Information for visitors to Canada

Section 3: Coming to Canada? Enjoy your stay!

• Have proper ID
• Travelling with children
• What you can bring with you
• Alcohol and tobacco
• Food, plant and animal products
• Firearms and other restrictions
• Travelling with money or monetary instruments over CAN$10,000
• Trusted Traveller programs
• Visitors to Canada and other temporary residents brochure
• Arriving by Air: Welcome Home. Welcome to Canada

Have proper ID

When you enter Canada, a border services officer may ask to see your passport and a valid visa (if you are arriving from a country from which one is required). If you are a United States (U.S.) citizen, you do not need a passport to enter Canada; however, you should carry proof of your citizenship such as a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization or a Certificate of Indian Status, as well as a photo ID. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S., you must bring your permanent resident card with you.

Travelling with children

Border services officers are on alert for children who need protection. Children under the age of 18 seeking to enter Canada are classified as minors and are subject to the entry requirements set out under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

A more detailed examination will be conducted for minors entering Canada without proper identification or those travelling in the company of adults other than their parents or legal guardian(s). This additional scrutiny helps ensure the safety of the children.

Minor children travelling alone must have proof of citizenship. We also strongly recommend that the children carry a letter from both parents (if applicable) that authorizes the person meeting them to take care of them while they are in Canada. The letter should include the length of the stay and the address and telephone numbers of the parents.

If you are travelling with minors, you must carry proper identification for each child such as a birth certificate, passport, citizenship card, permanent resident card or Certificate of Indian Status. If you are not the parent or guardian of the children, you should also have written permission from the parent/guardian authorizing the trip. The letter should include addresses and telephone numbers where the parents or guardian can be reached.

Divorced or separated parents should carry custody or legal separation documents and/or a letter of authorization to facilitate their entry into Canada.

If you are travelling with a group of vehicles, make sure you arrive at the border in the same vehicle as your children, to avoid any confusion.

What you can bring with you

As a visitor, you can bring certain goods into Canada for your own use as “personal baggage.” Personal baggage includes clothing, camping and sports equipment, cameras and personal computers. It also includes vehicles, private boats and aircraft.

You must declare all goods when you arrive at the first CBSA port of entry. Border services officers do conduct examinations of goods being imported or exported to verify declarations. If you declare goods when you arrive and take them back with you when you leave, you will not have to pay any duty or taxes. These goods cannot be:

• used by a resident of Canada;
• used on behalf of a business based in Canada;
• be given as a gift to a Canadian resident; or
• disposed of or left in Canada.

The border services officer may ask you to leave a security deposit for your goods, which will be refunded to you when you export the goods from Canada. Should this occur, the officer will issue a Form E29B (PDF, 507 KB), Temporary Admission Permit, retain a copy and give you one for your records. When you leave Canada, present your goods and your copy of Form E29B to the officer who will give you a receipt copy of the form and your security deposit will be refunded by mail.

For more information on what you can bring with you to Canada, consult the Visitors to Canada brochure.

Alcohol and tobacco

As a visitor or a temporary resident, you may import, free of duty and taxes, the following amounts of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, as long as these items are in your possession when you arrive in Canada.

Alcoholic beverages

You are allowed to import only one of the following amounts of alcoholic beverages free of duty and taxes:

• 1.5 litres (53 imperial ounces) of wine; or
• a total of 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of alcoholic beverages; or
• up to 8.5 litres of beer or ale.

Tobacco products

You are allowed to bring all of the following amounts of tobacco into Canada free of duty and taxes:

• 200 cigarettes;
• 50 cigars;
• 200 grams (7 ounces) of manufactured tobacco; and
• 200 tobacco sticks.

For more information on bringing alcohol or tobacco to Canada, consult the Visitors to Canada brochure.

Food, plant and animal products

All food, plants, animals, and related products must be declared. Food can carry disease, such as E. coli. Plants and plant products can carry invasive alien species, such as the Asian Long-Horned Beetle. Animals and animal products can carry diseases, such as avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease. Furthermore, certain species of plants and animals are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and their trade is carefully controlled. Because of these risks, the Government of Canada regulates the import of certain food, plants, animals and related products to and from Canada.

Based on emerging threats, the import requirements for food, plants, animals and related products are subject to change on a daily basis. To determine the most up-to-date import requirements for these items, refer to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Automated Import Reference System at www.inspection.gc.ca. AIRS is an automated reference tool that will lead you through a series of questions about the food, plant, animal or related product you wish to import to determine the applicable regulations, policies and import requirements.

