Reporting Requirements for Private Boaters

Backgrounder

Reporting Requirements for Private Boaters                             

                                                                       

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) wishes to remind all private boaters how to report, as required by Canadian law, upon entering Canadian waters.

 

To prepare for your time on the water, we recommend you:

 

• Never leave home without acceptable identification.
• It is your responsibility as the owner/operator to ensure all those onboard have proper identification. A valid passport, while not mandatory, is the preferred piece of identification for entering Canada. Other acceptable forms of identification include a Canadian Permanent Resident Card, a Secure Certificate of Indian Status or a NEXUS card. An Enhanced Driver’s License or a Free and Secure Trade Card are also acceptable for residents returning to Canada.

 

• Know what you have onboard.
• All passengers must declare any goods being brought into Canada, as well as currency or monetary instruments totaling CAN$10,000 or more. Restricted goods include, but are not limited to: firearms and weapons; food, plants, animals and related products; explosives, fireworks and ammunition.

 

For more information, please consult the CBSA website.

How to report your entry to Canada:

Reporting from a CBSA marine reporting site

 

• All private boaters who enter Canadian waters are required to report to the CBSA Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC) at 1-888-226-7277. In most cases, you can do so by calling the CBSA from the telephone provided at the designated marine reporting site. There are also 10 staffed direct marine reporting sites where private boaters may report to the CBSA in person. For reporting site locations, consult Reporting requirements for private boaters.

Reporting from the water

 

Under certain conditions, you may report from the water by calling the CBSA from your cellphone at the location you first entered Canadian waters:

• if you are strictly weaving in and out of Canadian waters and not anchoring (e.g. water skiing, fishing or cruising); or
• if you are not landing in Canada or have not touched foreign soil, and you have not disembarked people or goods.

Note that everyone on board must be a citizen or permanent resident of either Canada or the United States.

If your activity changes—that is, you intend to dock in Canada or take on new persons or goods while in foreign waters—you must proceed to a CBSA designated marine telephone reporting site and call the TRC to obtain clearance.

Reporting exemptions

 

“In-transit” boats are exempt from CBSA reporting requirements. A vessel can be considered to be in-transit only if it is using Canadian waters for the purpose of moving from one location abroad directly to another location abroad. Such movement could be for reasons of the shortest route, the need for deep waters, or to evade obstacles such as bridges. In-transit movement must be continuous, uninterrupted and without delays or stopovers.

 

 

What to expect when calling the CBSA Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC):

 

Be sure to always have your travel documents, and those of all your passengers, on hand when you call the TRC to report entry into Canada.

 

When you call the TRC, you will be asked a series of questions about your trip, i.e. any passengers onboard the vessel, travel document details, and declarations. After recording the information provided, the CBSA officer will determine whether further verification or examination is required. If no examination is necessary, the CBSA officer will give you a report number, which means you are released and approved for entry into Canada. You should keep this report number available during your entire stay in Canada.

If a verification or examination is required, the CBSA officer will advise you to ensure all goods and passengers remain onboard until the verification team arrives at your location. A report number will be provided following the verification process.

Failure to report

Canadian law enforcement authorities patrol Canada’s coasts and inland waterways, and have the authority to stop any vessel that has entered Canadian waters.

Boaters that do not respect CBSA reporting requirements risk detention, seizure or forfeiture of the vessel and/or monetary penalties. The minimum fine for failing to report to the CBSA upon entry into Canadian waters is CAN$1,000.

Save time at the border

To minimize wait times for private boat owners/operators, we recommend that you pre-register your travel document information with the CBSA in advance. Refer to Pre-registration of travel information.

The CBSA’s Trusted Traveller programs streamline the border clearance process for pre-approved, low-risk travellers. NEXUS members and CANPASS - Private Boats members can provide advance notice to the CBSA at least 30 minutes and up to four hours prior to arriving in Canada by calling the NEXUS TRC at 1-866-99-NEXUS (1-866-996-3987) or the TRC at 1-888-CANPASS (1-888-226-7277) respectively.

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