CANPASS - Private Boats: Telephone Reporting

Do you frequently travel to Canada directly from the United States on a small private pleasure boat? If so, 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. It is a joint initiative of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

How does it work?

The boat master must report the estimated time of arrival (ETA) by calling 1-888-CANPASS (1-888-226-7277) at any time up to four hours before arriving in Canada. If the 1-888 service is not available, boaters can call the normal business number for the appropriate telephone reporting centre (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:

• ETA;
• Vessel registration number;
• Proposed initial docking site in Canada;
• 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);
• A customs declaration for each person on board (completed by either the master or the individual); and
• Updates to the original ETA if it has changed by more than 30 minutes or if other information has changed.

All travellers on board must declare any personal goods they are importing, including firearms and weapons, and report 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.

As proof of presentation, the CBSA officer will give the boat master a report number. The master has to give this number to a CBSA officer on request. If a CBSA officer is not waiting to meet the boat when it arrives at the reported ETA or actual time of arrival (whichever is later), the master can proceed to the final Canadian destination.

The landing privileges outlined above only apply when all persons aboard the vessel are participants in the CANPASS – Private Boats program. If a non-participant is aboard, see Telephone Reporting – Recreational Boaters.

More information

You can find out more about this program by consulting the CANPASS – Private Boats brochure, which is available at most CBSA offices.

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).