Traveling to Canada

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS FOR NON-CANADIANS ENTERING CANADA

Passports and travel documents

Use a passport for international travel. It is the only reliable and universally accepted travel and identification document.

Permanent residents of Canada should have their Permanent Resident Card with them when they travel to Canada by public transit (plane, train, bus or boat) or when they transit through a Canadian airport.

CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

Citizens of the United States need a valid U.S. passport to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport.

Citizens of the United States coming to Canada by car, bus, train or boat need to carry proper identification and meet the basic requirements to enter Canada.

Citizens of the United States who are also Canadian citizens should bring a valid Canadian passport and a valid U.S. passport or travel document to board a flight from the Unites States to Canada. Carrying both documents may help simplify both your entry into Canada and your return to the United States.

Permanent residents of the United States need a valid Alien Registration Card and a passport to enter Canada.

DUAL CITIZENS

Dual Canadian citizens need a valid Canadian passport to board a flight to, or transit through, Canada by air.

If your other country of citizenship needs you to enter and exit that country using a passport issued by its government, you will still need a valid Canadian passport to board your flight to Canada. Make sure you carry both passports when you travel.

VISITOR VISAS AND ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATIONS

Most non-Canadians need either a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada, but not both. Some people may only need their valid passport.

Find out if you need a visa or an eTA to enter Canada

You may need to get a visa before arriving in Canada. Visas are issued by Canadian government offices abroad. Not all of these offices have visa officers, but those that do not will direct you to the nearest visa office.

If you don’t need a visa to travel to Canada, you will likely need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to, or transit through, a Canadian airport.

Find out about Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

RETURNING FROM CANADA

MARKING YOUR DECLARATION

If you are returning to Canada by commercial aircraft, you will receive a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Declaration Card to complete before you land. These cards are also used at some locations for travelers arriving by train, boat or bus.

If you have any questions about the card or Canadian regulations, please ask the border services officer when you arrive.

If you arrive in Canada in a private vehicle, such as an automobile, an aircraft, a boat or a bus, you can usually make an oral declaration.

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 to Canada, ask the border services officer for a BSF192, Personal Exemption CBSA Declaration. You will need your copy of this form to claim these goods. Otherwise, you may have to pay the regular duty and taxes on them. The form will only be completed by a border services officer at the CBSA port of entry. This form is not available online.

If you arrive at selected international airports, you can make an on screen declaration using a Primary Inspection Kiosk. Scan your travel document, take your photo and answer a few questions to complete your declaration. And if you use our eDeclaration mobile app, you can reduce your processing time at the kiosk by 50%.

If you arrive at an airport without the kiosks, you will receive a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Declaration Card to complete before you land.

If you have any questions about your declaration, ask the border services officer when you arrive.

FALSE DECLARATIONS AND SEIZURE OF GOODS

If you do not declare, or falsely declare, goods, the CBSA can seize them. This means that you may lose the goods permanently or that you may have to pay a penalty to get them back. Depending on the type of goods and the circumstances involved, the CBSA may impose a penalty that ranges from 25% to 80% of the value of the seized goods.

The Customs Act provides border services officers with the authority to seize vehicles that were used to import goods unlawfully. When this happens, the CBSA imposes a penalty that you must pay before the vehicle is returned to you.

If you do not declare tobacco products and alcoholic beverages at the time they were imported, the CBSA will seize them permanently.

The CBSA keeps a record of infractions. If you have an infraction record, you may have to undergo a more detailed examination on future trips. You may also become ineligible for the NEXUS and CANPASS – Private aircraft programs.

If your goods were seized and you wish to dispute the action, you can appeal by writing a letter to the CBSA within 90 days of the date of the seizure. You can find more information about the appeal process on your seizure receipt form.

PROTECTING YOUR VALUABLES

Before bringing highly valuable items with you when you travel outside Canada, you may wish to take advantage of a free identification service that is available at all CBSA offices. This service is available for items that have serial numbers or other unique markings. If the items do not have these markings, the CBSA can apply a sticker to them so that they can be identified for customs purposes as goods that are legally entering Canada.

When you show your valuables to a border services officer and state that you acquired them in Canada or lawfully imported them, the officer will list the valuables and their serial numbers on a wallet-sized card called a BSF407, Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation. This form is only available at the port of entry. If you are questioned about your goods when you return to Canada, show your card to the officer. This will help identify the valuables that were in your possession before leaving the country.

BIOSECURITY AT THE BORDER: FOOD, PLANTS, ANIMALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS

Every traveler entering Canada has a key role to play in protecting Canada’s animals, plants and environment. Many travelers are unaware of the hazards in failing to declare food, plant and animal products, but the risks to Canada’s food supply, economy, environment and human health are very real. They threaten our food supply. They threaten Canada’s agriculture industry and economy. They threaten our environment and natural resources.

For additional information on traveling to Winnipeg, please visit https://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/plan-your-trip/travel-information.