travel to us from canada food restrictions

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• For International Visitors
• Bringing Food Into The U.S.

Bringing Food into the U.S.

Many agriculture products are prohibited entry into the United States from certain countries because they may carry plant pests and foreign animal diseases.  All agriculture items must be declared and are subject to inspection by a CBP Agriculture Specialist at ports of entry to ensure they are free of plant pests and foreign animal diseases. Prohibited or restricted items may include meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, seeds, soil and products made from animal or plant materials.  For generally allowed food items please visit USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Declared agriculture items, in non-commercial quantities, that are found to be prohibited or restricted by the CBP Agriculture Specialists can be abandoned at the port of entry should the traveler wish to continue into the U.S. However, undeclared prohibited agriculture items will be confiscated and can result in the issuance of a civil penalty to the traveler for failure to declare the prohibited item . All agricultural items that are abandoned or confiscated at ports of entry are destroyed in accordance with USDA approved destruction methods to prevent spread of pests and diseases.

Agricultural pests and diseases are a threat to U.S. crop production and to the livestock industry. Some animal diseases can be highly contagious and could cause severe economic damage to livestock and result in losses in production, which could lead to increased costs for meat and dairy products. Plant pests and disease, as well as invasive plant material can cause crop loss and also damage lawns, ornamental plants, and trees.  Plant pest infestations can result in increased costs to consumers due to pest eradication efforts as well as lower crop yields.  High risk plant pest and animal disease outbreaks within the U.S. could also adversely affect the economy as a result of reduced trade of U.S. origin goods to countries around the world.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security are partners in the effort to protect American agriculture against the introduction of pests and diseases at our nation's ports of entry. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service determines what agricultural products are admissible into the U.S. and what products pose a risk and should be prohibited or restricted entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforce these agricultural rules and regulations at ports of entry. Learn more about protecting agriculture.

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Bring food from Canada for personal use to the United States

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• Fact Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions: Guidance for Travelers to Enter the U.S.

Updated Date: April 21, 2022

Since January 22, 2022, DHS has required non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.  On April 21, 2022, DHS announced that it would extend these requirements. In determining whether and when to rescind this order, DHS anticipates that it will take account of whether the vaccination requirement for non-U.S. air travelers remains in place.

These requirements apply to non-U.S. individuals who are traveling for essential or non-essential reasons. They do not apply to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, or U.S. nationals.

Effective November 8, 2021, new air travel requirements applied to many noncitizens who are visiting the United States temporarily. These travelers are also required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. All air travelers, including U.S. persons, must test negative for COVID-19 prior to departure. Limited exceptions apply. See  CDC guidance  for more details regarding air travel requirements.

Below is more information about what to know before you go, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about cross-border travel.

Entering the U.S. Through a Land Port of Entry or Ferry Terminal

Q. what are the requirements for travelers entering the united states through land poes.

A:  Before embarking on a trip to the United States, non-U.S. travelers should be prepared for the following:

• Possess proof of an approved COVID-19 vaccination as outlined on the  CDC  website.
• During border inspection, verbally attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status. 
• Bring a  Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative  compliant border crossing document, such as a valid passport (and visa if required), Trusted Traveler Program card, a Department of State-issued Border Crossing Card, Enhanced Driver’s License or Enhanced Tribal Card when entering the country. Travelers (including U.S. citizens) should be prepared to present the WHTI-compliant document and any other documents requested by the CBP officer.

 Q. What are the requirements to enter the United States for children under the age of 18 who can't be vaccinated?

A:  Children under 18 years of age are excepted from the vaccination requirement at land and ferry POEs.

Q: Which vaccines/combination of vaccines will be accepted?

A:  Per CDC guidelines, all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and authorized vaccines, as well as all vaccines that have an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO), will be accepted.

Accepted Vaccines:

• More details are available in CDC guidance  here .
• 2 weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose COVID-19 vaccine;
• 2 weeks (14 days) after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series;
• 2 weeks (14 days) after you received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in a clinical trial;
• 2 weeks (14 days) after you received 2 doses of any “mix-and-match” combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines administered at least 17 days apart.

Q. Is the United States requiring travelers to have a booster dose to be considered fully vaccinated for border entry purposes?

A:  No. The CDC guidance for “full vaccination” can be found here.

Q: Do U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents need proof of vaccination to return to the United States via land POEs and ferry terminals?

A:  No. Vaccination requirements do not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). Travelers that exhibit signs or symptoms of illness will be referred to CDC for additional medical evaluation.

Q: Is pre- or at-arrival COVID testing required to enter the United States via land POEs or ferry terminals?

A: No, there is no COVID testing requirement to enter the United States via land POE or ferry terminals. In this respect, the requirement for entering by a land POE or ferry terminal differs from arrival via air, where there is a requirement to have a negative test result before departure.

Processing Changes Announced on January 22, 2022 

Q: new changes were recently announced. what changed on january 22.

A:  Since January 22, 2022, non-citizens who are not U.S. nationals or Lawful Permanent Residents have been required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the United States at land ports of entry and ferry terminals, whether for essential or nonessential purposes. Previously, DHS required that non-U.S. persons be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the United States for nonessential purposes.  Effective January 22, all non-U.S. individuals, to include essential travelers, must be prepared to attest to vaccination status and present proof of vaccination to a CBP officer upon request. DHS announced an extension of this policy on April 21, 2022.

Q: Who is affected by the changes announced on January 22?

A: This requirement does not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents. It applies to other noncitizens, such as a citizen of Mexico, Canada, or any other country seeking to enter the United States through a land port of entry or ferry terminal.

Q: Do U.S. citizens need proof of vaccination to return to the United States via land port of entry or ferry terminals?

A: Vaccination requirements do not apply to U.S. Citizens, U.S. nationals or U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents. Travelers that exhibit signs or symptoms of illness will be referred to CDC for additional medical evaluation. 

Q: What is essential travel?

A:  Under the prior policy, there was an exception from temporary travel restrictions for “essential travel.” Essential travel included travel to attend educational institutions, travel to work in the United States, travel for emergency response and public health purposes, and travel for lawful cross-border trade (e.g., commercial truckers). Under current policy, there is no exception for essential travel.

Q: Will there be any exemptions? 

A: While most non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States will need to be vaccinated, there is a narrow list of exemptions consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Order in the air travel context.

• Certain categories of individuals on diplomatic or official foreign government travel as specified in the CDC Order
• Children under 18 years of age;
• Certain participants in certain COVID-19 vaccine trials as specified in the CDC Order;   
• Individuals with medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine as specified in the CDC Order;
• Individuals issued a humanitarian or emergency exception by the Secretary of Homeland Security;
• Individuals with valid nonimmigrant visas (excluding B-1 [business] or B-2 [tourism] visas) who are citizens of a country with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability, as specified in the CDC Order
• Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses or children (under 18 years of age) as specified in the CDC Order; and
• Individuals whose entry would be in the U.S. national interest, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Q: What documentation will be required to show vaccination status?

A:  Non-U.S. individuals are required to be prepared to attest to vaccination status and present proof of vaccination to a CBP officer upon request regardless of the purpose of travel.

The current documentation requirement remains the same and is available on the CDC website . Documentation requirements for entry at land ports of entry and ferry terminals mirror those for entry by air.

Q: What happens if someone doesn’t have proof of vaccine status?

A: If non-U.S. individuals cannot present proof of vaccination upon request, they will not be admitted into the United States and will either be subject to removal or be allowed to withdraw their application for entry.

Q: Will incoming travelers be required to present COVID-19 test results?

A: There is no COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers at land border ports of entry, including ferry terminals.

Q: What does this mean for those who can't be vaccinated, either due to age or other health considerations? 

A: See CDC guidance for additional information on this topic. Note that the vaccine requirement does not apply to children under 18 years of age.

Q: Does this requirement apply to amateur and professional athletes?

A: Yes, unless they qualify for one of the narrow CDC exemptions.

Q: Are commercial truckers required to be vaccinated?

A: Yes, unless they qualify for one of the narrow CDC exemptions. These requirements also apply to bus drivers as well as rail and ferry operators.

Q. Do you expect border wait times to increase?

A:  As travelers navigate these new travel requirements, wait times may increase. Travelers should account for the possibility of longer than normal wait times and lines at U.S. land border crossings when planning their trip and are kindly encouraged to exercise patience.

To help reduce wait times and long lines, travelers can take advantage of innovative technology, such as facial biometrics and the CBP OneTM mobile application, which serves as a single portal for individuals to access CBP mobile applications and services.

Q: How is Customs and Border Protection staffing the ports of entry? 

A: CBP’s current staffing levels at ports of entry throughout the United States are commensurate with pre-pandemic levels. CBP has continued to hire and train new employees throughout the pandemic. CBP expects some travelers to be non-compliant with the proof of vaccination requirements, which may at times lead to an increase in border wait times. Although trade and travel facilitation remain a priority, we cannot compromise national security, which is our primary mission. CBP Office of Field Operations will continue to dedicate its finite resources to the processing of arriving traffic with emphasis on trade facilitation to ensure economic recovery.

Q: What happens if a vaccinated individual is traveling with an unvaccinated individual?  

A:  The unvaccinated individual (if 18 or over) would not be eligible for admission.

Q: If I am traveling for an essential reason but am not vaccinated can I still enter?

A:  No, if you are a non-U.S. individual. The policy announced on January 22, 2022 applies to both essential and non-essential travel by non-U.S. individual travelers. Since January 22, DHS has required that all inbound non-U.S. individuals crossing U.S. land or ferry POEs – whether for essential or non-essential reasons – be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request.

Q: Are sea crew members on vessels required to have a COVID vaccine to disembark?

A:  Sea crew members traveling pursuant to a C-1 or D nonimmigrant visa are not excepted from COVID-19 vaccine requirements at the land border. This is a difference from the international air transportation context.

Entering the U.S. via Air Travel

Q: what are the covid vaccination requirements for air passengers to the united states  .

A:  According to CDC requirements [www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/noncitizens-US-air-travel.html | Link no longer valid], most noncitizens who are visiting the United States temporarily must be fully vaccinated prior to boarding a flight to the United States. These travelers are required to show proof of vaccination. A list of covered individuals is available on the CDC website.  

