There are a number of barriers to U.S. agricultural products such as dairy products, eggs, poultry, grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. U.S. exporters are not able to increase exports to Canada above the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) levels. Canadaºs insufficient personal duty-free exemption reduces cross-border individual shopping in the United States. There are local market access obstacles for U.S. wine and spirits. Standards barriers affect the entry of food products (breakfast cereals, and the size of jars for baby food). The U.S. pharmaceutical sector has brought up questions about pharmaceutical pricing and patent term protection of medication. There are also serious limitations in the telecommunications and media sectors.
A number of items may be prohibited, controlled, or require specific permits, inspections or requirements to be satisfied in order to allow them into Canada. Canada has a number of special attention and approval systems with regards to the above-mentioned products. The Export and Import Controls Bureau (EICB) authorizes, under the discretion of the Minister of International Trade, the import and export of products restricted by quotas and (or) tariffs. It also controls the trade in a number of items and ensures the personal safety of people by restricting importation of harmful products and other items. The Canadian Export and Import Permits Act contains an Import Control List.
Import Documentation
Canada Customs Invoice or its equivalent (the exporter can use its own form if it has necessary information on it); Form B3 (the customs coding form); cargo control document and bill of lading. A number of goods (e.g., food and health-related goods) require special permits, certificates or examinations.
For getting duty-free status under the NAFTA "rules of origin," a commercial NAFTA import over CDN $1,600 have to be accompanied by a NAFTA Certificate of Origin, and a commercial import less than CDN $1,600 only requires a statement of origin from the exporter.
Import Tariffs
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the overwhelming majority of U.S. goods may be imported into Canada duty-free.
Marking/Labelling
The Marking of Imported Goods Regulations requires certain products to have permanent marks of their country of origin. All imports labels must be comprised in two languages: English and French. | 
