Owais Crawford
When entering Canada by air, all travellers must pass through customs and immigration. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) screens all travellers landing in Canada, and visitors must confirm their identity and declare any goods they are bringing into the country. This can be done through a primary inspection kiosk (PIK) or eGate, where travellers can submit their customs declaration. Travellers can save time by submitting their customs declaration online in advance. Certain goods may be subject to duty, taxes, restrictions, or even be prohibited.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Declaration | Everyone arriving in Canada must complete a declaration. This can be done online using Advance Declaration up to 72 hours before arrival or at an airport kiosk or eGate. |
| Declaration Card | If you're landing at an airport without kiosks or eGates, you'll receive a Declaration Card on board the aircraft. |
| Identity Confirmation | All travellers landing in Canada must confirm their identity with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). |
| Goods Declaration | All goods obtained outside Canada must be declared to the CBSA. Some items may be subject to duty, taxes, restrictions, or prohibitions. |
| Prohibited Goods | Examples include endangered species and their derivatives, and weapons and firearms. |
| Preclearance | An agreement between Canada and the US allows customs officials from the US to be present in Canada to clear or deny admission to travellers or goods. |
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What You'll Learn
Declaration cards
All travellers arriving in Canada must complete a declaration. If you are arriving by air, you can save time at the border by submitting your customs declaration online using the Advance CBSA Declaration up to 72 hours before you arrive in Canada. If you choose not to submit your declaration in advance, you can complete it at an airport kiosk or eGate. If you arrive at an airport without kiosks or eGates, you will receive a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Declaration Card to complete before you land.
The CBSA Declaration Card can include up to four people living at the same address. Each traveller is responsible for their own declaration and reporting currency and/or monetary instruments totalling CAN$10,000 or more. Under the law, failure to properly declare goods, currency and/or monetary instruments brought into Canada may result in seizure action, monetary penalties and/or criminal prosecution.
The CBSA maintains a record of infractions. If you have an infraction record, you may be selected for examination more frequently and undergo a more detailed examination on future trips. You may also become ineligible for Trusted Traveller programs such as NEXUS and CANPASS. The penalty for failing to declare products, or making a false declaration, can go up to $1,300, no matter the actual value of the products.
If you are declaring goods claimed as part of your 7-day/CAN$800 exemption that arrived in Canada before you or will arrive after your return, ask the border services officer for a BSF192, Personal Exemption CBSA Declaration. You will need a copy of this form to claim these goods. Otherwise, you may have to pay the regular duty and taxes on them.
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Screening and inspection
All travellers arriving in Canada by air must undergo screening and inspection by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This process involves confirming your identity and declaring any goods you are bringing into the country. You can speed up this process by submitting your customs declaration in advance, using the Advance CBSA Declaration feature on the ArriveCAN app, which can be done up to 72 hours before your arrival.
At the airport, you can confirm your identity and submit your customs declaration at a primary inspection kiosk (PIK) or eGate. Up to five travellers can use a kiosk together, provided they live in the same country. To use the kiosk, scan your travel documents, take your photo, and answer a few questions to complete your declaration.
If you are unable to use the kiosk or eGate, you can complete a Declaration Card. This will be provided to you on board your flight if you are arriving at an airport without kiosks or eGates. Have this ready, along with your identification and other travel documents, to present to Canadian officials at the airport.
It is important to accurately declare all goods obtained outside of Canada. This includes any items you may have sent home from abroad, which you should discuss with a border services officer upon your return. Certain goods may be prohibited, restricted, or subject to duties and taxes. Failure to declare goods or making a false declaration may result in fines or seizure of the items.
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Duty and taxes
All travellers landing in Canada must go through customs and declare any goods they are bringing into the country. This includes Canadian citizens and permanent residents. If you are arriving at Pearson Airport on an international flight, you can use a primary inspection kiosk (PIK) or eGate to confirm your identity and submit your customs declaration. Up to five travellers can use a kiosk together.
If you are travelling with valuable items that you acquired in Canada, you can take them to a Customs and Border Services Agency (CBSA) office before you leave to have them identified on a wallet-sized card as valuables that were in your possession before you left the country.
If you are a newcomer to Canada, you may need to present further documentation. An officer will help guide you through this process. If you don't speak English or French well, you can ask the officer for help.
Some items may be subject to duty and taxes, while others may be restricted or prohibited. When you shop outside Canada, you can use the duty and taxes estimator to help estimate the amount of duty and taxes you will need to pay when you return to Canada. Based on the length of time you are outside Canada, you may qualify for a personal exemption that allows you to bring goods of a certain value into Canada without paying regular duty and taxes.
If you have sent goods home from outside Canada, ask the border services officer about claiming these goods when you return. Otherwise, you may have to pay the regular duty and taxes on them.
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Prohibited goods
All travellers entering Canada by air are required to declare their goods and confirm their identity with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). This can be done at a primary inspection kiosk or through an eGate at the airport. Travellers can also choose to submit their customs declaration online in advance, up to 72 hours before their arrival.
When entering Canada, certain goods are prohibited and cannot be brought into the country. These include endangered species and any products made from or containing parts of endangered species, such as some souvenirs. All weapons and firearms must be declared, and transporting cannabis across the border in any form without a permit is a serious criminal offence.
To prevent the spread of diseases and protect the environment, it is important to declare all food, plants, and animals, or related products. This helps to ensure that any imported items do not pose a risk to human health, carry invasive species, or harm the environment or economy.
In addition, there may be restrictions on bringing in highly valuable items. It is recommended to have such items identified by the CBSA before leaving Canada to ensure they can be re-entered upon your return. Fines for failing to declare goods, making a false declaration, or bringing in prohibited items can range from 25% to 80% of the value of the seized goods.
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Preclearance
The United States has been conducting air preclearance in Canada since 1952. In March 2015, Canada and the US signed the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance (LRMA), which established the legal framework for an expanded preclearance program between the two countries. This agreement was ratified in August 2019 with the Preclearance Act (PCA) 2016, which replaced the PCA 1999.
As of October 2022, US preclearance operations are at eight airports across Canada, including Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg. Travellers and goods that are pre-cleared experience faster and more reliable service when moving through border points, and these operations provide a higher level of security by identifying potential threats early in the process.
The PCA 2016 provides the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) with legal authority to exercise various powers with respect to US-bound travellers upon the request of or after a referral from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The CBSA may assist US preclearance officers in performing searches, including frisk, strip, monitored bowel movement, X-ray, and body cavity searches. Personal information is exchanged between the CBSA and CBP for preclearance purposes.
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Frequently asked questions
Preclearance is an agreement between two countries that allows customs and immigration officials from the country of destination to be located in the country of origin to clear or deny admission to travellers or goods. The U.S. has been conducting preclearance operations in Canada since 1952.
You will need to confirm your identity with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and declare any goods that you are bringing into the country. You can do this at a primary inspection kiosk (PIK) or eGate.
The Advance CBSA Declaration is part of the traveller modernisation initiative. It allows travellers to submit their customs and immigration declaration online up to 72 hours before arriving in Canada. This can save time at the border.
If you fail to declare goods, they may be seized, or you may be fined. Fines can range from 25% to 80% of the value of the seized goods.
Some prohibited goods include endangered species and anything made from their parts. All weapons and firearms must be declared. There may be other restrictions on certain goods, and some items may be subject to duty or taxes.