Q: What are the COVID testing requirements for air passengers to the United States?  

A:  Effective Sunday, June 12 at 12:01 a.m. ET, CDC will no longer require pre-departure COVID-19 testing for U.S.-bound air travelers.

• Border Security
• Transportation Security
• Airport Security
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Traveling into the United States From Canada at Land Borders

Restricted/prohibited plants.

• Acai (Euterpe spp.)
• Achiote (Bixa spp.)
• Almond (Prunus spp.)
• American cotton palm (Washingtonia spp.)
• Anikary palm (Syagrus spp.)
• Apple (Malus spp.)
• Apricot (Prunus spp.)
• Ash (Fraxinus spp.)
• Assai palm (Euterpe spp.)
• Avellana (Gevuina spp.)
• Barberry (Berberis spp.)
• Bataua palm (Oenocarpus spp.)
• Brazil bramble palm (Desmoncus spp.)
• Bristle grass (Setaria spp.)
• Cabbage palm (Euterpe spp.)
• Cacao (Herrania spp., Theobroma spp.)
• California fan palm (Washingtonia spp.)
• Cherry (Prunus spp.)
• Chilean wildnut  (Gevuina spp.)
• Cricketvine (Arrabidaea, Fredericia spp.)
• Crinkle bush (Lomatia spp.)
• Fan palm (Mauritia spp.)
• Fig (Ficus spp.)
• Figi sago palm (Metroxylon spp.)
• Flowering quince (Chaenomeles spp.)
• Foxtail grass (Setaria spp.)
• Foxtail millet (Setaria spp.)
• Giant redwood (Sequoiandendron spp.)
• Giriba palm (Syagrus spp.)
• Golden larch (Pseudolarix spp.)Grape (Vitis spp.)
• Grapevine (Vitis spp.)
• Green botan (Sabal spp.)
• Hazelnut (Gevuina spp.)
• Hesper palm (Brahea spp.)
• Hops (Humulus spp.)
• Horse chestnut (Aesculus spp.)
• Ite palm (Mauritia spp.)
• Japanese quince (Chaenomeles spp.)
• Jelly palm (Butia spp.)
• Jicara (Euterpe spp.)
• Kiwi (Actinidia spp.)
• Larch (Larix spp.)
• Licuri palm (Syagrus spp.)
• Lipstick tree (Bixa spp.)
• Longleaf Lomatia (Lomatia spp.)
• Mango (Mangifera spp.)
• Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia spp.)
• Millet (Setaria spp.)
• Monkey cacao (Herrania spp.)
• Nectarine (Prunus spp.)
• Okra (Abelmoschus spp.)
• Ouricury palm (Syagrus spp.)
• Palm (Acrocomia spp., Astrocaryum spp., Attalea spp., Bactris spp., Brahea spp., Butia spp., Calamus spp., Desmoncus spp., Euterpe spp., Manicaria spp., Metroxylon spp., Oenocarpus spp., Oncosperma spp., Roystonea spp., Sabal spp., Syagrus spp., Washingtonia spp.)
• Palma real (Manicaria spp.)
• Parsley fern (Lomatia spp.)
• Peach (Prunus spp.)
• Peanut (Arachis spp.)
• Pear (Pyrus spp.)
• Pindo palm (Butia spp.)
• Pine (Pinus spp.)
• Pinot (Euterpe spp.)
• Plum (Prunus spp.)
• Puerto Rico hat palm (Sabal spp.)
• Puerto Rico palmetto (Sabal spp.)
• Queen palm (Syagrus spp.)
• Quince (Chaenomeles spp., Cydonia)
• Raspberry (Rubus spp.)
• Rattan cane (Butia spp.)
• River Lomatia (Lomatia spp.)
• Royal palm (Roystonea spp.)
• Sago palm (Metroxylon spp.)
• Sequoia (Sequoiandendron spp.)
• Sikkim larch (Larix spp.)
• Spiny palm (Bactris spp.)
• Strawberry (Fraxinus spp.)
• Thorny palm (Oncosperma spp.)
• Tree of life (Mauritia spp.)
• Trinidad palm (Sabal spp.)
• Troolie palm (Manicaria spp.)
• Wildnut (Gevuina spp.)
• Winter’s bark (Drimys spp.)

Approved Growing Media

• Baked expanded clay pellets
• Coal cinder
• Commercial potting soil or soil taken from any Canadian Province except  from an area of Canada regulated for potato cyst nematodes . Contact the  Canadian Food Inspection Agency for more information.
• Organic and inorganic fibers
• Phenol formaldehyde
• Plastic particles
• Polyethylene
• Polymer stabilized starch
• Polystyrene
• Polyurethane
• Stockosorb® superabsorbent polymer
• Vermiculite
• Volcanic rock
• Or any combination of the media listed here 

Seeds With Additional Requirements

• Broomcorn (Sorghum spp.)
• Canegrass (Chionachne spp.)
• Caracan millet (Eleusine spp.)
• Coix (Coix spp.)
• Corn (Euchlaena spp., Zea spp.)
• Cotton or cottontree (Gossypium spp.)
• Finger millet (Eleusine spp.)
• Grass (Pennisetum spp., Polytoca spp.)
• Grass (Cenchrus spp.)
• Job’s tears (Coix spp.)      
• Kenaf (Hibiscus spp.)
• Millet (Echinochloa spp., Eleusine spp. Panicum spp.)
• Miscanthus (Miscanthus spp)
• Potato (True seed of Solanum tuberosum)
• Rivergrass (Chionachne spp.)
• Rose mallow (Hibiscus spp.)
• Sorghum (Sorghum spp.)
• Zebra grass (Miscanthus spp.)

Prohibited Plant Materials

• Alder (Alnus spp.)
• Almond (Prunus spp.)
• Cherry (Prunus spp.) 
• Cherry laurel (Prunus spp.)
• Chestnut (Castanea spp.) 
• Cotton (Gossypium spp.)
• Crabapple (Malus spp.)   English laurel (Prunus spp.)
• English laurel (Prunus spp.)
• Grape (Vitis spp.)
• Prune (Prunus spp.)
• Quince (Cydonia spp.)
• Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.)
• Witchweed (Striga spp.)

Prohibited Fruits and Vegetables

Allium (includes chives, garlic, garlic chives, green onion/Welsh onion, green bunching onions, leeks, onion, ramps, scallions, and shallots): Fresh allium bulbs are prohibited unless accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) containing an additional declaration stating the shipment is free of Acrolepiopsis assectella . Thoroughly dried allium bulbs (papery skin) may enter without such documentation. Arrowhead tuber : Arrowhead tubers are prohibited unless the traveler obtains a PPQ Form 526, Noxious Weed Permit from APHIS.

Cherries : Fresh cherries grown in Ontario Province are prohibited . Fresh cherries commercially grown in a Canadian Province other than Ontario may enter if accompanied by documentation demonstrating the province of origin.

Fresh chestnuts

Coconut (if liquid or husk is present)

Corn on the cob: Fresh corn grown in any Canadian province (except British Columbia) is prohibited if destined for Arkansas, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, or Utah. Fresh corn commercially harvested in British Columbia with proof of origin may enter any U.S. State without restriction.

Edible flowers: Only the following edible flowers from Canada can enter– Calendula spp. (pot marigold), Tagetes spp. (marigold), Tropaeolum spp. (nasturtium), and Viola spp. (johnny-jump-ups, pansies, and violets). Edible flowers not completely free of stems and leaves will be prohibited entry.

European blackberries ( Rubus fruticosus)

Fresh peanuts (commercially packaged peanuts [raw, in shell, or roasted] labeled as grown in Canada or the United Sates are allowed)

Potatoes (50 pounds or less of commercially packaged potatoes labeled as grown either in Canada or the United States are allowed)

Tropical fruits and vegetables

Water spinach (fresh leaf, fresh green stem): Fresh perishable water spinach is prohibited unless the traveler first obtains a PPQ Form 526, Noxious Weed Permit from APHIS.

The United States restricts or prohibits the entry of many agricultural products, which can carry foreign pests and diseases that harm American agriculture and our environment. A major pest or disease outbreak could mean higher grocery bills, shortages of certain foods, and devastating losses for farmers and ranchers.

Help us keep American agriculture healthy by following the guidance on this page about products you may want to bring into the United States from Canada.

Declare Food, Plants, and Other Agricultural Items

Travelers entering the United States must declare all agricultural and wildlife products to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. You must also tell them if you visited a farm or were in contact with animals before traveling to the United States.

U.S. agricultural inspectors will examine your items to be sure they meet entry requirements and do not harbor harmful foreign pests or diseases. U.S. inspectors have the authority to make a final determination about whether your products can enter the country. We recommend that you keep receipts and original packaging of agricultural products as proof of their country of origin.

As long as you declare all the agricultural products you are bringing with you, you will not face any penalties—even if an inspector determines that these products cannot enter the country.

The guidance below is intended only for travelers crossing at Canadian land borders; it does not pertain to commercial shippers. Air travelers from Canada should refer instead to the guidance for international travelers at Traveling From Another Country .

Meat, Poultry, Dairy, Eggs, Pet Food, and Animal Trophies

Use the Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant to understand import requirements for animal products. This self-guided tool has the most updated and comprehensive information, based on the type of materials you want to bring in and the intended use.

Please note that commodities intended for "personal use" mean those in passenger baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as "commercial" use.

Travelers may bring the following types of fresh (chilled, frozen), cooked, cured, or dried meats from Canada: beef, bison, veal, sheep (lamb, mutton), goat, swine, and camelid. Travelers may also bring personal-use amounts of foods containing beef, veal, or bison.

Travelers may also bring personal-use amounts of cervid meat (deer, elk, moose, caribou), including hunter-harvested cervid meat, provided they present the Customs and Border Protection officer with evidence that the product is cervid meat, such as a valid hunting license, commercially prepared labels found on unopened packages, or other official documents.

There is a limit of 50 lbs. of meat per vehicle.

In general, travelers may bring back personal-use amounts of poultry meat from Canada. However, APHIS may implement temporary restrictions. Visit  Imports: Animal and Animal Products  and view the “temporary restrictions” section.

