Information checked: September 15, 2026
A Vancouver–Seattle trip or a drive from Toronto into the United States involves two sets of requirements: entering the U.S. and returning to Canada. Citizenship, permanent residence, transport and the purpose of your trip can change the rules that apply. Visa exemption, permission to board, admission at the border and authorization to work are separate matters.
For U.S. citizens entering Canada, a valid passport is the most straightforward proof of identity. Those not travelling by air can also present documents that establish their name, date of birth and citizenship, such as an eligible U.S. enhanced driver’s licence (EDL). Citizenship evidence without a photograph may require separate photo ID. A REAL ID marking does not turn an ordinary driver’s licence into an international travel document; an EDL is a different document. CBSA’s identification guidance also distinguishes airline boarding requirements from border examination.
U.S. lawful permanent residents flying to Canada need a valid passport from their country of nationality, or an acceptable equivalent travel document, plus a valid green card or other accepted proof of U.S. permanent residence. For entry by land or water directly from the U.S. or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, current IRCC rules allow a valid green card or equivalent status evidence without a passport. That exception concerns this particular entry route; it does not mean a passport will be unnecessary throughout an international journey. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents do not need a Canadian visa or eTA.
Canadian citizens generally need a valid Canadian passport to fly back to Canada. Dual Canadian–U.S. citizens may use a valid Canadian or U.S. passport; those using a U.S. passport should also carry evidence of Canadian citizenship. Canadian permanent residents returning on commercial transport—aircraft, bus, boat or train—need a valid PR card or permanent resident travel document (PRTD). Different documentary options are available when returning in an owned, borrowed or rented private vehicle; the private-car rules do not apply to a bus. Read the return-to-Canada requirements alongside CBSA’s identity guidance. Our Canadian PR pathways comparison explains how PR status differs from citizenship eligibility.
Other travellers must check the rules for their nationality and passport. Normally, visa-exempt visitors flying from the U.S. to Canada need a valid passport and an eTA; entering at a Canada–U.S. land crossing does not require an eTA, but still requires a valid passport. Nationals who normally need a visa cannot substitute an eTA for a land-entry visitor visa merely because they qualify for a special eTA option for air travel. A separate exemption concerns people with valid Canadian status returning after visiting only the U.S. or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. It does not make every work- or study-permit holder visa-exempt for all travel. A work or study permit is not a visa: check the specific documents and re-entry conditions.
The U.S. applies its own rules. Canadian citizens generally do not need a U.S. nonimmigrant visa for a short tourist visit, but a Canadian PR card does not give its holder that treatment. Other nationals must establish whether they need a visa or qualify for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) with an eligible electronic passport and an approved ESTA. Ordinary VWP tourism and business visits are limited to 90 days, with restrictions involving travel history and dual nationality. Since October 1, 2022, VWP travellers entering the U.S. by land also need ESTA approval in advance. ESTA neither guarantees admission nor authorizes employment.
Canada ended its COVID-19 entry vaccination, testing and mandatory ArriveCAN health-reporting measures on October 1, 2022. ArriveCAN itself was not discontinued. Travellers can still voluntarily use Advance Declaration to prepare a customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours before flying to a participating airport, then confirm it on arrival. This is not a mandatory land-border procedure and cannot be used with NEXUS kiosks.
Shopping allowances depend on time away
The following CBSA personal exemptions for returning residents apply to Canadian residents and temporary residents returning from a trip, and former residents returning to live in Canada. Amounts are in Canadian dollars. They are not a universal shopping allowance for first-time visitors. A child’s exemption applies only to goods for that child’s use.
| Time outside Canada | General goods allowance | Accompanied goods and excess value |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 24 hours | No personal exemption | Same-day shopping trips do not qualify. |
| At least 24 hours, under 48 hours | CAN$200 | Goods must accompany you; no alcohol or tobacco. If their total value exceeds CAN$200, the exemption is lost on the entire amount, not just the excess. |
| At least 48 hours, under 7 days | CAN$800 | Goods must accompany you. Duties and taxes apply to the amount above CAN$800; alcohol and tobacco have separate quantity and age limits. |
| At least 7 days | CAN$800 | Other goods may follow, but must be declared when you return. Alcohol and tobacco must accompany you. Count the return date, but not the departure date. |
You cannot add exemption tiers together, pool different people’s allowances or transfer them. Declare goods bought, received or acquired abroad, including duty-free purchases, and convert their value to Canadian dollars using a CBSA-accepted exchange rate. Food, plants and animal products remain subject to import restrictions. Currency and monetary instruments totalling CAN$10,000 or more must also be reported. Staying below your shopping allowance does not remove these duties: declaration and import restrictions are separate from the tax calculation.
After at least 48 hours away, the alcohol exemption permits one of 1.5 litres of wine, 1.14 litres of spirits or 8.5 litres of beer. You must meet the minimum age where you enter: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, and 19 elsewhere in Canada. The tobacco exemption requires age 18 or older and allows 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams of manufactured tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks, subject to stamping and other rules. Cigarettes and certain other tobacco without the required Canadian duty-paid stamp may still attract a special duty. Vaping products have separate quantity rules. Check the complete alcohol and tobacco rules for excess quantities and controlled products.
NEXUS and permit applications at the border
NEXUS gives eligible, pre-approved travellers access to designated expedited facilities, with membership valid for five years. Eligible applicants include Canadian and U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and Mexican nationals in Viajero Confiable. Permanent residents generally need three years of legal residence in Canada or the U.S., including physical presence in either country for at least 183 days in each 365-day period counted backwards from the application date. Specific exceptions cover U.S. armed-forces personnel serving abroad and certain military or diplomatic family members. Applicants must meet both countries’ admission laws, pass both agencies’ risk assessments and complete an interview.
The NEXUS application fee is US$120 and is non-refundable. Applicants under 18 qualify for a fee waiver only when a parent or legal guardian is also applying or already belongs to NEXUS; children still need their own membership. Everyone in a vehicle, including infants, must be a member carrying their card to use a dedicated lane. Use regular procedures when travelling with a non-member. With shared custody and an absent parent or guardian, carry the child’s card, relevant custody documents and consent letter. Under the NEXUS conditions, goods must still be declared. Commercial goods, restricted items and currency or monetary instruments totalling CAN$10,000 or more are among the circumstances that prevent use of NEXUS. Membership does not replace required travel and status documents.
Flagpoling involves foreign temporary residents already in Canada leaving for the U.S. or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and returning to obtain immigration services at a port of entry. The December 23, 2024 announcement ended work- and study-permit services there for ordinary flagpolers at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time that day. That historical notice also mentioned pre-existing CBSA appointments; it is not evidence that making a new appointment now bypasses the restrictions. Without an applicable exception, use the relevant IRCC application or renewal process.
The re-entry exceptions in IRCC’s current work-permit rules cover U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents; professionals and technicians under trade agreements with the U.S./Mexico, Chile, Panama, Peru, Colombia and South Korea; spouses or common-law partners of those professionals and technicians under the Panama, Colombia and South Korea agreements; and international truck drivers who held a work permit, must leave for work, and maintained status by applying for renewal before departure. Applicants must still satisfy the other requirements for their permit and a border application. Nationality alone does not establish an agreement-based exemption, and work-permit exceptions cannot simply be applied to study permits. A post-graduation work permit (PGWP) cannot be applied for at a port of entry: follow the PGWP application process. Meeting travel-document or NEXUS requirements does not itself authorize work in Canada.