Before you fly · Everyone
Packing for Canada from India: the verified list
The short answer
Pack light. Most of what fills a first suitcase is cheaper, warmer, or only works once you're in Canada: the winter parka, 220-volt appliances, bulk rice. Bring your documents, prescriptions, a masala box and a few familiar tools; leave dairy, fresh produce and meat behind, because customs refuses them. Buy the coat, the induction-safe cooker and the SIM after you land.
On this page
The biggest packing mistake is bringing too much. Canada has Indian grocery stores, cheap electronics and winter coats built for the actual cold. What you need is the short list of things worth the suitcase space, and the shorter list that customs won’t let in at all.
What not to pack
Some of it is prohibited at the border; the rest is just heavy and cheaper here. The customs no-gos are below in short form, and the full rules, item by item, are in the food guide.
- Ghee, paneer, milk sweets (dairy)Prohibited
- Fresh fruit and vegetablesProhibited
- Meat, eggs, meat or fish pickleProhibited
- Loose or homemade spice mixesDeclare it
- Sealed, branded spices, tea, snacksAllowed
Everything else on the “leave it” list is about weight, not law: bulk rice and flour, the heavy winter coat, and 220-volt appliances, all covered below.
Kitchen and cooking
Bring the few things that are genuinely hard to replace; buy the bulky, heavy or voltage-bound kit after you land.
Masala dabba and sealed whole/ground spices
A light tawa or roti pan
Steel tiffin and small containers
Check your pressure cooker before you pack it
Many Canadian rentals have induction or glass-top electric stoves. A standard Indian aluminium pressure cooker won’t heat on induction, which needs a magnetic steel base, and a 220-volt electric cooker won’t run on Canada’s 120-volt supply at all. An induction-safe cooker is cheap to buy after you land, so most people leave the old one behind.
Clothing and winter
Pack for landing, not for January. The serious winter gear is built for a cold most Indian cities never see, and it’s sold everywhere in Canada from October.
By the numbers
Pack from India
- Everyday clothes and the layers you already own
- One warm jacket for the airport and your first days
- Comfortable shoes for a lot of walking
Buy in Canada
- The −30 °C parka, rated for real cold
- Insulated, waterproof winter boots
- Thermals, a good hat and gloves, cheap and everywhere
Electronics and voltage
Your phone and laptop are fine on a plug adapter. Anything with a heating element or a motor made for 220 volts is the problem.
Works on a plug adapter
- Phone, laptop and camera chargers (marked 100–240V)
- Power banks and most USB devices
- Anything dual-voltage: check the label for 100–240V
Needs a transformer, or leave it
- Mixer-grinder, hair dryer, electric kettle (220V only)
- 220-volt-only chargers and small appliances
- Most of these are cheaper bought in Canada anyway
Canada’s sockets take the flat-pinned Type A / Type B plug, so bring a couple of cheap adapters for the dual-voltage things you do carry.
Medicines
Bring your regular medicines in their original, labelled packaging, with a copy of the prescription or a short note from your doctor, enough to cover your first stretch while you register with a local doctor. Health Canada limits how much medicine you can carry for personal use, and some Indian medicines are regulated differently here, so pack a reasonable personal supply rather than a year’s stock. Never carry loose, unlabelled pills.
Documents in your handbag
Never in checked luggage
Passports, immigration letters and proof of funds always go in your carry-on. Checked bags get delayed or lost, and you need these in your hand at the border, not in a suitcase on another plane.
Passport, plus any visa, eTA or permit stamp
Immigration approval / port-of-entry letter
Acceptance or offer letter
Proof of funds
Passport photos and photocopies
What to do next
- Bringing food from India to Canada: the full customs rules for what’s in your bags.
- Planning the move as a student? See how we handle Canada study permits end to end.
Common questions
What should I not pack when moving to Canada from India?
Two kinds of things. Prohibited at customs: dairy (ghee, paneer, milk sweets), fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and eggs. Not worth the weight: the heavy winter coat, bulk rice and flour, and 220-volt appliances that won't run on Canada's 120-volt supply, all cheaper or better bought after you land.
Do Indian appliances work in Canada?
Only dual-voltage ones. Canada runs on 120 volts; India on 230. A charger marked 100–240V (most phone and laptop chargers) works with a cheap Type A/B plug adapter. A 220-volt-only device such as an Indian mixer-grinder, hair dryer or electric kettle needs a bulky step-down transformer, or is simply better bought in Canada.
Can I bring my Indian pressure cooker to Canada?
Only if it's induction-safe and not electric. Many Canadian rentals have induction or glass-top electric stoves, and a standard Indian aluminium cooker won't heat on induction, because it needs a magnetic steel base. A 220-volt electric cooker won't run on 120 volts at all. An induction-safe cooker is inexpensive to buy after you land.
Should I buy winter clothes in India or Canada?
Buy the serious gear in Canada. Parkas, insulated boots and thermals sold here are built for −30 °C and are everywhere from October, often on sale by late winter. Pack one warm jacket and your normal layers for landing; buy the real winter kit once you know your city's cold.
What documents must go in my carry-on, not checked luggage?
Your passport, your immigration approval or port-of-entry letter, your acceptance or offer letter, and your proof of funds. Checked bags get delayed or lost, and you need these in your hand at the border. Keep photocopies in a separate bag as backup.
Related guides
Before you fly
Packing is the easy part.
The permit itself, or the visitor visa for the parents who will follow you out, is where a licensed consultant earns their keep.
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