There is a limit of 50 lbs. of poultry meat per vehicle.

Travelers may bring back milk and other dairy products from Canada with proof of Canadian origin, such as a package label, written documentation, proof of travel (passport or travel itinerary), origin of flight, sales receipt, or a certificate.

In general, travelers may bring back personal-use amounts of eggs or egg products from Canada. However, APHIS may implement temporary restrictions when certain avian diseases are present in North America. Before you travel, be sure to check for any temporary restrictions .

Travelers may bring back pet food, chews, and treats from Canada under the following conditions:

• The items must be in unopened retail packaging. 
• Raw (not shelf-stable without refrigeration), dehydrated, freeze-dried, or sun-dried items must be labeled as a product of Canada or the United States.

There is a limit of 50 lbs. per vehicle.  If you are traveling by air, the limit is 20 lbs. per family.

Trophies from   Canada may enter with documentation   that proves country of origin, including a bill of lading; certificate of origin; invoice; document on official letterhead prepared by the manufacturer, seller, outfitter, Provincial government, Tribal Nation, shipper; or an official certificate issued by a veterinarian representing the Canadian national government certifying the country of origin.  The trophies must be fully finished or receive special processing upon entry. Learn More about Trophies and Approved Establishments

Plants, Seeds, Cut Flowers, and Greenery

You may bring live plants produced in Canada to the United States if they meet the following conditions:

• You have a phytosanitary certificate from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
• You have an import permit for plants that are designated as restricted or prohibited . These plants may potentially pose a threat to the health of U.S. agriculture.
• Your plants are bare rooted or in an approved growing medium . 
• Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the U.S. port of entry determine that the plants are free of pests and diseases and meet all entry requirements.

Plants that are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) may require special documentation. Call USDA’s Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll free) or email us at [email protected] for more information about bringing plants into the United States, and about importing plants that are not produced in Canada.

Because all imports of seeds for planting that are produced in Canada require some form of documentation, we strongly suggest that you buy your seeds in the United States. If you want to transport seeds from Canada into the United States, you will need to present either a phytosanitary certificate from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or a Small Lots of Seeds permit issued by APHIS.

Some seeds require other kinds of permits or documentation. Call USDA’s Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll free) or email us at [email protected] for more information about bringing seeds into the United States, and about importing seeds that are not produced in Canada.

USDA defines cut flowers as the fresh, cut portion of a plant that is imported for decoration or ornamentation. Common additions to cut flower bouquets such as most ferns, baby’s breath, and many ornamental grasses produced in Canada are generally admissible.

Generally, you can bring cut flowers from Canada into the United States if they meet the following conditions:

• Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the U.S. port of entry determine that the flowers are free of pests and diseases and meet all entry requirements. Some flowers that are not produced in Canada may have to meet special requirements.
• The flowers are not mixed with prohibited plant materials . These materials require permits that are granted only under extremely limited circumstances.

To determine the entry status of other plant materials, and for more information about entry or permit requirements, call USDA’s Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll free) or email us at [email protected] .

Due to the risk of transporting forest pests from Canada to the United States, travelers cannot bring cut conifer trees, such as Christmas trees (white pine, Scotch pine, Scots pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, and Douglas fir) across the border. Requirements for boughs, wreaths, or garlands can vary greatly, depending on the Canadian province of origin. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the U.S. port of entry will determine whether the greenery or plant material is free of pests and diseases and meets all entry requirements.

Call USDA’s Plant Import Information Line at 877-770-5990 (toll free) or email us at [email protected] for more information about entry status or permit requirements.

Fruits and Vegetables

Travelers crossing a land border into the United States may bring, for personal consumption, some (but not all) fresh fruits and vegetables that were grown on a commercial orchard or farm in Canada, if all the conditions below are met and confirmed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the border:

• Produce is free of soil, pests, and diseases.
• Produce variety is not listed as prohibited .
• Traveler has sufficient documentation to clearly demonstrate that the item(s) was grown in Canada and not just sold there. Sufficient documentation includes sales receipts and individual stickers on produce or fruit and vegetable bags commercially labeled as “Produce of Canada”. For produce purchased at a commercial pick-your-own farm, you must have a dated receipt showing the farm’s name and address.
• Traveler is entering the United States during the Canadian growing season (May 1–October 31) if produce is field grown. Field-grown produce presented for inspection before or after that date range may be refused entry. However, fresh cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, squash, and strawberries commercially labeled as greenhouse grown in Canada may enter the United States year-round. Sea buckthorn berries may also enter year-round.

Travelers may not bring U.S.-grown produce they previously took into Canada back across the border unless the items are whole and still in their original packaging. Any item listed as prohibited —such as citrus, tomatoes, or peppers—even if U.S.-grown, may not re-enter the United States.

Home-grown or backyard-grown fruits and vegetables (as well as any produce lacking a commercial label) grown in Canada are, in general, prohibited entry into the United States , because in almost all cases there is no way to prove that the produce was actually grown and harvested in Canada.

Exception : Home-grown fruits/vegetables of non-prohibited fruits and vegetables may be allowed entry if the gardener arranges and pays for an onsite inspection of their garden or orchard by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). CFIA may then issue the travelling gardener a phytosanitary certificate certifying that the produce was grown and harvested in Canada. For more information, contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency .

Most fruits and vegetables grown in Canada that were commercially dried are allowed entry into the United States. All such products must be declared and presented at entry, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists will make the final determination as to what products may enter.

Travelers may bring certain commercially packaged frozen fruits and vegetables grown in Canada if the product does not contain any meat products and is frozen solid (that is, 20 degrees Fahrenheit or -6.6 degrees Celsius) when presented for entry at the border. However, most produce varieties listed above as prohibited when fresh (allium, citrus, peppers, tomatoes, etc.) are also prohibited when frozen. All such products must be declared and presented at entry, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists will make the final determination as to what products may enter.

Travelers may bring commercially canned fruits and vegetables (not containing any meat products) into the United States. All such products must be declared and presented at entry, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists will make the final determination as to what products may enter.

Need More Information? Please contact us if you have questions or would like more information about bringing items from Canada into the United States.

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Travelling with Solid Food Items

Did you know that solid food items, such as sandwiches, apples and granola bars, are permitted in both your carry-on and checked baggage when travelling within Canada? If your destination is outside of Canada, any food not consumed, including food in checked baggage, will be subject to the regulations of the country you are visiting.

Some food items may be subject to restrictions. This includes liquids and any foods that are mashed, puréed or mixed in a sauce (e.g. mashed potatoes, smoothies, chilli or stews). In order for a food to be considered a solid, it must be solid at room temperature. Additionally, certain powders and granular materials (e.g. baking powder, baking soda, salt, etc.) in your carry-on are limited to a total quantity of 350 ml or less.

If you plan to prep your food on the go, keep in mind that small kitchen appliances with blades 6 cm or less (e.g. personal/hand-held blenders, coffee grinders, cheese slicers) are permitted in carry-on baggage. 

Examples of solid food items you can take on the plane 

Packaged foods.

• Granola bars
• Hard candies
• Chocolate bars

Non-packaged foods

• Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, etc.)
• Cheese slices or cubes

Miscellaneous

• Supplements 

You can check our  What Can I Bring? list  for other examples of food and drink that you can bring on the plane.

Did you know?

The X-ray machines will not harm food or medication. It is safe to consume food or medication that has been scanned.

What happens if you bring a non-permitted item to a pre-board security screening checkpoint?

If your item does not pass pre-board screening for carry-on baggage, you may:

• Leave it with a friend or family member who is not travelling and still at the airport;
• Ask your airline representative to re-book you on a later flight, allowing you time to make other arrangements; or
• Ship the item via mail, cargo or courier. Please keep in mind that shipping options vary at airports.

Planning to bring food products from Canada into another country?

Contact the appropriate foreign office accredited to Canada or the customs authority of the country of your destination.

Planning to bring food from a foreign country into Canada?

Check with your airline or Canada Border Services Agency’s website as some restrictions may apply.

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Network maintenance

Due to system maintenance, some sections of the site will be unavailable from 3 am to 7 am (EST) on Sunday, December 18, 2022 .

Due to system maintenance, the CFIA website will be unavailable from 7 am to 7 pm (EST) on Saturday, October 16, 2021 . We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

New limits apply to the food you bring home from abroad

Canadians enjoy eating a variety of different foods. Some are purchased from food producers or grocery outlets, and at times, foreign foods find their way into the baggage of returning travellers.

If this sounds like you, it's important to know the rules about what foods, and how much, you can bring back with you into Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated the personal use limits , which are now in effect and apply whether you're travelling back with food, or even buying it online, from abroad!

Feedback from the public

The CFIA revised these personal use limits following a public consultation with Canadians, including the general public, national associations, and food producer groups.

"The new limits better reflect the amount of foods that people typically bring into Canada for their personal use," says Tammy Switucha, who serves as the CFIA's Executive Director for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

"Travellers coming into Canada can carry food with them for their own personal use, provided the food is permitted entry into Canada and they are not bringing in more food than allowed under the updated limits."

The personal use exemption recognizes that Canadians buy food online internationally for their own consumption and, when travelling across provincial or Canadian borders, they typically carry food with them.

Limits on meat, cheese, other foods

Certain types of food are not allowed into Canada for a number of reasons, which often relate to protecting Canada from animal diseases such as African swine fever (affecting pork products), or plant diseases such as plum pox virus (affecting peaches, plums and other stone fruit).

All foods allowed entry into Canada have a limit for personal use, from meat and cheese to cookies, bread, fruits and vegetables. In many cases, a limit of 20 kg or 20 L applies, but there are a number of exceptions (example: the limit for eggs is five dozen).

"We want Canadians to have access to their favourite foods because many purchase foods while travelling internationally or order them online from outside Canada," says Switucha. "It's important to know what quantities are allowed into Canada for personal use."

E-commerce purchases

The personal exemption limits apply to food bought online from international sources. "E-commerce purchases are growing significantly and consumers should take care when buying food online," says Switucha.

"If you're buying from abroad and having it shipped to you in Canada, you should ensure you do not order more than what is allowed."

