Shipping from Germany to Canada: auction purchases, art and spare parts, door to door.
From a German auction house or supplier to Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal: we collect in northwest Germany, pack in our own workshop, prepare the export documents and the CETA origin declaration where it saves you duty, and ship insured to your door. You pay GST or HST to the carrier on arrival; art, antiques and most machinery are duty-free.
Shipping to Canada: what to expect.
2 to 4 working days door to door with DHL Express, UPS or FedEx, plus customs clearance.
0 %: original paintings, sculptures, prints, collectors' items and antiques over 100 years are free in the Canadian Customs Tariff.
0 % with a CETA origin declaration on the invoice; many machinery lines are free anyway.
5 % GST, or 13 to 15 % HST in participating provinces, on the value plus shipping and duty. No reduced rate for art or antiques.
CAD 20 for shipments from Germany, so practically every auction purchase is taxed. Gifts up to CAD 60.
Private buyers: nothing, the carrier clears in your name. Companies: Business Number with import account and CARM registration; since 2026 the company itself must be the importer of record.
Facts checked October 2026. Rates and thresholds are set by Canadian authorities and can change; your quote states what applies on the day.
From the hammer or the supplier to your door in Canada.
Auction purchases
Paintings, prints, sculptures, porcelain, glass, clocks, watches, coins, books and collectors' items from German auction houses. We collect with your authorisation, photograph the condition and pack each piece for its own risk.
Antiques and furniture
Chests, chairs, mirrors, small furniture and decorative objects up to about 1.3 m and a few hundred kilograms, in made-to-measure wooden crates from our workshop. Larger pieces we route to a specialist forwarder and tell you so in advance.
Spare parts and industrial goods
Machine parts, components, samples and small equipment from German suppliers, collected, consolidated, export-packed and shipped with commercial invoice, packing list and the origin statement where a trade agreement saves you duty.
Four steps from Germany to Canada.
- You write to us
Auction house and lot number, or supplier and order, plus your delivery address in Canada. We reply within one working day with a quote that covers collection, packing, export documents and transport.
- We collect
With your authorisation at the auction house, or at the supplier, across northwest Germany. Items are photographed on arrival in Hannover.
- We pack and declare
Made-to-measure packing or a wooden crate, export declaration with EU exit confirmation, commercial invoice with the right HS codes for Canadian customs. You pay our invoice after packing, by card or PayPal.
- Delivery to your door
DHL Express, UPS or FedEx with tracking, insured on request for the value you name. Import duty and tax are collected by the carrier on arrival; this page tells you what to expect.
Importing into Canada: duties, VAT and rules.
General information for buyers and importers, not tax or legal advice. Duties and taxes are assessed by the customs authority of Canada on the day of import and collected by the carrier; we prepare the documents so that assessment goes smoothly. Checked October 2026; sources at the end of this page.
Art, antiques and collectors' items
Chapter 97 of the Canadian Customs Tariff is duty-free: original paintings and drawings, sculptures, prints, collectors' items such as coins, stamps and natural history specimens, and antiques over 100 years. Reproductions and some decorative pieces classified outside chapter 97 can carry duty, but as EU-origin goods they qualify for the CETA rate with an origin declaration, which we put on the invoice.
GST and HST on arrival
The carrier collects 5 % GST on the Canadian dollar value plus freight and duty, or the HST of your province (13 % in Ontario, 15 % in the Atlantic provinces), and adds its brokerage fee. There is no reduced rate for art or antiques in Canada. The duty-free threshold for shipments from Germany is only CAD 20, so expect tax on every auction purchase. Private recipients may self-clear at a CBSA office to avoid the brokerage fee; most clients let the carrier handle it.
Spare parts and industrial goods under CETA
Goods of EU origin enter Canada duty-free under the EU-Canada agreement when the invoice carries the exporter's origin declaration (with a REX number above EUR 6,000). We check the origin with your supplier before we declare it. Companies importing commercially need a Business Number with an import account and must be registered in the CARM portal; since 1 January 2026 the importing company itself must be the importer of record, and release before payment needs the company's own financial security.
German VAT refund
If the auction house or supplier charged German VAT, our export declaration with the EU exit confirmation and the commercial invoice are what the seller needs to refund it to you.
Restricted items
Raw elephant ivory cannot be imported at all since January 2024; worked ivory, including antiques and musical instruments, needs a German CITES export document plus a Canadian CITES import permit, which takes time, so tell us before you bid. Antique firearms made before 1898 are not firearms under Canadian law, but we do not ship weapons or militaria. Alcohol needs the authorisation of your provincial liquor board.
Frequently asked questions.
Do I pay duty on a painting or antique shipped from Germany to Canada?
No. Works of art, collectors' items and antiques over 100 years are duty-free. You pay GST or HST on the value plus freight, collected by the carrier.
How much is the tax on arrival?
5 % GST, or the HST of your province, calculated on the Canadian dollar value of the goods plus shipping and any duty. The carrier adds a brokerage fee. No tax is charged on the German side if the seller refunds the German VAT against our export documents.
How long does shipping from Germany to Canada take?
Express 2 to 4 working days door to door after dispatch, plus customs clearance. Economy air freight for pallets takes 5 to 8 working days.
Do I need a Canadian import number as a private buyer?
No. The carrier declares the goods in your name. Only commercial importers need a Business Number and CARM registration.
Can you ship machine parts from a German supplier to our plant in Canada?
Yes. We collect at the supplier, pack for export, issue the invoice with the CETA origin declaration so the parts enter duty-free, and ship by express or air freight. Your company handles the GST through its CARM account.
What about items with ivory or tortoiseshell?
They need CITES permits on both sides and raw ivory is banned. Ask us before bidding; we tell you honestly whether it can be done.
Question not listed?
Ask us directlySources and date checked
Shipping from Germany, question by question
Practical answers for companies buying in Hannover and northwest Germany: spare parts, suppliers who do not export, packing, customs, trade fairs, industrial auctions.
Other destinations
Country pages with the same facts for the other countries we ship to.
Something to ship from Germany?
Tell us what needs shipping, where it is now and where it is going. A photo or a catalogue link helps. You receive a personal quote by email from the person who will handle your shipment.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will reply by email within one working day.
Or message us directly on Telegram:
BFF Logistics is the international shipping service of BFF Business Services GmbH (HRB 209217, Amtsgericht Hannover). We run Mail Boxes Etc. centre 0051 in Hannover, which is why our email address ends in @mbe.de.
Your contact: Michael Leikine, Managing Director. We reply within one working day, in your language: write to us in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese or Arabic.
Günther-Wagner-Allee 13-17, 30177 Hannover, Germany.