Telephone Reporting - Recreational Boaters

When a private pleasure boat enters Canada, the boat master must report to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) by telephone. Private boaters must dock at an approved marine telephone reporting site in Canada and call the telephone reporting centre (TRC) immediately on arrival.

Commercial vessels entering Canada cannot use this method of reporting.

How does it work?

The boat master has to contact the TRC immediately upon docking in Canada by calling 1-888-226-7277. If the 1-888 service is not available, boaters can call the normal business number for the appropriate TRC; however, long-distance charges may apply. The telephone numbers for the TRCs are as follows:

Lansdowne: 613-659-4576
Hamilton: 905-679-2073
Windsor: 519-967-4320
Victoria: 250-363-0222

The boat master must provide the TRC with the following information:

• Location of docking site;
• Vessel registration number;
• Final destination in Canada;
• Full name, date of birth and citizenship of all persons on board;
• Purpose of the trip and length of stay in Canada (for non-residents);
• Length of absence from Canada (for Canadian residents); and
• A customs declaration for each person on board.

All travellers on board must declare any personal goods they are importing, including firearms and weapons, and report all currency and monetary instruments of a value equal to or greater than CAN$10,000. For more information, see Cross Border Currency Reporting. If duties or taxes are payable, the CBSA officer will obtain the traveller's mailing address and Visa or MasterCard number and expiry date.

All private boaters have to dock at an approved marine telephone reporting site and make the required report before proceeding inland or to any other Canadian destination, unless they have made other arrangements directly with a local CBSA office. In this case, special service charges may apply. See Memorandum D1-2-1, Special Services, for more information.

The CBSA officer at the TRC will either provide the boater with a clearance number and permission to proceed to the final destination or instruct the boater to remain aboard the vessel until a CBSA officer arrives to complete the examination. Other than the master proceeding to a telephone to report, no traveller can leave the vessel until authorized to do so by the CBSA.

Exceptional circumstances

If a boat has to land at a place not designated for CBSA reporting due to weather conditions or other circumstances, the master has to call either 1-888-226-7277, a CBSA office or an office of the RCMP immediately upon docking. Depending on the circumstances, the boater may be cleared over the telephone, be asked to await the arrival of a CBSA officer at that site or be asked to travel to the nearest approved docking site at the first opportunity.

More information

For more information, see the brochure called Coming to Canada by Small Aircraft or Recreational Boat (RC4341).

If you frequently travel to Canada directly from the United States on a small private pleasure boat, the CANPASS – Private Boats program could be for you. The program provides expedited customs and immigration clearance for low-risk, pre-screened boaters entering Canada.

For more information on telephone reporting for private recreational boats or alternative reporting programs such as CANPASS or NEXUS, call the Border Information Service toll-free line at 1-800-461-9999 from anywhere in Canada. If you are outside Canada, call 204-983-3500 or 506-636-5064 (long-distance charges will apply).