Limits are per person

The new limits apply to one person and not a group of people. So, for example, if there are three people in a car travelling into Canada, each individual can bring up to 20 kg of honey under the personal use limits.

It is also important to note that the limits apply to categories of food rather than individual foods. For instance, baked goods such as breads, pies, and cakes, make up a single category with a 20 kg limit. A traveller can bring any combination of these foods into Canada as long as their combined weight does not exceed the 20 kg limit for that category.

Get to know the limits

Switucha says the CFIA recognizes that some of the limits are new to consumers, and therefore is carrying out a wide-ranging public information campaign to raise awareness about the changes.

"Our social media announcements and other information tools point consumers to information on our website that will help them to stay within the limits."

When it comes to bringing food into Canada, Switucha has this advice: "Before travelling internationally or buying food online, get to know which foods are allowed and in what quantities. That way, you'll be able to stay within the limits and avoid surprises when trying to bring food into Canada for your personal enjoyment."

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Restrictions on What You Can Bring into Canada

If you're planning a trip to Canada or Ontario's Sunset Country  from the United States you need to be aware of new restrictions currently in effect.    

What Types of Food Can I Bring into Canada?

Click here  for a complete list of food and animal-related products that you can bring into Canada. Visitors to Canada are required, by law, to declare all plant, animal, and food items they bring into the country. This includes items related to plants, animals, and food or their by-products.

If you bring these products into Canada, you may go through further inspections at the point of entry (that is, border crossings, airports). Be prepared for delays if further inspection is required. 

Common Food Products Allowed into Canada (per person):

• Dairy Products: up to 20 kgs (44 lbs). Please note that quantities in excess of $20 may be subject to HIGH duty rates.
• Fish and Seafood: all species except pufferfish and Chinese mitten crab
• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Potatoes must be commercially packaged and graded US No. 1. 20 kgs (44lbs) each of fresh fruits and vegetables per person 
• Frozen, Dried Canned Fruits and Vegetables: Processed fruits up to 20 kgs or 20 L if measured by volume, Processed vegetables - up to 20 kgs (44 lbs) of frozen/canned or dried vegetables per person
• Spices, Tea, Coffee: Permitted - 20kg
• Eggs and Processed Egg products:  5 dozen eggs
• Meat and Poultry Products (fresh, frozen, and chilled): Up to 20 kgs (44 lbs)/person, packaging must have identifying marks, indicating what the product is and proof of country of origin (US). Please read these restrictions on poultry and birds from the United States .

For a complete list of which food products you can or cannot bring into Canada including products that originated from a foreign country other than the United States, visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's website .  Because pest and disease situations are constantly changing, these requirements may be adjusted at any time. Please check back often and before you leave home in the United States. 

Other Resources About Travelling to Canada

Covid-19 restrictions.

For current information about travel, testing, and borders relating to Covid-19, please  bookmark this website and refer to it as you are planning and about to enter Canada. There are currently (as of October 1, 2022) NO Covid-19 restrictions and you do not need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter Canada.

Wait Times When Crossing the US/Canada Border

If you want to know the wait time at the borders into Canada, you can follow the updates on this webpage . Its chart will keep you up to date on border wait times for entry into Canada. The ports of entry are listed geographically from east to west. The estimated wait times are updated at least once an hour, so refresh or reload this page to make sure you have the latest information.

New: You Can No Longer Bring ANY Bait into Ontario

As of January 1, 2022, you can no longer bring baitfish or leeches into Ontario, whether alive or dead. You also cannot transport bait from other Ontario Bait Management Zones (BMZ) to another BMZ. Ontario is now divided into four BMZs that affect the movement, possession, and use of baitfish and leeches. All of Sunset Country is located in the Northwestern BMZ (See map below).

Northwestern  BMZ  – consists of  FMZ  2 south of the 11th baseline at latitude 51°48′11″ N.  or east of longitude 89°00′00″ W. , and  FMZs  4, 5, 6, and 7 except the part of  FMZ  6 that consists of St. Ignace Island and Simpson Island.

For more information on fishing in Ontario, you can download the whole version of the Ontario Fishing Regulations here .

Bringing Your Pet into Canada 

Keep up to date on the rules for bringing your pet to Canada here . 

Have a great trip to Canada, drive safe, and enjoy your stay! Please share this article with your friends who are going to Canada this summer. 

Find out more about the fishing lodges in Sunset Country

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I grew up on Black Sturgeon Lake in Northwestern Ontario. I am a staff writer for the Sunset Country Travel Association. Through my articles I hope to entice you to visit the wonderful region I call home. We are all about outdoor adventure; with 70,000 lakes and rivers and a whole lot of forests how can we not be? Whether you like to fish, hunt, canoe, kayak, boat or go camping, Sunset Country has something for you. Enjoy!

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Travellers Visitors to Canada

October 1, 2022 : covid-19 emergency border measures ended.

Refer to COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders for details.

Have proper identification

You must carry proper identification for yourself and any children travelling with you to help confirm your legal right or authorization to enter Canada when you arrive.

All visitors arriving from or transiting through the United States should visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website for information concerning the requirements to enter, transit through, or return to the United States.

Identification requirements for U.S. citizens and permanent residents

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you must carry proof of citizenship such as a passport, birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization, a U.S. Permanent Resident Card, or a Certificate of Indian Status along with photo identification. If you are a U.S. permanent resident, ensure you carry proof of your status such as a U.S. Permanent Resident Card.

For members of a Trusted Traveller program

U.s. citizens.

U.S. citizens who are members of the NEXUS program can use their membership card as proof of identification and citizenship when entering Canada by land, air or water. This applies when you are using either conventional or NEXUS-only lanes. U.S. citizens who are members of FAST may use their membership card when entering Canada by land or water only. When travelling by air, FAST cards will only be accepted as proof of identification when you are travelling to Canada from the U.S.

U.S. permanent residents

NEXUS and FAST members who are permanent residents of the U.S. must still travel with a passport and proof of permanent residence. You may be asked to present these documents to the Border Services Officer ( BSO ) when you arrive at the border.

No matter your mode of travel, we recommend you carry a valid passport for all travel abroad, including visits to Canada from the United States. A passport may be required by your airline or other transportation authority, since it is the only universally-accepted, identification document.

Identification requirements for international visitors

All international travellers must carry acceptable identification and a valid visa (if necessary) when entering Canada. A passport is recommended because it is the only reliable and universally-accepted travel and identification document for the purpose of international travel.

Electronic Travel Authorization

Visa-exempt foreign nationals need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or transit through Canada. Exceptions include U.S. citizens, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (USLPR) and travellers with a valid Canadian visa. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens , and Canadian permanent residents cannot apply for an eTA.

Certain low-risk foreign nationals from select visa-required countries may also travel to or through Canada by air using an eTA through the eTA expansion program .

Foreign nationals from select visa-required countries may also travel to or through Canada by air using an eTA, if eligible .

Be prepared: Apply for an eTA before you book your flight to Canada. Most applicants get approved within minutes. However, some applications can take several days to process so don’t wait until the last minute. Get help if you have questions before, during or after you apply.

Fake websites

Travellers who apply for an eTA are advised to be cautious in all dealings with companies that claim to offer help in getting an eTA. These companies are not operating on behalf of the Government of Canada. Many have established websites that charge a fee to provide information and submit eTA applications.

This Government of Canada website is the official place to apply for an eTA .

Travelling with minors

BSOs watch for missing persons , and may ask detailed questions about any minors travelling with you.

Visit the Children and travel page for more information about travelling abroad with minors.

What you can bring with you

As a visitor, you can bring certain goods into Canada for your own use as personal baggage. Personal baggage includes clothing, camping and sports equipment, cameras and personal computers. This also includes your mode of transportation, including vehicles, private boats and aircraft.

You must declare all goods when you arrive at the first CBSA port of entry. Our BSO s check goods you are bringing in or taking out of Canada to verify what you have declared. If you declare goods when you arrive and take them back with you when you leave, you will not have to pay any duty or taxes. These goods cannot be:

• used by a resident of Canada;
• used on behalf of a business based in Canada;
• given as a gift to a Canadian resident; or
• disposed of or left behind in Canada.

The BSO may ask you to leave a security deposit for your goods. Your deposit will be refunded when you leave Canada with the goods. If this happens, you will be issued a Temporary Admission Permit. We will keep a copy and give you one for your records. When you leave Canada, bring your goods and your copy of the Temporary Admission Permit, to the BSO . You will get a receipt and your security deposit will be refunded by mail.

Making your declaration

Every traveller entering Canada must report to a border services officer and answer all their questions truthfully. Travellers must also report goods they are bringing with them, including food, plant and animal products.

To ensure a smooth border crossing, have all required identification and travel documents in hand. Be ready to make a full and accurate declaration, including the amount of goods in Canadian dollars you are bringing with you.

If you arrive by land, follow the signs to the first checkpoint. A border services officer will check your identification and other travel documents and you will answer their questions.

If you arrive by private boat, go directly to a designated marine telephone reporting site and call the Telephone Reporting Centre ( TRC ) at 1-888-226-7277 to get clearance. For more information, visit the Private boaters page.

If you arrive at one of Canada's main airports , you can complete your customs and immigration declaration your before arrival with Advance Declaration.

At the airport kiosk or eGate, you will scan your travel document and verify your identity. The device will print your declaration and you will bring it to a border services officer.

If you arrive at a smaller Canadian airport, without a kiosk or eGate, you must fill out a paper E-311 CBSA Declaration Card prior to arrival and present it to a border services officer.

Use Advance Declaration and save time!

Submit your customs and immigration information with Advance Declaration up to 72 hours before you arrive in Canada using your smart phone or your computer. When you use Advance Declaration, you can access express lanes in the arrivals hall. Data shows that it’s up to 50% faster at the airport kiosk or eGate.

Instructions on how to complete the card are attached to the form. You can list up to four people living at the same residence on one card. If there are more than four people living at your address use one additional card for each additional group of four or fewer people. Once the cards are complete you can detach and discard the instructions. Do not fold the card.

