS designated port (to where you are shipping from), they can walk you through the process. You can find their number on the fws website, under Law Enforcement.