Ottawa, Ontario
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reminds travellers to plan ahead when crossing the border this summer.
Every day, CBSA officers play a crucial role protecting our communities. In 2025, the CBSA welcomed over 82 million travellers, stopped over 83,200 kg of illegal drugs from entering our communities and kept more than 18,500 weapons and firearms off our streets.
As you prepare for your summer travels, knowing what you need to enter Canada will help ensure a smoother border crossing experience and gives CBSA officers more time to focus on stopping dangerous goods and inadmissible people.
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.
- Flying into Canada? Use Advance Declaration and make your customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours in advance of your arrival into Canada (at participating airports).
- 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.
- Construction work at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle port of entry may cause higher than normal wait times.
- Consider alternative ports of entry with shorter wait times or less traffic.
- Check hours of operation for any port of entry using the Directory of CBSA Offices and Services.
- Use a GPS application to choose the best route.
- Entering Canada by boat? All travellers entering Canada by boat must report to the CBSA without delay. Reporting requirements may vary depending on your itinerary, your nationality and number of passengers onboard.
- 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, boat as well as luggage.
- Goods purchased abroad: If you are a resident of Canada, personal exemptions allow you to bring goods, including alcohol and tobacco (up to a certain value), back to Canada without paying regular duty and taxes. Make sure you know the value of goods you are bringing back in Canadian dollars and have your receipts available for the officer.
- When travelling with children who are not your own or for whom you don't have legal custody, bring 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.
- 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.
- Smuggling drugs is illegal. Trafficking drugs across the border is a criminal offence. Beware of people who ask you to carry anything for them. Consequences are serious in Canada and abroad.
- 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.
- Know before you go: Review the restricted and prohibited goods to avoid the possibility of penalties, including fines, seizure or prosecution. Make sure you have the information you need before attempting to bring items into Canada.
- Bringing fireworks into Canada? Consult Importing, exporting and transporting fireworks to ensure that the ones you are bringing in are authorized.
We encourage you to read and follow all of our travel tips before arriving at the border.
Not sure? Ask a CBSA officer. If you are not sure about what to declare, you can call us at 1-800-461-9999.