Be sure to keep the card handy along with your identification and other travel documents. You will be asked to show this card to our BSOs several times.

If you have any questions about the card or Canadian regulations, ask the BSO when you arrive.

Referrals for secondary services and inspections

At any point during your interactions with our BSOs at a port of entry, you may be referred to our secondary services and inspections area.

We understand that travellers may feel anxious when crossing the border. Referrals to secondary inspection are a normal part of the cross-border travel process that any visitor to Canada may experience.

Why you may be referred to secondary inspection

You may be referred to secondary inspection for a variety of reasons, for example:

• carrying out a random inspection;
• verifying your declaration or documentation;
• asking you more in-depth questions about yourself or inspecting your goods;
• determining your admissibility to Canada or the admissibility of the goods in your possession;
• having you pay duty and taxes;
• completing or processing paperwork to support your entry or the entry of your goods to Canada.

All travellers are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . Referrals are not made on any discriminatory basis, such as race, nationality, religion, age or gender.

What to expect from secondary inspections

If you are referred for Secondary Services or Inspection, an officer may:

• ask you to provide detailed information about your plans while visiting Canada, or the time you spent abroad;
• make further enquiries, check records, or conduct research to verify your declaration;
• confirm the guardianship of children travelling with you;
• process the payment of duty and taxes;
• inspect your luggage, purse or wallet, electronics (including laptops and cell phones), your vehicle and any additional goods you are transporting;
• examine visually your pet or any animals travelling with you;
• ask you to produce evidence of the money you have available to fund your visit to Canada;
• request that you produce receipts to account for expenses you incurred or purchases made abroad; or
• count your cash or travellers cheques, in your presence.

While most travellers we inspect comply with Canadian laws and regulations, we do encounter individuals who are intent on breaking the law and who attempt to avoid detection. That is why the officer may not always answer specific questions about a Secondary Inspection.

Travelling with alcohol and tobacco

Alcoholic beverages.

You are allowed to bring into Canada only one of the following amounts of alcohol and alcoholic beverages free of duty and taxes:

Alcoholic beverages are products that exceed 0.5% alcohol by volume. Certain alcoholic and wine products that do not exceed 0.5% by volume are not considered alcoholic beverages.

You must meet the minimum age of the province or territory where you enter Canada. Minimum ages are established by provincial or territorial authorities: 18 years for Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec and 19 years for the remaining provinces and territories.

The CBSA classifies "cooler" products according to the alcoholic beverage they contain. For example, beer coolers are considered to be beer and wine coolers are considered to be wine.

The quantities of alcoholic beverages you can import must be within the limit set by provincial and territorial liquor control authorities that apply where you will enter Canada. If the amount of alcohol you want to import exceeds your personal exemption, you will be required to pay the duty and taxes as well as any provincial or territorial levies that apply. Contact the appropriate provincial or territorial liquor control authority for more information before you return to Canada.

You must be of legal age in the province of importation. While you are allowed to import more alcoholic beverages than the amounts listed above, you will be responsible for paying duty and taxes on the additional alcoholic beverages you are bringing into Canada.

For more information on bringing alcoholic beverages to Canada, consult the Alcohol and tobacco limits page.

Tobacco products

As a visitor or a temporary resident, you may bring into Canada, free of duty and taxes, all of the following amounts of tobacco products, as long as these items are in your possession when you arrive in Canada:

You can speed up your clearance by having your tobacco products available for inspection when you arrive.

Whether they are stamped or unstamped, if you bring in tobacco products that exceed your personal exemption, you will be required to pay the regular duty and taxes as well as any provincial or territorial levies that apply on the excess amount.

Note: You must be 18 years of age to bring tobacco products into Canada under your personal exemption.

Stamped Tobacco Products – Personal exemption amounts

If you wish to import cigarettes, manufactured tobacco and tobacco sticks duty free as part of your personal exemption, the packages must be stamped " duty paid Canada droit acquitté ". You will find tobacco products sold at duty-free stores marked this way.

Unstamped Tobacco Products – Special duties rate

A special duty rate applies to cigarettes, manufactured tobacco and tobacco sticks that are not stamped " duty paid Canada droit acquitté".

For example, if you claim a carton of 200 cigarettes as part of your personal exemption and it is not stamped " duty paid Canada droit acquitté", you will be assessed at a special duty rate.

Unstamped Tobacco Products – Import limits

In addition to your personal exemption amounts, there are limits on the quantity of tobacco products that may be imported if it is not packaged and not stamped " duty paid Canada droit acquitté ". The limit is currently five units of tobacco products. One  unit of tobacco products consists of one of the following:

For short visits, these quantities may be limited to amounts that are appropriate in respect of the nature, purpose, and duration of the visit.

Restricted/prohibited goods

Certain goods are restricted or prohibited in Canada. To avoid the possibility of penalties, including seizure or prosecution, make sure you have the information you need before attempting to bring items into Canada.

The following are some examples of restricted or prohibited goods:

• Firearms and weapons : You must declare all weapons and firearms at the CBSA port of entry when you enter Canada.
• Food, plants, animals and related products : All food, plants, animals, and related products must be declared. Food can carry disease, such as E. coli. Plants and plant products can carry invasive alien species, such as the Asian Long-Horned Beetle. Animals and animal products can carry diseases, such as avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease.
• Explosives, fireworks and ammunition : You must have written authorization and permits to bring explosives, fireworks and certain types of ammunition into Canada.
• Vehicles : Vehicles include any kind of pleasure vehicles such as passenger cars, pickup trucks, snowmobiles and motor homes, as long as you use them for non-commercial purposes. There are many requirements that apply to importing a vehicle .
• Consumer products : Certain consumer products that could pose a danger to the public (e.g., baby walkers, jequirity beans that are often found in art or bead work) are not allowed to be brought into Canada. Canadian residents should be aware of consumer products that have safety requirements in Canada . Many of these safety requirements are stricter than requirements of other countries.

For more information consult the Restricted and Prohibited Goods page.

Travelling with CAN$10,000 or more

If you have currency or monetary instruments equal to or greater than CAN$10,000 (or the equivalent in a foreign currency) in your possession when arriving in or departing from Canada, you must report to the CBSA. Monetary instruments include items such as stocks, bonds, bank drafts, cheques, and travellers' cheques.

This regulation applies to currency and monetary instruments you have on your person, in your baggage and/or in your vehicle.

When you arrive in Canada with CAN$10,000 or more in your possession, you must report it on the CBSA Declaration Card (if one was provided to you), or in the verbal declaration made to a BSO.

When you leave Canada by air with CAN$10,000 or more in your possession, you must report to the CBSA office within the airport, before clearing security or, if leaving by land or boat, report your intent to export to the CBSA at one of our offices.

For more information, including instructions on how to report your intent to import or export currency in person, by mail, or by courier, you can consult Travelling with CAN$10,000 or more .

Travelling with gifts

If you are travelling with gifts, do not wrap them before crossing the border. If a gift is wrapped, a BSO may need to un-wrap the gift to examine the goods you are bringing into Canada.

Can I enter Canada?

Why some people cannot enter or remain in canada.

There are a number of reasons you can be found inadmissible, denied a visa or refused entry to Canada such as:

• Human or international rights violations
• Criminality
• Organized criminality
• Health grounds
• Financial reasons
• Misrepresentation
• Non-compliance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
• Having an inadmissible family member

Visit the Determine your eligibility page for more information.

Ministerial relief

If you have been found inadmissible to Canada on grounds of security, certain provisions relating to human or international rights violations, or organized criminality, you may request that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (the Minister) make a declaration of relief under subsection 42.1(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) if the Minister is satisfied that doing so is not contrary to the national interest. This process is commonly referred to as Ministerial relief.

You may apply for Ministerial relief using BSF766. Refer to the Guide to Applying for a Declaration of Relief Under Subsection 42.1(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act .

Overcome criminal convictions

Depending on the crime, how long ago it was committed, and how you have behaved since the conviction, you may still be allowed to come to Canada, if you:

• convince an immigration officer that you meet the legal terms to be deemed rehabilitated, or
• applied for rehabilitation and were approved, or
• were granted a record suspension, or
• have a temporary resident permit.

Visit the Overcome criminal convictions page for more information.

Resources for visitors

• Come to Canada to settle, study or work
• Refugees (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website)

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Entering Canada

On this page, by private boat, required identification, permanent residents, travelling with children, you and the border services officer.

Whether you’re returning home or visiting, you’ll follow the same 3 steps to enter Canada:

Step 1. Pre-arrival: Use Advance Declaration or complete a Declaration Card

If you’re arriving by air at one of Canada’s participating international airports, you can save time at the border. Submit your customs and immigration declaration online using Advance Declaration up to 72 hours before you arrive in Canada.

If you choose not to submit your declaration in advance, you can complete it at an airport kiosk or eGate. If you’re landing at an airport without kiosks or eGates, you’ll receive a Declaration Card on board the aircraft or other conveyance. Read the instructions and complete the card before you arrive. Have it ready to present to Canadian officials at the airport, along with your identification and other travel documents. If you're travelling with children, please have their documentation ready as well.

If using a Declaration Card, detach and discard the instructions. To help us serve you faster, do not fold the card.

Everyone arriving in Canada must complete a declaration. You can list up to 4 people living at the same residence on one card, or 8 people per Advance Declaration submission.

The Declaration Card or Advance Declaration submission tells us what we need to know about you, your travels and what you’re bringing into the country.

Connecting to another flight

If you’re connecting to another flight or travelling on to another destination and re-boarding the same plane, follow the signs. At some airports, you may have to check your baggage and have it screened again.

If you travel frequently our trusted traveller programs can help

If you're a member of a trusted traveller program, you can skip Step 2 and go directly to the automated kiosks or eGates for faster processing.

Step 2. Arrival: First CBSA checkpoint

When you arrive at the terminal, follow the signs to the first Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) checkpoint, also called “primary inspection.”

If you used Advance Declaration, go to a kiosk or eGate to retrieve your confirmed declaration receipt. Up to 5 people may use a kiosk as a group upon arrival.

