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Traveling to Canada

Travelling to Canada
 
You can download this document as a pdf here xxx
 
Passport and visas
 
If you are a US citizen traveling to Canada from the US by air, you will need a passport. If you are travelling by land and returning to the US before June 1, 2009, you may not need a passport. For more information, please visit the US passport website here  http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S. you will need to bring your U.S. Permanent Resident Card (‘green card’).
 
If you are traveling from another country, you may need a visa. For a list of countries whose citizens require visas in order to visit Canada, click here http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp
 
If you need a visa to enter Canada please apply as soon as possible. Canada’s visa offices are very busy and it can take several weeks to obtain a visa. Contact the nearest Canadian visa office, Embassy, or Consulate http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/index.asp  
 
If you have to transit through another country on your way to Canada, for example through the United Kingdom or the US, you may require a visa from that country as well.  If you are traveling from Central or South America, your flight will very likely transit through the US and you will likely require a C-1 visa. This is a non-immigrant visa for an alien directly in transit through the US. Please visit the US Immigration website at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html. For a list of US embassies, click here http://www.usembassy.gov/
 
PLEASE ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME TO OBTAIN PASSPORTS AND/OR VISAS.
 
Paid registrants can obtain a Letter of Invitation by e-mailing [email protected] and providing your name, citizenship, address and passport number.

If you are planning to enter Canada with a child without both parents, you need to bring special documentation with you. For more detailed information, click here http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/media/facts-faits/061-eng.html
 
Arriving in Canada
Important Border Entry Information

Canada Border Services officers are at the border to ensure that people entering Canada respect Canadian laws. They are authorized to interview persons seeking entry into Canada to determine admissibility. Their goal is to facilitate the entry of legitimate travelers as quickly as possible.

Travel documents: Border services officers will want to know where you are from and the purpose of your visit. Answer the questions asked. Answer truthfully. Be ready to have the following travel documents ready to show to the officer:

  • Passport.
  • A Customs declaration form will be given to complete on the plane before landing in Canada. You can review the card at: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pbg/cf/e311/README.html. For the Customs declaration form in additional languages please refer to: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pbg/cf/ce311/README.html
  • Canadian visa if one required. (Countries Requiring Visas For Visiting Canada)
  • Show any letter of invitation you may have received from the congress, especially if you have a Scholarship Award letter.
  • If you have shipped goods, it is helpful to carry a copy of the Customs recognition letter provided to you.

 
Travellers from any country may be questioned about their health when entering Canada if they are obviously very ill. In rare cases a medical exam may be ordered.

Criminal background

Anyone from any country outside of Canada may not be permitted to enter Canada if they have a criminal conviction, including a conviction for driving while impaired. Find out more about inadmissibility here http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/visit/inadmissibility.asp

Travelling with Children

Border entry officials are always looking for missing children and may ask questions about children traveling with you.
All adults should carry identification for the children under the age of 16 traveling with them, regardless of the children's age.

  • One parent traveling alone with their children should have a letter from the other parent indicating consent.
  • Parents who share custody of their children should carry copies of the legal custody documents.
  • Identification such as a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, passport, or immigration document for the children. If none of these are available, get a letter stating that you are the children's parent or guardian, from your doctor or lawyer, or from the hospital where the children were born.
  • Any adult who is not a parent or guardian should have written permission to supervise the child from the parent or guardian, as well as the child's identification. This permission letter should contain addresses and telephone numbers where the parent or guardian can be reached.
  • If you are coming with your child and are the only guardian, bring documentation showing the child has no other guardians. For example: a birth certificate that does not identify the father.

 
Customs (Entry)

Food subject to limits, restrictions or not permitted: Perishable items, vegetables, meat and dairy products. For more details please consult the Canadian Food Inspection Agency here http://www.beaware.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml

Gifts: Each visitor may bring multiple gifts worth up to CDN$60 duty free each , as long as they are not alcohol or tobacco or business goods.

Alcohol and Tobacco: there are limits on the amount of Alcohol and Tobacco visitors can bring before they are taxed. Details are available here http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/rc4161-eng.html
 

Endangered species: Canada has signed an international agreement, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to protect wild animals and plants and their parts or derivatives from over-exploitation in international trade. However, goods that are controlled under CITES (except for live animals), which are part of a visitor or a seasonal resident's clothing or accessories, or are contained in their personal baggage, and that they have owned and possessed in their ordinary country of residence, may be exempted from a CITES permit. An individual must not sell or dispose of the CITES-controlled item within 90 days after the date on which the exemption is claimed.

For more information, contact:
CITES Office, Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment Canada, Ottawa ON K1A 0H3
Telephone: (819) 997-1840;Fax: (819) 953-6283; http://www.cites.ec.gc.ca

Medications

  • Be sure to bring enough of your medications to last until you return home.
  • Bring your medications in your carry-on bag that you will take onto the plane with you. Do NOT pack your medications in your luggage! If your luggage is lost you will not have your medications.
  • You are permitted to bring into Canada enough medication, as prescribed for your personal use, to last while you are here, to a maximum of three months. The drugs should be in the original packaging, with a label that specifies what they are and that they are being used under prescription. If this is not possible, carry a copy of the prescription or a letter from your doctor.
  • Please note: if your travel to Canada includes stops in other countries en route, including the United States, you are subject to the rules of those countries, which may be different from the laws of Canada.

 
For detailed information on Customs regulations visit: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca