Entering Canada

The short version

For most Americans, getting into Canada takes about two minutes. You hand over a US passport (or, by land, a passport card or enhanced driver's license), answer a few questions about where you're going and what you're bringing, and you're through. US citizens don't need a visa or an eTA, and the officer will usually admit you for up to six months.

The people who run into trouble tend to fall into a few groups: anyone with a criminal record, and above all a DUI; adults traveling with children who aren't theirs or without the other parent; drivers who forgot the pepper spray in the glovebox or a vape cartridge in the console; and hunters and gun owners who didn't do the paperwork. Each has a fix if you plan ahead, and this page walks through all of them.

Canada's border agency is the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Its officers decide who comes in. Coming home, you deal with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), covered on our border crossing page and in what you can bring back.

Passport book, passport card or enhanced license

The rules come from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the US law that set which documents Americans need to come home from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Canada's own rules for US citizens are looser on paper, but you still have to get back into the US, so plan around WHTI.

Passport book

If you're flying, you need a passport book. It also covers every other way in, so if you're applying for the first time and might ever fly to Canada (or anywhere), get the book. Canada doesn't require a set number of months of validity beyond your stay, but your passport must be valid when you cross and when you come home.

Passport card

The card is the size of a driver's license and costs much less than the book. It's valid only at land crossings and seaports, so it covers the drive to Niagara, a walk across the Rainbow Bridge or the Coho ferry to Victoria. It won't get you onto a flight to or from Canada. Plenty of border-state families keep a card in the wallet for spontaneous trips and a book in the drawer for flights.

Enhanced driver's license

Five states issue EDLs: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. An EDL proves both identity and US citizenship, so it works like a passport card at land and sea crossings. It doesn't work for flights into Canada. EDLs are also REAL ID compliant, which matters for domestic flights at home.

NEXUS

NEXUS is the joint US-Canadian trusted-traveler program. Members get dedicated lanes at land crossings, kiosks or eGates at major Canadian airports, Global Entry kiosks when entering the US (including at US preclearance in Canadian airports), and TSA PreCheck at home. If you cross more than two or three times a year, it pays for itself quickly.

• Cost: US$120 for a five-year membership. Children under 18 are free.
• Who qualifies: US and Canadian citizens and permanent residents with a clean record. Any criminal conviction, a customs violation or a past immigration problem can get you refused, and both countries must approve you.
• How to apply: Apply and pay online through CBP's Trusted Traveler Programs site, wait for conditional approval, then finish with interviews. Processing times and interview options have shifted repeatedly since 2022, so check the current process when you apply.
• Every person counts: At land crossings, everyone in the car must hold NEXUS to use the NEXUS lane. One passenger without a card can cost the driver their membership.

Apply for NEXUS on CBP's Trusted Traveler Programs site. Our border page covers how the NEXUS lanes work at specific crossings.

Arriving by air: kiosks, eGates and the Advance CBSA Declaration

At Canada's big international airports you don't fill out a paper card. You either scan your passport at a primary inspection kiosk or eGate and answer the customs questions on screen, or you submit the same answers ahead of time with the Advance CBSA Declaration.

The Advance CBSA Declaration lives inside ArriveCAN, the app Canada used for COVID-era entry and has since turned into an optional customs tool. You can submit it up to 72 hours before you land, through the app or the web version. Then at the airport you scan your passport, confirm, and often use a faster lane. It's optional and free. It works at participating international airports, which include Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Montreal-Trudeau, Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifax and Quebec City; the CBSA keeps the current list. It doesn't apply at land crossings, where you answer the officer in person.

Get ArriveCAN and the Advance CBSA Declaration

Flying home, most Canadian airports with US flights have US preclearance: you clear CBP in Canada before you board and land in the US as a domestic passenger. See flights for how that works and how much time to allow.

Green-card holders, dual citizens and the eTA

US citizens

No eTA. The electronic travel authorization (C$7, about $5) is for visa-exempt travelers from other countries who are flying in. If a site tells you as a US citizen that you need one, it's a scam.

US green-card holders

Lawful permanent residents of the US don't need an eTA either, as of a 2022 rule change. What you need depends on how you arrive:

• By air: your valid green card plus your passport from your country of citizenship. The airline will check both before you board.
• By land or sea from the US: your valid green card. The CBSA says you don't have to show your passport, though bring it anyway, since CBP may want it when you come home and an expired card causes problems.

If your green card has expired and you have only an extension letter or I-551 stamp, check with the CBSA before you go, and with CBP about re-entry.

Canadian-American dual citizens

Canadian citizens have the right to enter Canada, and officers will treat you as Canadian once you say so. Canada generally requires its citizens to fly in on a Canadian passport, but it makes an exception for Canadian-US dual citizens with a valid US passport, who can fly to Canada on that. At land crossings, tell the officer you're a Canadian citizen and show your Canadian passport, citizenship certificate or other proof. Coming back into the US, US law expects you to use your US passport or another WHTI document.

Other nationalities in your group

If a traveling companion isn't a US citizen or green-card holder, their rules depend on their passport: an eTA if they're from a visa-exempt country and flying, or a visitor visa (C$100, about $71) if not. Check on IRCC's site well before you travel; visas can take weeks.

Traveling with children

Canadian officers are trained to watch for child abduction and trafficking, so adults crossing with kids get more questions. That's normal and doesn't mean anything is wrong. Have the right papers and it goes quickly.

Documents for kids

• By air: every child, including infants, needs a US passport book.
• By land or sea: US citizens under 16 can use an original or certified copy of their birth certificate, a passport card or a passport. Kids under 19 traveling with a school, religious or youth group under adult supervision can also use a birth certificate.

Consent letters

Canada strongly recommends a consent letter whenever a child travels with only one parent, with grandparents or friends, with a group, or alone. The letter comes from the parent or parents who aren't traveling and should give their full names, addresses and phone numbers, the trip dates and destination, and who the child is traveling with. Canada publishes a free fillable form.

• Have it signed by each parent or guardian who isn't on the trip.
• Get it notarized. It isn't legally required, but officers trust it more and it can save you a trip to secondary.
• Bring copies of custody orders or divorce papers if they cover travel, and a death certificate copy if a parent has died.
• Arrive at the border in the same vehicle as the children.
• Expect the officer to talk to older kids directly. Tell them beforehand that it's routine.

Download Canada's consent letter form

Criminal records and DUIs

This is the issue that surprises Americans most. Canada can refuse entry to anyone convicted of a crime that would be an offense under Canadian law, including convictions that are decades old, minor in US terms or expunged. Canadian officers can see US criminal records through information sharing with US agencies, so assume they will know.

Why DUIs are such a problem

Impaired driving is a criminal offense in Canada, unlike the misdemeanor or traffic-court treatment common in many US states. Since December 18, 2018, impaired driving carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in Canada, which puts it in the "serious criminality" category for immigration purposes. That one change made it much harder for people with US DUIs to get in.

Lesser US charges such as DWAI or "wet reckless" can still be treated as equivalent to a Canadian offense, depending on the facts. Pending charges and arrests without a conviction can also lead to questions and a refusal if you can't show how the case ended.

Your options

What a realistic timeline looks like

• One DUI in 2012, probation and fines finished in 2013, nothing since: likely deemed rehabilitated since 2023. Carry the court disposition and proof the sentence was completed.
• One DUI in 2021, probation ended in 2023: not eligible for rehabilitation until 2028. Until then, a TRP is the only route, and it isn't guaranteed.
• Several convictions: deemed rehabilitation doesn't apply. Plan on an individual application.

Some offenses that were crimes in the US but aren't in Canada, such as some simple marijuana possession convictions, may no longer make you inadmissible. Don't assume; carry the paperwork and ask before you go. Many people with complicated records hire a Canadian immigration lawyer or licensed consultant.

IRCC: overcoming criminal convictions

What you can bring: alcohol, tobacco and gifts

As a visitor you can bring your own clothes, camera, laptop, camping and sports gear, and your car, duty-free, as long as you take it all home again. You can't leave those things in Canada, sell them, or give them to a Canadian resident without declaring it.

Alcohol

You must be of legal drinking age in the province where you enter: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, and 19 everywhere else. Then you can bring in one of these duty-free:

You can bring more if you declare it and pay duty and provincial taxes, which are high. Provincial limits also apply.

Tobacco and vaping

Visitors 18 and over can bring 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 g (7 oz) of loose tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks, plus up to 12 vaping containers totaling no more than 120 ml of liquid. The 18 minimum applies across Canada for tobacco and vaping, even in provinces where the drinking age is 19.

Gifts

Gifts worth C$60 (about $43) or less each come in free. Above that, duty and tax apply only to the amount over C$60. Alcohol and tobacco don't count as gifts under this rule. Leave gifts unwrapped, because officers may want to look.

Cannabis: don't cross with it

Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, and it is still illegal to carry it across the border in either direction. That includes edibles, vape cartridges, oils, pre-rolls, medical cannabis with a US prescription, and CBD products, which Canadian law treats as cannabis. The CBSA calls it a serious criminal offense; penalties can include arrest, prosecution and being barred from Canada.

Before you drive north, check the car: consoles, door pockets, bags you haven't used since a festival. Coming home, the same rule applies at the US border, where cannabis remains illegal under federal law no matter what your state allows. If you want to buy legal cannabis in Canada, the rules by province are on our drinks and cannabis page; use it up before you leave.

Firearms, pepper spray and bear spray

Firearms

Canada controls guns far more strictly than any US state. You must declare every firearm at the border, and undeclared firearms are seized; you can be charged. A confiscated gun usually isn't returned. Personal protection is not an accepted reason to bring a gun. Hunting, approved competitions and protection from wildlife in remote areas can be, depending on the firearm.

• Check which class your firearm falls into. Non-restricted firearms are most ordinary hunting rifles and shotguns. Restricted firearms include most handguns. Prohibited firearms, including many semi-automatic models banned since 2020 and later additions, can't be brought in at all.
• Fill out the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (form RCMP 5589) in advance, but don't sign it until a CBSA officer asks you to. It costs C$25 (about $18) and, once confirmed, acts as a temporary license for up to 60 days.
• For a restricted firearm, you also need an authorization to transport from the chief firearms officer of the province you'll be in, arranged before you travel. Handgun rules tightened sharply after Canada's national handgun freeze took effect in 2022, and most visitors simply can't bring one now.
• Know the magazine limits: generally 5 rounds for semi-automatic centerfire long guns and 10 for handguns. Larger magazines must be permanently altered.
• Get your provincial hunting license separately, and check rules for crossing national parks with a firearm.

If anything is unclear, call the Canadian Firearms Program at 1-800-731-4000 before you go. For most travelers the easier answer is to leave guns at home.

Pepper spray, stun guns and other weapons

Pepper spray, mace and other sprays meant for use on people are prohibited weapons in Canada. So are stun guns and Tasers, brass knuckles, switchblades and other automatic knives, butterfly knives and push daggers. Things that are normal on a keychain in many US states can lead to seizure and charges at the Canadian border.

Bear spray

Bear spray is legal in Canada and widely sold in the Rockies and BC, and it's allowed across the border when it's clearly labeled for use against animals. Declare it. You can't carry it on a plane, so if you're flying to Calgary or Vancouver for a hiking trip, buy a can there; outdoor shops and many park-area gas stations sell it. See outdoors for bear safety.

Food, plants and pets

Declare all food, plants and animals. Declared items that aren't allowed are simply taken; undeclared ones can bring a penalty of up to C$1,300 (about $930). Most snacks, packaged groceries and a cooler for the drive are fine.

• Usually fine: commercially packaged, labeled foods; baked goods; reasonable amounts of US fruit and vegetables for your own use; coffee and tea.
• Check first: meat, poultry, eggs and dairy, where rules can change quickly during animal disease outbreaks such as bird flu. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) gives the rule for a specific item.
• Leave at home: firewood (buy it where you camp, to stop invasive insects), soil, and plants you intend to replant.

Dogs and cats from the US generally need a current rabies vaccination certificate signed by a vet. The bigger hurdle is coming home: the US now has its own dog entry rules, including a microchip, a minimum age and a CDC form. Read our pets page before you take a dog north.

Cash over C$10,000

There's no limit on how much money you can carry into Canada, but you must report currency and monetary instruments worth C$10,000 (about $7,140) or more in total. That counts cash in any currency plus things like traveler's checks, bank drafts, money orders and bearer bonds. Tell the officer and fill in the form. Unreported amounts can be seized, and getting them back is slow and may cost a penalty. The US has a matching rule for more than $10,000 when you come home. For everyday money matters, see money.

What the officer asks

A primary inspection at a land crossing usually takes one to three minutes. At the booth:

• Turn off the radio, take off sunglasses, and roll down windows so the officer can see everyone.
• Hand over documents for everyone in the car at once, opened to the photo page.
• The driver usually answers, but the officer may speak to any passenger.

Expect some of these:

• Where do you live, and where are you headed?
• What's the purpose of your trip, and how long will you stay?
• Whose car is this? (Have the registration, or the rental agreement.)
• Are you bringing any alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, gifts or goods to leave in Canada?
• Do you have any firearms or weapons, including pepper spray, mace or stun guns?
• Are you carrying C$10,000 or more?
• Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?
• Are you bringing food, plants or animals?

Answer briefly and truthfully. You don't need to volunteer your life story, but "a few days" is a worse answer than "three nights in Montreal, staying at a hotel downtown". If you're visiting to work, even for a short gig or a conference where you'll be paid, say so; work rules are different, and being caught working as a tourist causes problems on later trips.

Officers can send any traveler to secondary inspection for a closer look at documents, the car or electronic devices. It's routine and doesn't mean you're in trouble. Be polite, answer questions and don't argue; arguing has never shortened a secondary inspection.

Before you go: a checklist

• Passport book for everyone if flying; book, card, EDL or NEXUS for everyone if driving.
• Children's passports or birth certificates, plus a signed (ideally notarized) consent letter if a parent isn't traveling.
• Court records if you have any conviction, and rehabilitation approval or a TRP if you need one.
• Green card and home-country passport for permanent residents.
• Car clear of cannabis, CBD, pepper spray and weapons.
• Firearms declaration completed but unsigned, if you're bringing a gun.
• Pet vaccination records; read pets for the trip home.
• Advance CBSA Declaration submitted within 72 hours of landing, if your airport takes it.
• Health insurance that covers you abroad; provincial plans don't cover visitors. See health.

Next, plan the crossing itself on our border page, or start with the basics in planning your trip.