Next, a border services officer will examine your:

• Declaration Card or Advance Declaration kiosk receipt
• your identification
• other travel documents

The officer may ask you a series of questions to determine:

• your immigration status
• the type of any goods you're bringing with you
• your duty-free allowance
• your personal exemption entitlements

Goods not properly declared that are restricted or prohibited in Canada can, under the law, be seized.

Newcomer or coming to Canada to study or work

If you’re a newcomer to Canada, coming to study or work in Canada, you may need to present further documentation. The officer will help guide you through this process. You may ask the officer for help if you don’t speak English or French well.

Step 3. Baggage and second CBSA checkpoint

Go to the baggage claim area. If you must pay duty and taxes, you can pay at most major airports while waiting for your luggage.

Once you’ve picked up your luggage:

• go to the next CBSA checkpoint
• Declaration Card, Advance Declaration kiosk or eGate receipt
• receipt, if you paid duty and taxes for your goods

The officer may direct you to a secondary inspection area.

Here, officers may ask you:

• for detailed information about your travels
• to present your luggage and goods for examination

This is a normal part of the travelling process. Your cooperation is appreciated and helps us ensure the safety of Canada, its economy and its residents.

If you’re arriving by land, follow the signs to the first checkpoint, also called “primary inspection.” Here, a border services officer will examine your identification and other travel documents and take your verbal declaration.

Visit U.S. to Canada border wait times for estimated wait times at certain locations.

If you’re arriving by private boat, go directly to a designated marine telephone reporting site and call the CBSA Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC) at 1-888-226-7277 to obtain clearance.

Private boaters that meet certain conditions may report to the CBSA by calling the TRC using cell phone from their location in Canadian waters.

Learn more about reporting requirements for private boaters.

Make sure you carry proper identification for yourself and any children travelling with you to help confirm your legal right to enter Canada. Canada has introduced a new entry requirement, known as an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), for certain international travellers who fly to Canada.

Read about the changes and how they may affect you.

The Government of Canada recommends that Canadian citizens travel with a valid Canadian passport because it’s the only reliable and universally accepted travel and identification document available to Canadians for the purpose of international travel.

International transportation companies such as airlines may require travellers to present a passport before boarding. Canadian citizens may face delays or may not be allowed to board the plane or other conveyance if they present other documents such as a:

• Enhanced Driver's License (EDL)/Enhanced Identification Card (EIC)
• NEXUS card (used where the program is available)
• Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card used in FAST lanes
• Canadian citizenship card
• Certificate of Indian Status
• Birth certificate in combination with either a driver's licence or a government-issued photo identification

Permanent residents (immigrants living in Canada who are not yet Canadian citizens) need a valid permanent resident card to return to Canada. Check the expiry date on your card.

Note that a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship is not a travel document.

See Canadian Citizenship for further details.

Parents who share custody of their children should bring copies of the legal custody documents to the border when travelling with their children.

A consent letter should be used for all cross-border travel when a child is travelling:

• with only 1 parent or guardian
• in the care of friends or relatives
• with a group, such as a sports, school, musical or religious group

Example of a consent letter to permit travel by a child with a single custodian or parent.

When travelling with a group of vehicles, parents or guardians should arrive at the border in the same vehicle as the children.

Adults who aren’t parents or guardians should have written permission from the parents or guardians to supervise the children. The consent letter should include addresses and telephone numbers where the parents or guardian can be reached.

Border officers watch for missing children, and may ask detailed questions about the children who are travelling with you.

You may occasionally find yourself going through a more detailed inspection. In some cases, this simply means that you may have to complete a form. In other cases, the border services officer will need to identify the goods you’re bringing into the country or examine your luggage.

Border services officers are legally entitled to examine your luggage as part of their responsibility to protect Canada's safety, economy and environment. You are responsible for opening, unpacking and repacking your luggage.

By making your goods easily accessible for inspection and having your receipts handy, you will be helping the CBSA to help you. It’s a good idea to keep all your receipts for accommodation and purchases, and for any repairs done to, or parts bought for, your vehicle. The border services officer may ask to see them as evidence of the length of your stay and of the value of the goods or repairs.

If you disagree with the amount of duty and taxes that you have to pay, please ask to speak with the CBSA superintendent on duty. A consultation can often resolve the issue quickly and without cost. If you’re still not satisfied, our officers can tell you how to make a formal appeal.

Border services officers may arrest an individual for an offence under the Criminal Code (for example, impaired driving, outstanding arrest warrants, stolen property, abductions/kidnappings) and for infractions under other acts of Parliament (for example, the Customs Act , the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ).

If you’re arrested, you may be compelled to attend court in Canada. You should note that anyone arrested in Canada is protected by and will be treated in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms .

Related links

• Bringing goods to Canada
• Traveller entry requirements
• Travel documents
• Programs for trusted travellers
• Travelling as a dual citizen

Middle East Crisis Biden’s Message to Iran Over Impending Attack: ‘Don’t’

• Share full article
• A couple clearing the rubble from a home in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. Associated Press
• Smoke billowing following a strike in the Nuseirat neighborhood in central Gaza on Friday. Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock
• A bullet-riddled car after a raid by Israeli forces in the Faraa neighborhood of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Zain Jaafar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Protesters in Tel Aviv calling for a deal and the release of hostages held in Gaza. Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Palestinians looking over damage in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Armed men at the funeral of a militant killed by Israeli forces, in Tubas, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Raneen Sawafta/Reuters
• Palestinians leaving Nuseirat in central Gaza during an Israeli military operation on Friday. Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock
• A makeshift camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, on Thursday. Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and boys protesting against the prospect of Israeli army conscription, in Jerusalem. Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• A memorial in Tel Aviv for hostages kidnapped in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Hannah Mckay/Reuters

President Biden vows to stand by Israel despite recent disagreements.

President Biden told reporters on Friday that he expected Iran to launch an attack on Israel “sooner than later” as a response to Israel’s killing of several top Iranian generals in a bombing in Syria two weeks ago.

Mr. Biden said he needed to be careful not to reveal classified information being collected by intelligence and military officials as they braced for an attack they believed was imminent. And he had a blunt, succinct answer when he was asked what his message to Iran was.

“Don’t,” he said.

Officials in the United States and other nations are engaged in a furious diplomatic effort to try to prevent a response from Iran that could spiral into a wider war. But Mr. Biden and his top aides have made it clear that their disagreement with Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip would not prevent the United States from defending Israel against attacks from other adversaries.

“We are devoted to the defense of Israel,” Mr. Biden told reporters at the White House after a speech to the National Action Network. “We will support Israel and help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.”

He did not specify what actions the United States might take.

John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said earlier on Friday that the administration was taking the threat of an attack seriously.

“We are certainly mindful of a very public — and what we consider to be a very credible — threat made by Iran in terms of potential attacks on Israel,” he said. “We are in constant communication with our Israeli counterparts about making sure that they can defend themselves against those kinds of attacks.”

Mr. Kirby said the U.S. military was making adjustments to its force deployments in the Middle East to be ready in case an attack occurred, but he declined to be specific about those changes.

“We’re also clearly — it would be imprudent if we didn’t — taking a look at our own posture in the region, to make sure that we’re more properly prepared as well,” he said.

— Michael D. Shear

The U.S. issues new travel guidelines, warning that Iran will avenge the killings of senior commanders.

Several countries including the United States have issued new travel guidelines for Israel and the surrounding region, as the Israeli military said its forces were “highly alert” for a possible Iranian strike in retaliation for the killings of several commanders.

Iran has repeatedly vowed to strike back at Israel over the bombing of an Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, this month that killed three generals and four other military officers. An American official said on Friday that Washington expects an attack by Iran against Israel that would be bigger than recent attacks in the long shadow war between the two countries, but not so big that it would draw the United States into war. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday barred its employees from traveling to large parts of Israel, the first time the U.S. government had restricted the movement of its employees in this way since the war in Gaza began more than six months ago.

On Thursday, Britain told its citizens that they “should consider leaving” Israel and the Palestinian territories “if it is safe to do so.” On Friday, India told its citizens “not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice,” while France advised people not to travel to Israel, Iran or Lebanon and evacuated the families of French diplomats from Iran.

Asked about the U.S. travel warning , Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, said at a news briefing Thursday: “We have seen Iran making public threats against Israel in the past few days.” He declined to provide details about any specific information that prompted the warning.

The new guidelines bar U.S. government employees and their families from traveling to locations outside the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba metropolitan areas “out of an abundance of caution” until further notice. The State Department said U.S. personnel could move among those areas for personal travel.

The top American military commander for the Middle East, Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, traveled to Israel to coordinate a response to possible Iranian retaliation, U.S. officials said.

“Our enemies think that they will divide Israel and the United States,” the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said in a statement on Friday after meeting with General Kurilla. “They are connecting us and are strengthening the relationship between us.”

If Iran attacks, he added, “we will know how to respond.”

On Thursday, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said that the armed forces were “highly alert and prepared” for any action Iran might take, even as the timing and scale of any response remained unclear. Analysts say that Tehran, which has long used a network of proxy forces to project power across the Middle East, wants to avoid igniting a full-fledged war that could drag in the United States and threaten the survival of Iran’s regime.

“For years, and even more so during the war, Iran has been financing, directing and arming its proxies — in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Yemen — to attack the state of Israel,” he said. “An attack from Iranian territory would be clear evidence of Iran’s intentions to escalate the Middle East and stop hiding behind the proxies.”

— Liam Stack and Eric Schmitt

U.S. and Iranian officials predict Iran will strike Israel but not U.S. forces in the next few days.

Iran is expected to mount an attack soon on Israel, but not on the United States or its military forces, when Tehran retaliates for an Israeli bombing in Damascus, Syria, that killed several senior Iranian commanders, U.S. and Iranian officials said on Friday.

American intelligence analysts and officials think Iran will strike multiple targets inside Israel within the next few days, three U.S. officials said, speaking on anonymity to talk about sensitive matters they were not authorized to discuss publicly. Officials did not indicate what form the attack would take, what kinds of targets would be involved and the precise timing — information that is very closely guarded among senior Iranians.

The United States, Israel’s pre-eminent ally, has military forces in several places across the Middle East, but Iran likely will not target them to avoid inciting a direct conflict with the United States, according to Iranian officials, who similarly insisted on remaining anonymous, and the American officials.

