Your household contents, your car and your dog to Canada: one list that determines everything
Your household goods come in tax-free, but only what is on your arrival list — forgotten items you simply pay for later. Your car is another story: a European car under fifteen years old is as a rule not allowed into Canada, emigrants included. Your dog is allowed, with one document.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Your household goods and your dog or cat can come with you to Canada; in most cases your car cannot. At a glance:
- Your household goods. Canada has a generous arrangement for new immigrants. As a settler (you settle for the first time and for at least twelve months) your entire household comes in tax-free, without a maximum amount. But only what is on your arrival list.
- Your car. A European car under fifteen years old is as a rule not allowed into Canada, emigrants included. Transport Canada has a few exceptions, such as a car already built to Canadian standards, but an ordinary Dutch car does not fall under them.
- Your dog or cat. Allowed, with one document and without quarantine.
Why is the list everything?
Before you leave you make two lists of all your belongings, with make, model, serial numbers where possible and estimated value. One list is what travels with you, the other is goods to follow: everything that comes later by container. On arrival you hand those lists to the customs officer. The officer turns them into the Personal Effects Accounting Document, the customs record of the belongings you bring, and gives you a copy.
Why that matters so much is stated bluntly: goods arriving later are only tax-free if they were on your original list. Whatever you forget, you simply pay duty and tax on later. So take that list seriously, even if your container only sails in two months. And report to customs in person, even if everything is still to come.
Two more things that surprise:
- The arrangement covers goods you already owned, possessed and used before arrival. There is no minimum period.
- If you sell imported goods within twelve months of importation, they fall outside the exemption after all.
For alcohol and tobacco separate, small quantities apply: 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of other alcohol, and 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars. Those must physically travel with you. Declaring them as goods to follow is not possible.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Settler | first residence for at least 12 months |
| Goods to follow tax-free | only if they were on your arrival list |
| Resale | within 12 months of import: taxed after all |
| Alcohol in the exemption | 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of spirits |
| Tobacco in the exemption | 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams of tobacco |
| Car from outside the US and Mexico | only if it is 15 years or older |
| Dog or cat | rabies vaccination certificate in English or French, no quarantine |
| Dog or cat under 3 months | no vaccination requirement |
| NVWA legalisation of the pet passport (2026) | € 65.87 |
Can you take your car?
No. Here Canada differs from almost every other country, and it is the finding on which most Dutch emigration sites go wrong. Transport Canada writes it itself: most vehicles sold outside the United States and Mexico cannot enter Canada, because they were not built to Canadian safety standards. Importing a car that does not comply is even a criminal offence, and the vehicle is detained at the border at your expense.
There is no exception for immigrants. The situations in which import is allowed all depend on properties of the vehicle. The main one is that the car is fifteen years or older, counted from the month of manufacture. Note: that differs from the American limit of twenty-five years.
Your status as a new permanent resident plays no part. The customs arrangement for settlers only means you pay no tax. It says nothing about whether the vehicle is admissible.
The practical conclusion is simple: sell the car in the Netherlands and buy something back locally. Put that in your budget as a fixed item, because in most Canadian provinces a car is no luxury.
What does your dog or cat need?
Little, and that is good news. The Netherlands is not on the Canadian food inspection agency's list of rabies-free countries. So you fall into the ordinary category, and then one document suffices: a valid rabies vaccination certificate in English or French. It must meet three conditions:
- it is issued by a licensed vet;
- your animal is unambiguously identifiable on it;
- it shows the vaccination is current.
An alternative is a titre test (a blood test that measures immunity to rabies) of at least 0.5 IU/ml.
There is no quarantine on arrival. For puppies and kittens under three months there is no vaccination requirement. For dogs between three and eight months travelling without their owner, a more extensive vet's certificate is added.
On the Dutch side there is one official item. The NVWA (the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) legalises the passport or certificate for dogs, cats and ferrets for € 65.87 (2026 rate). Also ask your airline early whether and how your animal can travel, because that differs per airline and aircraft.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Canada or go straight to step 4.1 in the open plan.
What is due when?
Enter your departure date and see day by day what your dog or cat needs for Canada, from microchip to certificate.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- CBSA — Memorandum D2-2-1, Settlers' Effects (tariff item 9807.00.00) — cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
- CBSA — moving to or returning to Canada — cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
- Transport Canada — importing a vehicle from countries other than the US and Mexico — tc.canada.ca
- CFIA — countries recognised as rabies-free, and the import reference document — inspection.canada.ca
- NVWA — export certification rates 2026 — nvwa.nl
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