Here’s what private boaters need to know about border requirements: CBSA

Boating requirements

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reminding all private boaters of their entry and reporting obligations when navigating Canadian waters or entering Canada by boat.

With boating season fast approaching, border officials say it’s important to understand the requirements to help keep the borders secure and ensure a safe and enjoyable season on the water.

Tips for boaters entering Canada:

• Know before you go. Before lifting anchor, be sure to review the CBSA’s Reporting requirements for private boaters. All travellers entering Canada by boat must report to the CBSA without delay. Requirements vary depending on your itinerary, your nationality and number of passengers onboard.
• Making stops along the way? If you enter Canadian waters for a day and make no stops before leaving Canadian waters, you are not required to present yourself to CBSA. However you must report to the CBSA, if you:
• If you are a foreign national, you must be admissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to enter Canada.
• All passengers onboard, regardless of their nationality, should have acceptable identification, such as a passport or NEXUS card.
• Canadian boaters returning to Canada: If you leave and re-enter Canadian waters, you are not required to present yourself and report your goods to the CBSA if you:
• Be prepared to declare. Declare everything you have with you upon entry into Canada.
• Where do I declare? Most private boaters have two ways to report to the CBSA:
• NEXUS members can call the NEXUS Telephone Reporting Centre at 1-866-99-NEXUS. For more information on NEXUS reporting procedures, visit How to use NEXUS to enter Canada.
• Private vessels carrying 30 or more passengers must seek clearance at a designated marine reporting site, and in writing, to advise the local CBSA office of the intention to clear at least 72 hours before arrival.
• Failure to report to the CBSA, even if it is to refuel, may result in detention, seizure or forfeiture of the boat and/or monetary penalties. The minimum fine for failing to report to the CBSA upon entry to Canada is $1,000.
• Know what’s onboard. Restricted and prohibited goods include, but are not limited to, firearms and ammunition and weapons; food, plants, animals and related products; explosives and fireworks. You must report these goods to the CBSA and obtain the necessary permits, even if the goods meet the conditions for a reporting exception.
• Planning to fish in Canadian waters? You can bring your tackle box, but some fishing bait is not permitted to be brought into Canada for personal use and may be seized at the border.
• If you’re bringing your own boat into Canada, make sure to clean, drain, and dry it before you arrive, otherwise, it may not be permitted entry into Canada until it is fully decontaminated. Learn more on decontamination : Import Prohibitions and Requirements for Commercial Importers of Aquatic Species and for Travellers Under the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations.
• Do not bring cannabis across the border. Crossing with cannabis in any form, including products or oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), without a permit or exemption authorized by Health Canada is a serious criminal offence, despite the legalization of cannabis in Canada. A medical prescription from a doctor does not count as Health Canada authorization.
• Smuggling drugs is illegal. Trafficking cannabis and other drugs across the border is a criminal offence. Beware of people who ask you to carry anything for them. Consequences are serious in Canada and abroad.
• CBSA’s Border Watch Line can be used to report suspicious cross-border activities anonymously.