In the first months of the war between Israel and Hamas, Iran-backed militias regularly attacked U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. But after a drone strike killed three Americans in Jordan in January, and the United States launched retaliatory strikes , Iran stopped the attacks by its proxies, fearing a more powerful U.S. response. Despite the clashes and hostile rhetoric, both Iranian and U.S. leaders have made it clear they want to avoid all-out war.

Iran has publicly and repeatedly vowed revenge for the April 1 strike on its embassy complex in Damascus that killed three generals and four other officers of its elite Quds Force, the foreign military and intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. But analysts say Iranian leaders want to calibrate their response so it is big enough to impress, at home and abroad, that Iran is not impotent in the face of conflict, but not so big that it spirals into a full-fledged war with Israel or draws an American attack.

How Israel would respond to an Iranian attack on its soil is unclear. The Israeli military “continues to monitor closely what is happening in Iran and different arenas,” Herzi Halevi, chief of the Israeli general staff, said in a statement on Friday. He added, “Our forces are prepared and ready at all times and for any scenario.”

A strategist for the Revolutionary Guards, one of the Iranian officials who spoke anonymously, said Iran wants to take advantage of the widening rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Biden over Israel’s conduct of the war against Hamas — and not unite them in hostility to Iran.

The Biden administration has not only criticized the level of death and destruction wrought by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, it has also voiced fears that increased clashes across Israel’s northern borders, primarily with Iranian proxies like Hezbollah, could escalate into a broader regional war.

Iran believes it can generate international support for a retaliatory strike by focusing attention on the attack against its embassy complex, a rare breach of the norms of war, and arguing that it was merely defending itself, the Iranian officials said.

International law generally treats embassies and consulates as being exempt from attack. But Israeli officials have argued that the building they destroyed was diplomatic only in name, and was used as a Revolutionary Guards base, as evidenced by the high-level commanders who were meeting there when they were killed.

Richard Pérez-Peña contributed reporting.

— Eric Schmitt and Farnaz Fassihi

An Iranian attack is likely to be measured, but a miscalculation risks a broader war, military analysts say.

Israeli forces were on high alert on Friday in anticipation of a retaliatory strike by Iran or its proxies, which analysts and officials warned could spur an Israeli reaction and potentially provoke a broader conflict in the region.

Iran is expected to launch an attack as soon as this weekend in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike, in which warplanes struck an Iranian Embassy building in Damascus, killing three generals and other commanders, U.S. and Iranian officials said on Friday.

Military analysts said neither Israel nor Iran appeared interested in provoking a full-blown war that could draw in the United States, but that a miscalculation about either side’s red lines could result in an escalation in hostilities.

An Iranian response was inevitable given the high profile of one of the generals killed in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran’s Quds Force, the analysts said.

“For every wise player, there comes a moment when the cost-benefit calculation shifts and all strategies are reset,” said Mahdi Mohammadi, the chief adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament. “For Iran, that moment was the attack in Damascus.”

Israel expects Iran to strike in a way that allows it to save face, but is measured enough to not arouse an even fiercer counterstrike, analysts say. The Iranians “don’t want a total war,” said Amos Gilead, a retired Israeli general. “So they might attack targets that would enable them to declare that they’ve achieved a great victory.”

Iran and Israel do not maintain any direct, formal channels of communication, making the chances for each side to misread the other’s intentions far greater, said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli military intelligence officer.

American intelligence analysts and officials think Iran will strike multiple targets inside Israel within the next few days, said three U.S. officials who requested anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

Where those strikes are aimed, from where they will be launched, who might carry them out and the damage they are expected to inflict remain secret to all but the highest levels of the Iranian government and military.

But Iran’s answer to those questions will determine the size and scope of Israel’s response, said Mr. Citrinowicz, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

The country’s leaders most likely hope to use their strike to restore some semblance of deterrence following the killing of General Zahedi in Syria, he said. (Israel has not publicly taken responsibility for that attack, but several Israeli officials confirmed the country’s involvement to The New York Times.)

Such an Iranian response, Mr. Citrinowicz said, could mean an attack from Iranian territory rather than through its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq .

Israel has warned that an attack launched from inside Iran on targets inside Israel would be considered an escalation that required a reaction.

Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said on Thursday such an attack would be “clear evidence of Iran’s intentions to escalate the Middle East and stop hiding behind the proxies.”

Last week, in anticipation of an Iranian strike, the Israeli military announced that additional reserve units had been called up to reinforce Israel’s air defense system and that combat soldiers expecting leave had been ordered to remain deployed.

Should Iran launch an attack from its own soil, said Mr. Citrinowicz, Israel’s air defenses would detect drones or cruise missiles long before they reached their targets, giving Israeli forces a chance to destroy them.

A more daunting scenario, he said, would be surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, which would arrive in a matter of minutes. Israel has developed some defenses — such as the Arrow system — to intercept longer-range missiles.

“If we manage to intercept most of what’s incoming, that would be excellent — it would moderate our need to respond offensively,” Mr. Citrinowicz said.

Farnaz Fassihi contributed reporting.

— Aaron Boxerman

Police shut down a Pro-Palestinian conference in Berlin, citing a risk of antisemitic statements.

German police stop pro-palestinian conference, the german police shut down a pro-palestinian conference in berlin, citing the risk that one of the speakers invited might make antisemitic comments or incite violence..

[shouting] “I’m just trying to —” Crowd: “Shame on you. Shame on you.” “Free, free, free Palestine.” Crowd: “Free, free, free Palestine.” “Free, free, free Palestine.” Crowd: “Free free, free Palestine.”

The German police shut down a pro-Palestinian conference in Berlin on Friday and denied entry to the country to a prominent British-Palestinian doctor who had planned to attend it.

Hundreds of police swarmed a gathering of some 250 people attending the “Palestine Conference” and banned the three-day event from continuing, citing the risk that one of the speakers invited might make antisemitic comments or incite violence.

“There is a risk that a speaker who has already made antisemitic or violence-glorifying public statements in the past will be invited to speak again,” the police wrote on social media.

In addition, Ghassan Abu Sitta, a well-known British-Palestinian plastic surgeon who worked in Gaza during the first weeks of Israel’s bombardment last year, said the authorities refused to allow him to enter Germany.

Dr. Abu Sitta had given testimony before the International Court of Justice in a genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel. He said the German authorities held him for hours at the airport before refusing to let him enter the country.

“The German government has forcibly prevented me from entering the country,” Dr. Abu Sitta wrote on social media. “Silencing a witness to genocide before the I.C.J. adds to Germany’s complicity in the ongoing massacre.”

Although leaders of Germany, the largest exporter of military aid to Israel after the United States, have begun to cautiously voice concern over Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, there is still widespread suppression of criticism of Israel, a policy that has generated controversy over concerns that it restricts free speech.

Germany’s government has long held that its support of Israel’s existence is an ironclad part of its foreign policy, and that support is seen in Berlin as part of the country’s atonement for the Holocaust. That has led the authorities to take a restrictive stance toward criticisms of Israel, even though some of those expressing those views, including some of the organizers of the Palestine Conference, are Jewish.

Videos of the police shutting down the conference included one of officers dragging out a man wearing a kipa, or skullcap, in the colors of the Palestinian flag, shouting “Free Palestine.”

In Berlin, police have often preemptively shut down demonstrations and events criticizing Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, citing concerns over antisemitism or violence.

On Friday, the city’s mayor, Kai Wegner, said he found it “intolerable” that such a conference was happening in Berlin. “We have made it clear that hatred of Israel has no place in Berlin,” he wrote on social media.

According to its website , the Palestine Conference planned to bring together Palestinian activists and speakers for panels on topics such as how to end German military support for Israel and the suppression of pro-Palestine speech. It also called for “the right of return of Palestinian refugees and end the Zionist settler colonialism.”

Among the speakers on the program was Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister. On social media, he described the event as one in which “Jews, Palestinians and other peace activists were discussing universal human rights across Israel-Palestine.”

— Erika Solomon

The E.U. imposes sanctions on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for sexual violence on Oct. 7.

The countries of the European Union on Friday imposed sanctions on military and special forces units of Hamas and the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad for committing “widespread sexual and gender-based violence” during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The European Council said in its decision that it levied sanctions on the fighters from the extremist groups — the Al-Quds Brigades and Nukhba Force of Hamas, and the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad — for inflicting sexual violence on Oct. 7 “in a systematic manner, using it as a weapon of war.”

The fighters will be barred from traveling to European Union countries and will be subject to an asset freeze.

Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a statement that he would hold the perpetrators accountable.

Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, applauded the council’s decision and said it reinforced that those who inflict sexual violence will “pay the price.”

The European Union joined the United Nations in denouncing the sexual violence that some women and children faced during the Oct. 7 attacks. In early March, after deploying a team of experts to Israel and the West Bank, the United Nations said it had “clear and convincing information” that women and children held captive in Gaza were subjected to sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture and inhumane treatment. The U.N. report also found that Palestinians detained by Israel had been sexually abused.

Later in March, The New York Times interviewed Amit Soussana , a former hostage, who publicly described for the first time the sexual abuse she faced while in Hamas captivity. Hamas leaders have denied the accusations and the conclusions of the U.N. report, saying that while it was essential to investigate the claims of sexual violence, it would be impossible to do so in “the current circumstances.”

— Gaya Gupta

Israel says it opened a new aid corridor to northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said on Friday it had begun allowing humanitarian aid trucks to enter northern Gaza through a new crossing, in an apparent response to international pressure to do more to alleviate the hunger and deprivation produced by more than six months of war.

The military did not specify the location of the new crossing, and it remained unclear how many trucks had crossed, what aid agency they belonged to and when the crossing might be open for wider use.

The convoy that Israel says entered on Thursday was not coordinated with the United Nations, whose agencies handle much of the relief effort in Gaza, according to a U.N. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Jamie McGoldrick, a top U.N. relief official in Jerusalem, said that U.N. officials planned to head to the crossing on Saturday to examine it. He said the crossing would be a significant improvement “if it can go to scale and is not temporary.”

