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Info On Travelling to Canada

When you enter Canada, a border services officer may ask to see your passport and a valid visa, when necessary. If you are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a passport to enter Canada; however, you should carry proof of your citizenship such as a birth certificate, 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 United States, you must bring your permanent resident card (i.e. green card) with you. For more information on admissibility into Canada, read the fact sheet called Managing Access to Canada. It is available on our Web site at www.cbsa.gc.ca.

Bringing children into Canada

Border services officers are on alert for children who need protection. Children under the age of 18 are classified as minors and are subject to the same entry requirements as any other visitor to Canada.

We will conduct a more detailed examination of 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.

Minors travelling alone must have proof of citizenship and a letter from both parents detailing the length of stay, providing the parents’ telephone number and authorizing the person waiting for them to take care of them while they are in Canada.

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 divorced or separated, you should carry with you copies of the legal custody agreements for your children. If you are travelling with minors and you are not their parent/guardian, you should have written permission from the parent/guardian authorizing the trip. The letter should include addresses and telephone numbers of where the parents or guardian can be reached and identify a person who can confirm that the children are not being abducted or taken against their will.

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.

Personal baggage

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, tape recorders and personal computers. It also includes vehicles, private boats and aircraft.

You must declare all goods when you arrive at the 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 or 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, we will issue a Form E29B, Temporary Admission Permit. We will keep a copy and give you one for your records. When you leave Canada, present your goods and your copy of Form E29B to the border services officer. We will give you a receipt copy of the form and refund your security deposit by mail.

Alcohol and tobacco

If you meet the minimum age requirements of the province or territory where you enter Canada, you can include limited quantities of alcoholic beverages in your personal entitlement. These items must accompany you on your arrival.

Minimum ages for the importation of alcoholic beverages as prescribed by provincial or territorial authority, are 18 years for Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, and 19 years for Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Alcoholic beverages

You are allowed to import only one of the following amounts of alcohol free of duty and taxes:
1.5 litres (53 imperial ounces) of wine;
1.14 litres (40 ounces) of liquor;
a total of 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of wine and liquor; or
24 x 355 millilitre (12 ounces) cans or bottles (maximum of 8.5 litres) of beer or ale.

Note:
We classify "cooler" products according to the alcoholic beverage they contain. For example, beer coolers are considered to be beer, wine coolers are considered to be wine. We do not consider beer and wine products not exceeding 0.5% alcohol by volume to be alcoholic beverages.

You can bring in more than the free allowance of alcohol except in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. However, the quantities must be within the limit set by the province or territory where you will enter Canada. If the value of the goods is more than the free allowance, you will have to pay both customs and provincial or territorial assessments. For more information, check with the appropriate provincial or territorial liquor control authority before coming to Canada.

Tobacco products

You are allowed to bring in all of the following amounts of tobacco into Canada without paying duty:
200 cigarettes;
50 cigars or cigarillos;
200 grams (7 ounces) of manufactured tobacco; and
200 tobacco sticks.

You may bring in additional quantities but you will have to pay full duty and taxes on the excess amount. If you plan a side trip abroad during your visit, you must be out of Canada for at least 48 hours to be eligible to claim these entitlements again.

For additional information on travelling to Canada, please visit:
http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/rc4161-eng.html#P002