Canada Arrival Card: Requirements and How to Apply

The Canada Arrival Card helps travelers understand customs requirements before entering Canada. Learn how to declare goods and prepare for arrival.

Understanding the Canada Arrival Card

The term Canada Arrival Card often refers to the customs declaration travelers complete when entering Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) administers the process and checks travelers and the goods they bring into the country.

The official electronic option is called the Advance CBSA Declaration. Available through the official ArriveCAN service, it allows eligible air travelers to submit their customs and immigration answers up to 72 hours before arriving in Canada.

What Should Foreign Travelers Know Before Arriving?

The online declaration is optional, but it saves time; the digital self-service lets you complete it from anywhere. It also allows travelers to submit as a group.

Eligible travelers arriving at participating airports can submit it before their flight, while others can complete the declaration at their port of entry. Depending on the airport, this may involve an electronic kiosk, an eGate, or a paper declaration card.

A customs declaration is separate from your permission to enter Canada. Completing it doesn't replace a visitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). You have to double-check which travel documents are required before departure.

Do You Need to Complete a Canada Arrival Card?

Travelers must comply with Canada's customs declaration requirements, but you don't have to submit the optional Advance CBSA Declaration online before every trip. The process you follow depends on how you're entering Canada and which facilities are available at your arrival point.

More guidance on eGates and kiosks can be found on the official CBSA website. Facilities vary, and not every airport offers the same options.

How to Complete the Canada Arrival Card Online

If you're flying into a participating airport and are eligible to use the service, the Advance CBSA Declaration can help you prepare your answers before reaching the border. The service is free and available through the ArriveCAN mobile app or website.

Step 1: Open the official ArriveCAN service

First, visit the Government of Canada's ArriveCAN declaration page. Sign in or create an account, then follow the prompts.

Use the official government service rather than an unfamiliar third-party website offering paid form assistance.

Step 2: Enter your travel document details

Confirm the requested information from your passport or Canadian permanent resident card. If you are a foreign visitor traveling on a passport, enter your passport details accurately and use the same travel document when you arrive.

Ensure that your name and document information are all correct before continuing.

Step 3: Answer the declaration questions

Provide the requested travel, customs, and immigration information. Questions may cover the purpose of your visit and goods you're bringing into Canada, including food, plants, animal products, commercial goods, and currency or monetary instruments.

Read each question carefully, and if you're uncertain whether something must be declared, consult the CBSA's official guidance before submitting your answers.

Step 4: Submit within 72 hours of arrival

Submit your Advance CBSA Declaration within the 72-hour window before arriving in Canada. After you submit successfully, a confirmation screen should appear, and you'll receive an email with a reference number.

Keep the confirmation accessible, but remember that it isn't a visa, an eTA, or a guarantee of admission.

Step 5: Finalize your declaration at the airport

When you arrive, follow the signs to a primary inspection kiosk or eGate where available. Scan your travel document, review your saved answers, make any necessary corrections, and submit your final declaration.

Take the resulting receipt to a border services officer as instructed. You may be asked additional questions or directed to another inspection area.

Important: If you don't confirm your advance declaration at a kiosk or eGate within 72 hours of submitting it, it expires, and you'll need to submit a new one. If your flight is delayed or your trip is postponed, check the declaration status and follow CBSA instructions.

The CBSA features a dedicated guide to completing the card.

What Information Do You Need for the Canada Arrival Card?

Prepare the following information before completing your declaration. The exact questions depend on your circumstances and how you declare.

• Travel document: Have your passport or other accepted document ready.
• Travel details: Know your arrival method, flight or other transport details, and where you're arriving from.
• Purpose and duration of your visit: Be prepared to explain why you're visiting (tourism, business, study, or another reason) and how long you plan to stay.
• Accommodation details: Keep your first accommodation address handy in case an officer asks where you'll be staying.
• Goods you're bringing: Consider purchases, gifts, commercial goods, and food, plant, or animal products in your luggage.
• Currency and monetary instruments: Check whether you're carrying a combined value of CAN$10,000 or more that must be reported.

The CBSA Declaration Card (E311) includes questions about travelers, their journeys, and the goods they bring into Canada. The paper card lets you list up to four people living at the same address, but each traveler remains responsible for their own declaration.

What Should You Declare When Entering Canada?

Canada's customs declaration helps border officials determine whether goods can enter the country and whether duties, taxes, permits, or inspections may apply. Declaring an item doesn't automatically mean it will be prohibited.

Food, plants, and animal products

Canada restricts certain food, plant, and animal products to protect agriculture, wildlife, and the environment. Declare these products when required, even if they're packaged or intended for personal use.

Don't assume that snacks containing meat, fresh fruit, seeds, dairy products, or homemade food are permitted simply because they're for your own consumption. The rules depend on the product, its origin, and other circumstances.

Cash and monetary instruments

You must report currency and monetary instruments totaling CAN$10,000 or more when entering Canada. The threshold applies to the combined value in Canadian or foreign currency and qualifying instruments, such as checks, money orders, and bank drafts.

There isn't a general ban on bringing this amount into the country. However, you must report it correctly. Depending on how you arrive, you can report it through your Advance Declaration, a declaration card (if provided), an airport kiosk, or a verbal declaration to a border services officer.

Gifts, purchases, and commercial goods

Be prepared to declare gifts and purchases you're bringing into Canada. If you're carrying business-related items, such as product samples, tools, or equipment, you may need to identify them as commercial goods, even if you don't intend to resell them.

Whether duties or taxes apply depends on the goods and how you import them. Check CBSA's official guidance before traveling, especially if you're bringing expensive purchases or work equipment.

Cannabis and other restricted items

Bringing cannabis across Canada's border is illegal without a permit or exemption authorized by Health Canada. This applies even if cannabis is legal in your home country or where you live in Canada. Don't carry cannabis products across the border unless you have confirmed that a specific legal authorization applies to your situation.

Important note: Weapons, certain medicines, and other goods may also be prohibited or controlled. Check the relevant import rules before packing these items. 

Do You Need a Visa, eTA,0 or Just the Canada Arrival Card

The customs declaration and your immigration documents serve different purposes. Check each requirement separately before departure.

Most foreign nationals need either a visitor visa or an eTA, not both. The document you need depends on your citizenship, travel method, and circumstances. An eTA is generally associated with air travel, while visa requirements may apply when entering by air, land, or sea.

Note: You can’t assume that completing ArriveCAN gives you automatic permission to board a flight or enter Canada. 

Mistakes to Avoid When Completing the Canada Arrival Card 

A few checks before departure can prevent problems during the declaration process.

• Using an unofficial website: ArriveCAN's Advance CBSA Declaration is free. Avoid third-party services that charge unnecessary processing fees.
• Submitting outside the permitted window: Complete your advance declaration within 72 hours before arrival.
• Forgetting to finalize your answers: You must confirm the declaration at the appropriate kiosk or eGate after landing.
• Leaving out goods that require reporting: Review the questions carefully, especially those about food, commercial goods, and currency.
• Assuming every airport has the same facilities: Check the process available at your arrival airport.
• Giving inaccurate information: Correct mistakes when possible and tell a border services officer if you're unsure how to amend an answer.

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