Tips for travelling to the US for Thanksgiving or Black Friday deals
Today, November 24th, the United States is celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally, this holiday celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. The day after Thanksgiving is also known as Black Friday. Usually, many Canadians and Americans cross the border by land or sea during these days. Therefore, the CBSA is working with government and industry partners to mitigate long border wait times. But, there are also things that travellers can do to make the process easier for themselves and other travellers. In this article, we’ll share some key tips to help reduce border wait times during Thanksgiving.
<<Permanent residents of the U.S. do not need an eTA to fly to Canada>>
Table of contents
Get ready to travel!
- Check border wait times. Plan to cross during non-peak hours such as early morning. According to the CBSA, the Monday of holiday long weekends tends to be the busiest.
- Use the Advance CBSA Declaration. If you are arriving at the Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Halifax international airports can choose to submit your customs and immigration declaration before your arrival. To do this, you can use the Advance CBSA Declaration feature within ArriveCAN and save time at the border.
- Ensure you are eligible to enter Canada. You must meet the entry requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and provide appropriate travel and immigration documentation. Of course, the final determination on entry is made by a border services officer at the port of entry.
- Know your exemption limits. If you are planning to make purchases or pick up online purchases across the border should be aware of your personal exemption limits. You can check the CBSA duty and taxes estimator to calculate taxes on goods purchased in the United States. That website can also help you make informed decisions when shopping abroad.
<<Also Read: New task force will monitor the situation at Canadian airports>>
- Be prepared to declare. Travellers returning to Canada should be ready to declare all goods purchased and/or received while outside the country. The CBSA recommends not to wrap your gifts as they may need to examine them more in-depth. You should also have your receipts readily available from purchases made outside of Canada. In addition, you can consult the CBSA’s website for information on restricted and prohibited goods.
- Entering or leaving Canada with cannabis. The CBSA reminds travellers that transporting cannabis across the border, without authorization by Health Canada, remains a serious criminal offence. You can read more about this topic, here.
- When travelling with children, the CBSA recommends that the accompanying adult has a consent letter authorizing them to travel with the child. Border services officers are always watching for missing children and, in the absence of the letter, officers may ask additional questions to help them identify the relationship between the child and the accompanying adult. Source: CBSA.
Declaring foods, plants, money and more
Travellers can check the CBSA duty and taxes estimator to calculate taxes on goods purchased in the United States. You can also use the Automated Import Reference System to help determine all specific import requirements, such as restrictions on imports of foods, plants, or animals. In addition, travellers can consult the CBSA’s website for information on firearms and other restricted and prohibited goods.
In terms of money, the CBSA says it is legal to bring up to $10,000 CAD into Canada, but it must be declared on arrival. For more information, please visit the CBSA website or call 1-800-461-9999.
<<The countries that visit Canada the most>>
COVID-19 measures: return or travel to Canada
For all travellers entering Canada by air, land or sea on or after October 1, 2022:
- Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is not required
- COVID-19 pre-entry and arrival tests are not required
- Quarantine after you enter Canada is not required
- Using ArriveCAN is not required
- Pre-boarding tests for cruise passengers are not required
- As always, travel documents are required
- Health checks to board planes and trains are not required
- Wearing masks on planes and trains is not required
However, if you have symptoms of COVID-19, you shouldn’t travel to Canada.
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