As you prepare for holiday travels, knowing what you need to enter Canada will help ensure a smoother border crossing experience while also giving CBSA officers more time to continue focusing on stopping dangerous goods and inadmissible people from entering the country.
Here are some travel tips to help you plan for your trip:
• Have your travel documents readily available to present to an officer. This will speed up processing times at the border.
• When travelling with children who are not your own or for whom you don’t have full legal custody, we recommend you have a consent letter from the parent or legal guardian authorizing you to travel with the child. We are always watching for missing children, and in the absence of the letter, officers may ask additional questions.
• Be prepared to declare. Declare everything you have with you upon entry into Canada. If arriving by land, you are responsible for everything inside your vehicle.
• Leave gifts unwrapped. If traveling with gifts, make sure they are unwrapped or in gift bags in case border services officers need to inspect the contents.
• Bringing poultry products, including turkey: Be sure to review current restrictions on poultry and birds from the United States before bringing these products across the border. Homemade food or leftovers containing poultry cannot be brought into Canada.
Driving into Canada? Check border wait times to plan your route.
Early mornings are the best time to cross the border to avoid wait times. The Monday of holiday long weekends tend to be the busiest.
Leave your firearms and weapons at home. You are encouraged not to travel with firearms. If you choose to do so, be sure to check the rules on importing firearms.
Cannabis — don’t bring it in. Don’t take it out. While cannabis is legal in Canada, bringing it across the border in any form, including oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), without a permit or exemption authorized by Health Canada is a serious criminal offence subject to arrest and prosecution. A medical prescription from a doctor does not count as Health Canada authorization.
Bringing fireworks into Canada? Consult Importing, exporting and transporting fireworks to ensure that the ones you are bringing in are authorized.
Consider an alternative port of entry with shorter wait times or less traffic. Check the port of entry’s hours of operation on the official Directory of CBSA Offices and Services.