Israel has come under increasing international pressure to allow more aid to enter Gaza. After Israeli strikes killed seven aid workers last week , President Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel by phone that the United States could withhold military support for Israel unless it did more to protect civilians and ensure adequate supplies for Palestinian civilians.

More than a million Gazans are facing “catastrophic levels of food insecurity” and over 50,000 Gazan children are acutely malnourished, the United Nations’ Office of Humanitarian Affairs reported this week . Aid agencies say the desperation is gravest in northern Gaza, where chaos and lawlessness have followed the withdrawal of most Israeli troops, and where relief groups have struggled to bring supplies from the two main border crossings in the south.

Aid officials have lobbied the Israeli government for months to open more entry points to bring aid directly into northern Gaza to avoid perilous roads across the territory where they fear their trucks will be either looted or bombarded.

In announcing the new crossing, the Israeli military said that Israeli inspectors had checked the trucks at Kerem Shalom, across the border from southern Gaza, before they headed to the new entry point, according to the Israeli military.

In mid-March, the Israeli authorities opened a military access road, known as Crossing 96, into northern Gaza. But Israel ultimately did not allow U.N. agencies to use the route consistently to bring in trucks, saying it was often needed for military use, Mr. McGoldrick said.

“Until we get a consistent flow inside Gaza, we’re never going to have the desperation reduced,” he said in an interview.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, pledged on Wednesday to “flood Gaza with aid” and said he expected to ultimately see 500 relief trucks entering the enclave on a daily basis. (U.N. figures show that an average of about 110 aid trucks have entered Gaza daily since the war began Oct. 7.) Mr. Gallant said Israel would soon open the port of Ashdod, an Israeli city north of Gaza, to accept aid shipments, without providing a time frame.

— Aaron Boxerman reporting from Jerusalem

The relief organization Anera says it is resuming operations in Gaza.

An aid group that had suspended its operations in Gaza after Israeli strikes killed seven humanitarian workers has said it is resuming work in the territory.

The Israeli authorities this week told the group, Anera, that the country’s military would take “certain measures” to protect aid workers in Gaza, the group’s chief executive, Sean Carroll, said in a statement on Thursday. The longstanding U.S.-based nonprofit, also known by its full name, American Near East Refugee Aid, said it was fully resuming its work in Gaza, distributing meals, hygiene kits and tents and providing medical treatment.

“Our ability to help people in Gaza relies on our heroic staff and hundreds of volunteers,” Mr. Carroll said in the statement, saying the group was “cautiously hopeful” that Israel’s assurances would mean that its workers would be safe.

Anera had partnered in Gaza with World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by the Spanish chef José Andrés, to distribute meals, but it suspended operations after an Israeli drone strike on April 1 killed seven of World Central Kitchen’s workers. The Israel military later said officers mistakenly believed the aid workers’ cars were carrying gunmen.

In an email response to questions from The New York Times, Mr. Carroll said that the Israeli authorities had assured him that “there will be no firing at humanitarian missions under any circumstances.” A strike near a humanitarian mission would occur only “in the case of a suspected armed militant in the area” and only with the authorization of “a senior officer,” Mr. Carroll said he was told.

More than six months of Israeli bombardment in Gaza have taken a devastating toll on Palestinians and aid workers. At least 224 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since the current conflict broke out on Oct. 7, the U.N. Security Council said in a statement Thursday. That toll is at least three times higher than in a single conflict in a given year, the Security Council said.

With Israel’s blockade and heavy bombardment of the territory, Gaza’s 2.2 million civilians have become ever more dependent on aid organizations to meet even a fraction of their basic needs. At the same time, aid groups say the constant risk of strikes, crumbling roads and infrastructure and staggering levels of need make their work immensely challenging .

In a sign of the continuing peril for aid workers, UNICEF said on Thursday that one of its vehicles had been hit with live ammunition while waiting to enter northern Gaza this week. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said separately that a staff member died on Thursday after having been wounded in March during the evacuation of a hospital in Khan Younis.

The seven workers with the relief organization World Central Kitchen were killed on April 1 while leaving a warehouse in central Gaza. The team was part of the group’s efforts to distribute hundreds of tons of food aid, sent in by ship through a makeshift jetty the organization built on the Mediterranean coast, to a population among whom famine is beginning to set in .

They were killed when at least one Israeli drone struck three vehicles in their convoy in rapid succession, which Israel’s military later said was the result of a “grave mistake.”

Anera said it also lost one of its workers on March 8 in an Israeli airstrike, even though the location of his shelter had been shared with the Israeli authorities. Mousa Shawwa, 41, a logistics coordinator, had been a member of its staff for nearly 15 years and was wearing a vest with its logo when he was killed, according to the organization.

World Central Kitchen, which also suspended its work in Gaza after the deaths of its staff members, has not announced plans to restart operations.

— Victoria Kim

An Argentine court rules that Iran was behind attacks on the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish center.

A high court in Argentina ruled on Thursday that Iran was the mastermind of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, potentially paving the way for relatives of victims to make claims against the country in international tribunals.

While Argentine investigators have long believed that Iranian operatives and high-ranking officials played key roles in the attacks, the decision this week by Argentina’s second-highest tribunal goes further by holding the Iranian state itself responsible.

The ruling also characterized Iran as a terrorist state at a moment when tensions are running particularly high between Iran and Israel. Iran has repeatedly said it will launch an attack against Israel in retaliation for a recent bombing in Syria that killed several top Iranian commanders.

“The 1994 attack in Buenos Aires was organized, planned, financed and executed under the direction of the authorities of the Islamic State of Iran, within the framework of Islamic Jihad,” said the ruling by the three-member court that declared the attack a crime against humanity.

The court said the attack itself was carried out by Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.

The judges said Tehran was also to blame for the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 22 people. The attacks were carried out in retaliation for the Argentine government’s decision to cancel contracts to provide nuclear material to Iran, according to the ruling.

Iran has steadfastly denied any involvement in the attacks.

The “verdict reaffirms what the Argentine justice system has been asserting through numerous rulings for decades,” the Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Association, whose building was the target of the attack, said in a statement.

“It’s the position we’ve always upheld,” said Jorge Knoblovits, the head of an association that represents more than 100 Jewish organizations in Argentina. “The Islamic Republic of Iran was the one responsible for all of this.”

The court ruling said a state can be held responsible for financing and planning a terrorist attack even if it was carried out by nonstate actors.

The ruling opens the door for relatives of victims to pursue claims against Iran in international tribunals, Mr. Knoblovits said, though it was unclear if a case could be brought before the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest judicial body, or elsewhere.

“We’re currently analyzing that,” he said.

The ruling is the latest twist in an investigation that has been mired by accusations of coverups and plagued by controversy.

In 2015, a special prosecutor was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head shortly after he accused then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other top officials of conspiring with Iran to cover up its involvement in the community-center attack. The former president has repeatedly denied the accusations.

The government of right-wing President Javier Milei, who came into office in December and is a strong ally of Israel, hailed Thursday’s ruling, saying it “brought an end to decades of delays and coverups.”

— Daniel Politi Reporting from Buenos Aires

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Honourable Adrian Dix

Minister of Health and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs

Email: [email protected]

Translations

Information bulletin, media contacts, ministry of health.

• Visit Ministry Website

Featured Topics

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Health & Drug Coverage
• Accessing Health Care
• Health Forms
• Office of the Provincial Health Officer
• Office of Indigenous Health

Featured Services

• Medical Services Plan
• HealthLink BC
• Vital Statistics
• Health Care Complaints

Starting Monday, April 8, 2024, people in British Columbia will have access to a free spring COVID-19 vaccine booster to maintain and extend protection for themselves and their loved ones against serious illnesses from COVID-19.

The spring COVID-19 booster will be available throughout the province at pharmacies, regional health-authority clinics, some primary-care offices, and community health centres. This spring vaccine remains free and available for everyone six months and older.

Given the decreased rates of viral respiratory infections in the community, additional infection prevention and control measures implemented in fall 2023 in health-care settings are no longer required at all times. People are still encouraged to wear masks in health-care settings as appropriate, to continue to cover coughs and stay away from others when feeling sick. Health-care workers will continue to wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as masks and respirators, in accordance with their point-of-care risk assessments.

While the peak of the respiratory illness season has passed, the SARS CoV-2 virus continues to circulate at lower levels in the community. The protection from infection that COVID-19 vaccines provide decreases over time, particularly in older people, so a spring COVID-19 vaccine booster will ensure people stay protected.

Aligned with advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, B.C. health officials recommend the following people consider receiving an additional dose of the XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine:

• adults 65 and older;
• Indigenous adults 55 and older;
• adult residents of long-term care homes and assisted-living facilities (including those awaiting placement); and
• individuals six months and older who have been diagnosed as clinically extremely vulnerable (a CEV 1 or CEV 2 condition).

B.C.’s COVID-19 spring program is focused on providing vaccines to those most at risk of severe COVID-19 illness or complications, and people who have not yet received an updated vaccine dose. However, anyone who feels they would benefit from an additional dose of the XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine can contact the call centre at 1 833 838-2323 to book an appointment or walk into a pharmacy where the vaccine is available. Vaccine appointment capacity is available in all regions.

The 2023-24 respiratory illness immunization campaign was launched to the general population on Oct. 10, 2023. As of end of day March 31, 2024, B.C. had administered 1,457,246 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and 1,562,023 doses of influenza vaccines.

Quick Facts:

• Invitations will start going out on Monday, April 8, 2024; reminders will be sent out to those who have not yet received an XBB.1.5 dose and to those who fit the listed categories.
• There are approximately 3.9 million people in B.C. who have not received a COVID-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine.
• B.C. has more than 900,000 doses of Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines (adult, infant and pediatric) in stock and approximately 13,000 doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in stock for those requiring a non-mRNA vaccine.

Learn More:

People who want a notification to book an appointment, or who are not yet registered, are encouraged to do so by visiting: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register

For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit:  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register#howto

• SpringBoosters_Chinese(simplified).pdf
• SpringBoosters_Chinese(traditional).pdf
• SpringBoosters_French.pdf
• SpringBoosters_Hindi.pdf
• SpringBoosters_Punjabi.pdf

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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