Am I allowed to use the Nexus kiosks if I am bringing wine with me?

Am I allowed to use the Nexus kiosks if I am bringing wine with me? - A Woman Showing a Placard

Many years ago when I got my Nexus card, I was told I couldn't use it when I had anything that needed to be declared, such as food. To this day, when I travel from my home in Canada to the US, I make sure I don't have a granola bar in my carry-on or anything like that. This is sort of backed up by this statement on the CBSA site:

If you have any goods that are considered to be restricted, controlled or prohibited, or if the goods you are importing require a permit, such as firearms, you may not use the NEXUS line.

If you follow their link, Food is one of the bullets on the list. Wine and alcohol are not. I know from the CBP site that I can bring up to a litre in to the US. (Which kind of means it's restricted, no?, but it's not on that list.)

So, if I wrap up a 750ml bottle of wine in my checked luggage, wave goodbye to it at YYZ, then line up for preclearance in the Nexus lane, and use the kiosk, and answer truthfully to all the questions there, am I going to find myself sent all the way back to the end of the not-Nexus line to go through the talk-to-an-officer process? Am I risking losing my Nexus card by using the lane when I am bringing in something that should be declared? (And why don't any of these Nexus, CBSA, and CBP sites cover simple scenarios like this so that people can feel comfortable and confident crossing the border?)



Best Answer

I've brought alcohol through NEXUS (although by a land crossing) and never had a problem. Just be sure to declare it. (I believe the kiosks ask questions such as whether you are beyond your exemption. You'll want to research exactly what you're exemption includes to know how to accurately answer the question.)

If in doubt, don't use NEXUS. But I don't see an issue here.




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Can you bring food with NEXUS?

And while you are allowed to bring certain foods into the U.S. when using your NEXUS card, the onus is on YOU to declare if you have any food with you. The safest solution is not to take any food with you when entering the U.S. and stop after you have crossed the border for snacks, fruit etc...

How much alcohol Am I allowed to bring back to Canada?

You must have the goods with you when you enter Canada. You can bring back up to 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of alcoholic beverages or up to 8.5 litres of beer. Some tobacco products*and alcoholic beverages may be included in your personal exemption.

Can I use NEXUS if I have something to declare?

Declaring goods If you are a Canadian, U.S. or Mexican resident and you are importing goods for your own personal use, and you are within your personal exemption or entitlement, you may use the NEXUS lane and make an oral declaration to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer.

What does NEXUS allow you to do?

The NEXUS card was created for low-risk, preapproved travelers to help speed up border crossings between Canada and the United States. As a NEXUS member, you bypass the regular line of travelers and enter a special security/customs line when you arrive in either country.



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