CBSA considering scrapping requirement for travellers with stopovers in Canada to check-in at customs

A Canada Border Services Agency patch is seen on the uniform of a CBSA officer at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, October 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is considering scrapping the requirement for international travellers to check in at customs before heading on their trips abroad.

The CBSA announced Monday that it initiated a 30-day consultation on a proposed regulatory change that would maintain border security and effectively streamline international travel for fliers passing through a Canadian airport, scrapping the requirement to check in with the CBSA beforehand.

If this proposed change goes through, air carriers will be required to gather and share any relevant additional information to the CBSA, like travellers’ final destinations, and when they are scheduled to return to Canada. The CBSA says this will help them confirm that fliers have left on their trips abroad.

While travellers may bypass customs, the CBSA says they still need to hold the proper immigration authorization and documents in order to travel through Canada.

“The Free Flow International-to-International Transit process would continue to ensure a high level of security while providing travellers with a more efficient transit process,” the release reads.

This initiative has been piloted out of three Canadian airports since 2023: Toronto Pearson, Montreal Trudeau and Vancouver. So far, more than 1.4 million travellers have been processed.

The Free Flow international transit program is one of Canada’s Red Tape Review initiatives, which includes reviewing federal departments and agencies.

The federal government says part of these actions include streamlining inefficient processes, strengthening service delivery and removing any overlap with other jurisdictions or regulators.