Advance Declaration and ArriveCAN help topics

Privacy

ArriveCAN:

  • uses only the information provided by you, the user
  • does not use GPS or other technology on your mobile phone and does not track your location

How we use your data

We do not share the personal information from your saved traveller profile in a systematic way. After you use a kiosk or eGate and confirm (certify) your customs and immigration declaration, we may disclose your email address and the contents of your declaration with other government instituations such as Statistics Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada. The information is shared for the purpose of statistical reporting, public health and program integrity, as per Section 107 of the Customs Act and/or Section 8 of the Privacy Act.

Retention and disposal

When you use Advance Declaration, your personal information is encrypted and transmitted securely to, and retained by, the CBSA for a period of 72 hours. This allows the CBSA to retrieve your declaration when you arrive in Canada and validate your declaration at the airport kiosk or eGate.

You can delete your ArriveCAN account and the information saved in your "saved traveller profile" at anytime from the mobile or web application. Deleting your account or profile(s) does not delete your previously submitted advance declarations or existing passage records – those are kept by the CBSA on a secure server for a minimum of 15 years.

The personal information provided through ArriveCAN is protected according to the Privacy Act. Get the details:

Help with ArriveCAN

Creating an account and passwords

Entering your email address

The first step in creating a new account is to enter a valid email address. As you re-enter your email address to verify it, make sure:

  • there are no spaces in it, including at the end
  • it follows the correct format with an "@" sign
  • the entries in both fields match exactly

Password requirements

Passwords must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least 1 of the following:

  • upper case letter (A-Z)
  • lower case letter (a-z)
  • digit (0-9)
  • special character (^ $ * . [ ] { } ( ) ? " ! @ # % & / \, > ‹ ' : ; | _ ~)
    • do not use a space, = or +

You didn't get a verification code

Check your spam, junk, and/or promotions folder in case the email went there. There may be a brief delay before you receive the code. Wait for a while before requesting a new code.

Do not close the app while on the "Activate your account" screen. If you do, you will need to restart the activation process.

If you have not left the "Activate your account" screen in ArriveCAN, you can request a new verification code. Select "Resend code." Previous codes will no longer work.

If you get an error message after entering your verification code, make sure that you didn't add any extra characters or spaces when you copied the 6-digit code from the email.

If the error message persists, try signing in again with the email and password you created. Do not select "Create account."

You will receive a pop up message saying that your account exists but hasn't been verified. Select "Send me a verification code" and enter the code from the latest email once it arrives. Previous codes will no longer work.

Once you successfully enter your code, your account is activated. The same email and password may be used to sign in to the mobile app or ArriveCAN online.

You forgot your password

If you forget your password, select "Forgot password?" below the sign in button. Make sure you enter the same email address you used to create your account.

If an account exists for the email address you enter, ArriveCAN will send you a verification code you can use to set a new password.

You didn't receive your password reset email

  • Make sure you're using the same email address you used to create your account
  • Make sure the email address is properly formatted
  • Check your spam, junk or promotions folder
  • Use the code from the last email sent to you

You must follow the instructions in the email within 24 hours of receiving it. If you miss this timeframe, open ArriveCAN and click "Forgot password?" to start over.

Note for resetting the password on unverified accounts: If you never completed the account activation step by entering the verification code within the first 24 hours of creating the account, the account no longer exists and you will not receive an email.

  • If it has been more than 24 hours since creating the account, you can start over at Step 1 to create your account using your email address
  • If you did not complete the account activate step by entering the verification code and it has been less than 24 hours since creating your account, you can:
    • contact us for technical support
    • wait 24 hours from the time you first created the account and start over
    • create a new account using a different email address

Using the "saved traveller profile" feature

This feature allows you to save only your travel document information (passport number etc.) for future use. The information is stored privately and securely on a Government of Canada server.

Since , there are no longer COVID-19 related restrictions in place for travel to Canada. Visit COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders for the latest COVID-19 related travel requirements.

Any COVID-19 vaccination records you may have previously uploaded in ArriveCAN are no longer available via the app. If you are a Canadian or permanent resident, visit the COVID-19 proof of vaccination in Canada to obtain records of your vaccination history.

Read our ArriveCAN saved traveller privacy notice.

ArriveCAN web version isn't working

Problems signing in

Make sure you are using an up-to-date browser such as Chrome, Edge, Safari, FireFox, etc.

Refresh the sign-in page in your browser. Doing this will cause it to update with the latest version.

If you are still having problems, try resetting your password.

Drop-down list items are in the wrong language

This happens sometimes on shared computers where ArriveCAN has been used by someone in an other language. Refresh the page on your browser and this should clear it up.

If you are still having problems, you may need to clear the cache and cookies in your web browser.

ArriveCAN mobile app isn't working

Unable to download the app from Google Play or the App Store

Check to see that:

  • you are signed in properly to Google Play or the Apple App Store
  • you have space available on your mobile device
  • your mobile device meets the minimum requirements listed in the ArriveCAN app store entry

Problems signing in

Make sure you have the most up-to-date version of ArriveCAN. Open the app store on your device and check if an update is available.

If you are still having problems, try resetting your password.

ArriveCAN is crashing

If your up-to-date ArriveCAN app is crashing, try to use ArriveCAN after completing each of the following steps:

  1. shut down and restart your mobile device
  2. clear your ArriveCAN cache (the option to do this will be in your device settings)
  3. uninstall and reinstall the ArriveCAN app on your mobile phone
  4. please contact us

Accessibility: Using ArriveCAN on iOS with external keyboard

If you have enabled full keyboard access in your phone's Accessibility settings, you can read through long text in ArriveCAN using iOS's keyboard gestures. To turn on keyboard gestures, press the TAB+G keys on your keyboard. An information box will appear that tells you how to use keys to replace typical touch functionality.

  • Use the up arrow key to move through the text up as you read
  • Use the down arrow key to move the screen down to view previous text

Note: Keyboard gestures will interfere with navigation on most ArriveCAN screens.

When you have finished reading the long text, disable keyboard gestures by pressing the TAB+G keys again on your keyboard. You will see an information box confirming that keyboard gestures is disabled.

Travel document

Make sure you're entering an official travel document. ArriveCAN accepts the following documents:

  • passport
  • permanent resident card

You don't have a surname (last name or family name) on your travel document

The "Surname" field on travel documents means the last name you were given at birth. If your travel documentation doesn't have a surname on it, write all names listed on your passport in the required field for your surname.

Help with Advance Declaration

Advance Declaration isn't working

Making an Advance Declaration using ArriveCAN is currently only available to travellers whose first point of arrival in Canada is one of the participating airports.

You must confirm your passport information or Canadian permanent resident card information. The Advance Declaration does not support other types of travel documents.

You may contact us if you still have issues preparing your declaration.

Deleting your ArriveCAN account

  1. Click the settings tab in the right corner of the ArriveCAN main screen
  2. Select "Delete Account" in the options menu
  3. Select "Delete my account" when ArriveCAN asks "Are you sure you want to delete your account?"

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