Parties Involved:

• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• Health Canada
• Customs Broker
• Carrier

Main Regulations:

• Hand sanitizers and Disinfectants (including disinfectant wipes) are regulated by Health Canada.
• Alcohol based Hand Sanitizer is a Natural Health Product (NHP) if it contains:
  
  1) Ethanol, also known as “anhydrous alcohol”, “ethyl alcohol”, or “grain alcohol”.
  ‍
  2) Isopropanol, also known as “isopropyl alcohol” or “2-propanol”.
  
  In order to import these products you will need a Health Canada issued Site Licence (SL) with the foreign manufacturer of the sanitizer listed on the SL. The product will need to be registered with Health Canada and be issued a Natural Products Number (NPN) number.
• Disinfectants (including wipes) and other hand sanitizers are regulated by Health Canada as non-prescription drugs. The importer is required to have a Health Canada issued Establishment Licence (EL) and the product itself will need to be registered with Health Canada and have a Drug Identification Number (DIN).
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Health Canada is prioritizing applications and expediting the process to obtain the required authorizations.
• They are also authorizing the importation and sale of some products that do not fully meet the regulatory requirements such as those that: 
  
  1) may have:
       - English-only labelling
       - different packaging from what was authorized for sale in Canada
  ‍
  2) are authorized or registered in other jurisdictions where the regulatory frameworks and quality assurances are similar
• For more information on expedited processing due to the COVID-19 pandemic see Health Canada's site on Hard Surface Disinfectants and Hand Sanitizers or contact Health Canada directly by email at hc.covid19healthproducts-produitsdesante.sc@canada.ca

HS Tariff Classification And Duty Rates:

Import Fundamentals:

• You will be acting as the Importer of Record. Therefore, you are the party ultimately responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the import declaration; as well as, the payment of applicable duties and taxes into Canada.
• Duty and tax must be paid upon importation into Canada.
• The rate of duty is determined by the tariff of the commodity being imported, the value of the goods and, the origin of the goods.
• Certain import documentation is required to be presented to the border services officer at the port of entry.
• Your import may be subject to a customs review, inspection or audit prior to, or after the importation. Additional fees may be levied by the Government of Canada for these services.
• You are required to keep your import records for six years following the date of import and can be audited by Customs at any point during this time.