For more information on bringing food, plants or animals to Canada, consult the Be Aware and Declare Web site.

Firearms and other restrictions

Firearms

You must declare all weapons and firearms at the CBSA port of entry when you enter Canada. If not, you could face prosecution and the goods may be seized. You need documents to prove that you are entitled to possess a firearm in Canada, and you must transport it safely.

For more detailed information on importing a firearm into Canada, see the publication called Importing a Firearm or Weapon Into Canada or call the Border Information Service at one of the telephone numbers listed in the Additional information section.

Explosives, fireworks and ammunition

You are required to have written authorization and permits to bring explosives, fireworks and certain types of ammunition into Canada. For more information contact:

Explosives Regulatory Division
Natural Resources Canada
1431 Merivale Road
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0G1

Telephone: 613-948-5200
Web site: www.nrcan.gc.ca

Radio transmitting equipment

U.S. residents are allowed to operate aircraft, marine, amateur, citizens’ band (CB), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Family Radio Service (FRS) radios, as well as cellular and personal communications service (PCS) mobile radio telephones in Canada without explicit permission from Industry Canada. If you are not a U.S. resident, you will need permission from Industry Canada to use this equipment. For more information, contact Industry Canada by e-mail at spectrum_pubs@ic.gc.ca or visit its Web site at www.ic.gc.ca.

Items imported for commercial use

If you import vehicles, farm equipment or other capital equipment to use in construction, contracting or manufacturing, or other goods to use or to be used in a trade, you have to pay the goods and services tax (GST) and any applicable duty on these items.

Goods subject to import controls

To monitor the effects of imports on Canadian manufacturers, there are import controls on items such as clothing, handbags and textiles. These controls are outlined in the Export and Import Permits Act. Depending on the value, quantity or type of goods you intend to import, you may need an import permit even if you qualify for a personal exemption. For more information, call the Border Information Service at one of the telephone numbers listed in the Additional information section or contact:

Export and Import Controls Bureau
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0G2

Web site: www.international.gc.ca

Prohibited consumer products

The Hazardous Products Act prohibits the importation of consumer products that could pose a danger to the public, e.g. baby walkers, jequirity beans (often found in art or beadwork). Visitors, seasonal residents and other temporary residents should be aware of consumer products that have safety requirements in Canada. Many of these safety requirements are stricter than requirements for other countries. For more information about prohibited and restricted products, contact Health Canada:

Web site: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/cps

Prohibited goods

You cannot import prohibited goods such as obscene material, hate propaganda and child pornography into Canada.

Used or second-hand mattresses

You cannot import used or second-hand mattresses into Canada unless you have a certificate verifying that the mattresses have been cleaned and fumigated in the country of export. A letter, or any other document that clearly demonstrates that this requirement has been met, is acceptable if it is signed by a person qualified in cleaning and fumigation.

Health products (prescription drugs)

In Canada, health products may be regulated differently than they are in other countries. For example, what is available without a prescription in one country may require a prescription in Canada. Canada, like many other countries, has restrictions on the quantities and types of health products that can be brought into the country. For more information regarding health products and their importation into Canada, please consult Health Canada’s Web site at www.hc-sc.gc.ca.

Cultural property

Certain antiquities or cultural objects, considered to have historical significance to their country of origin, cannot be brought into Canada without the appropriate export permits. Before you import such items, you should contact:

Movable Cultural Property
Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy Street, 3rd floor
Gatineau, Quebec  K1A 0M5

Telephone: 819-997-7761
Fax: 819-997-7757
Web site: www.pch.gc.ca

Money and monetary instruments over CAN$10,000

If you are importing or exporting monetary instruments equal to or greater than CAN$10,000 (or the equivalent in a foreign currency), you must report this to the CBSA when you arrive in Canada or before you leave. This applies to either cash or other monetary instruments.

For more information, please refer to the publication called Crossing the border with $10,000 or more?

Trusted Traveller programs

Want to save time at the border? Approved NEXUS or CANPASS members can use their credentials at certain ports of entry to speed up the clearance process.

Arriving by Air

Whether you're returning home or visiting Canada, you'll follow the same straightforward process when Arriving by Air. There are four simple steps to follow.

1. Pre-Arrival: Complete a Declaration Card
2. Arrival: First CBSA Checkpoint
3. Baggage and Second CBSA Checkpoint
4. Exit the CBSA's Area

For information, including a video guide and downloadable brochure, visit Arriving by Air: Welcome Home. Welcome to Canada.