Border control at Canadian airports: what happens to travellers and their data

Arriving: the steps at the border

At Canada's international airports, arriving travellers verify their identity and make an on-screen declaration at a primary inspection kiosk or eGate. As of 3 February 2026, the CBSA lists kiosks at Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson Terminals 1 and 3, Billy Bishop Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax and Hamilton. eGates are in use at Toronto Pearson Terminal 1 ¹.

The steps are: choose a language, scan the travel document, take a photo, verify fingerprints if required, answer the declaration questions, then take the printed receipt to a border services officer ³. Up to 5 travellers can share one kiosk. eGates process one person at a time ³. At airports without kiosks, travellers fill in a declaration card ¹.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents enter by right. For US travellers, an officer decides on entry after confirming identity and citizenship or permanent residence ¹⁴. Foreign nationals can usually stay up to 6 months from first entry or until their passport expires, whichever comes first. An officer can set a different period and stamp the passport ².

In 2021 the CBSA added an option to submit the customs and immigration declaration in advance through ArriveCAN, up to 72 hours before arrival. The kiosk retrieves it when the passport is scanned. Unused advance declarations are purged after 72 hours ¹³.

Entry permission: visa or eTA

Visa-exempt foreign nationals need an eTA to fly to or transit through Canada. US citizens, US lawful permanent residents and holders of a valid Canadian visa are exempt. Canadian citizens, dual citizens included, and permanent residents cannot apply. Some nationals of visa-required countries may fly to Canada on an eTA if eligible ⁵.

As of 5 June 2026, IRCC says an eTA costs CAN$7 ⁶. The CBSA says most applicants are approved within minutes, but some applications take several days. It warns against private websites that charge to submit applications ⁵.

Airlines check documents through Interactive Advance Passenger Information. The CBSA sends the airline a board or no-board message for each passenger before the flight leaves ⁵.

Biometrics, kiosks and eGates

Applicants for visitor visas, study permits and work permits must give fingerprints and a photo, with US nationals exempt from this rule for those permits. The rule covers permanent residence and refugee claims as well. Children under 14 and applicants over 79 are exempt, except asylum claimants. The fee is CAN$85 per person, with a family maximum of CAN$170 ⁷.

At the kiosk or eGate, the traveller's photo is compared with the travel document and printed on the receipt so the officer can check it. Fingerprints are verified only for people who gave them when applying for a work permit, study permit, temporary resident permit, visitor visa or permanent residence ⁴.

Travellers aged 14 and over may use an eGate. People travelling with children under 14 must use a kiosk. Travellers with non-machine-readable documents, documents other than a passport or Canadian permanent resident card, unaccompanied children under 14 and refugee claimants must see an officer in person. NEXUS members use their own kiosks and eGates ².

Passenger data: API and PNR

Commercial airlines must send the CBSA API and all available PNR for every passenger and crew member flying to Canada, from the last international airport before arrival ⁵.

API covers name, date of birth, gender, citizenship and travel document data, plus flight details and transit status. PNR comes from airline reservation and departure control systems and can include ticket type, travel dates, bags and seat. Airlines do not have to gather anything beyond what they collect for their own business ⁵.

The CBSA uses the data to identify high-risk travellers for closer questioning, and to detect terrorism, human smuggling, drug smuggling and other serious transnational crime. Its legal basis includes section 107.1 of the Customs Act and paragraph 148(1)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ⁵.

Canada collects exit data too. Since 25 June 2020 the CBSA has collected exit information on all travellers leaving by commercial air ¹¹. It gets this from airline passenger manifests and says it does not share air exit data with the United States ¹⁰.

Watch lists and checks

The Passenger Protect Program screens passengers on flights to, from and within Canada against the Secure Air Travel Act list, often called Canada's No Fly List. The Minister of Public Safety, or a delegate, lists people where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they threaten aviation or national security or intend to travel by air for terrorism ⁸.

An advisory group chaired by Public Safety Canada recommends names. It includes Transport Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP, IRCC and the CBSA. The list must be reviewed every 90 days. The law bars officials from saying whether a person is on the list ⁸.

If a listed passenger is flagged, the airline may apply extra screening or deny boarding. A person denied boarding gets a letter explaining how to apply for recourse ⁸. Travellers who share a name with a listed person can apply for a Canadian Travel Number to avoid delays ⁹.

Your data: the law, retention and how to ask for records

The CBSA keeps API and PNR for three and a half years from receipt and then destroys it. Data linked to an active investigation moves to an enforcement database for up to six years. API is disclosed only under section 107 of the Customs Act and section 8 of the Privacy Act. PNR linked to terrorism or serious transnational crime can be shared case by case with other departments or foreign states ⁵.

Travellers can ask for their own API and PNR free of charge by mailing a CBSA request form. Most replies come within 30 days. People can ask for corrections. If the CBSA refuses, it adds a note to the record, and the traveller can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner under the Privacy Act ⁵.

A Travel History Report lists a person's entries and exits. The CBSA keeps these records for 15 years. Requests are free under the Privacy Act for your own records and can take up to 30 days ¹¹. Kiosk data is deleted from the device once the receipt prints, and kept in CBSA systems under government privacy policies ⁴.

Who runs the systems

The CBSA runs border inspection, kiosks, eGates, API and PNR collection, and exit data ^1,510. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs the eTA and visa biometrics ^6,7. Public Safety Canada leads the Passenger Protect Program. The CBSA supplies its central screening technology, and Transport Canada handles possible matches with airlines ⁸. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) screens passengers at airports ¹².

Security screening on departure

CATSA allows containers of liquids, non-solid food and personal items of 100 ml or 100 g (3.4 oz) or less in carry-on bags. All must fit in one clear resealable bag of no more than 1 litre, one bag per passenger. Travellers take the bag out and place it in a bin at screening. Larger containers can go in checked baggage if not prohibited ¹².

CATSA says it must notify police if it finds an item that is illegal in Canada, such as pepper spray ¹².