CBSA Alerts Boaters on Reporting Rules

Ottawa, Ontario

With boating season fast approaching, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reminds all private boaters of their entry and reporting obligations when navigating Canadian waters or entering Canada by boat. Understanding the reporting requirements will help keep our borders secured and ensure an enjoyable season on the water.

Tips for boaters entering Canada:

• Know before you go. Before lifting anchor, be sure to review the CBSA's Reporting requirements for private boaters. All travellers entering Canada by boat must report to the CBSA without delay. Requirements vary depending on your itinerary, your nationality and number of passengers onboard.
• Making stops along the way? If you enter Canadian waters for a day and make no stops before leaving Canadian waters, you are not required to present yourself to CBSA. However you must report to the CBSA, if you:
  • land on Canadian soil
  • anchor, moor or come alongside another boat while in Canadian waters
  • disembark or embark people or goods in Canada
• If you are a foreign national, you must be admissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• All passengers onboard, regardless of their nationality, should have acceptable identification, such as a passport, CANPASS authorization or NEXUS card.
• Canadian boaters returning to Canada: If you leave and re-enter Canadian waters, you are not required to present yourself and report your goods to the CBSA if you:
  • did not land outside Canada and did not anchor, moor or make contact with another conveyance while outside of Canadian waters
  • did not embark or disembark any people or goods while outside Canada
• Surtaxes on certain US goods. If you've purchased goods in the U.S. and are bringing them into Canada, you may have to pay a 25% surtax in addition to regular duties and taxes. The lists of these products are on the Department of Finance website: products surtaxed as of March 4 and as of March 13. For residents of Canada, this surtax applies only to goods exceeding your personal exemptions limit. Visit the CBSA website for more details on how these surtaxes apply at the border.
• Where do I declare? Most private boaters have two ways to report to the CBSA:
  • At a telephone reporting site, call the CBSA's Telephone Reporting Centre to request clearance toll free at 1-888-226-7277; or you can
  • report directly in-person at one of the open designated marine reporting site locations, staffed by the CBSA.
• Exceptionally, private vessels carrying 30 or more passengers must seek clearance at a designated marine reporting site, and in writing, to advise the local CBSA office of the intention to clear at least 72 hours before arrival.
• Failure to report to the CBSA, even if it is to refuel, may result in detention, seizure or forfeiture of the boat and/or monetary penalties. The minimum fine for failing to report to the CBSA upon entry to Canada is $1,000.
• Know what's onboard. Restricted and prohibited goods include, but are not limited to, firearms and ammunition and weapons; food, plants, animals and related products; explosives and fireworks. You must report these goods to the CBSA and obtain the necessary permits, even if the goods meet the conditions for a reporting exception.
• Planning to fish in Canadian waters? You can bring your tackle box, but some fishing bait is not permitted to be brought into Canada for personal use and may be seized at the border.