Summaries on this site are for convenience only and may be out-of-date.
U.S. Visitors entering Canada:
All boaters require photo identification and proof of citizenship to enter Canada. (Boaters returning to the U.S.A. must have additional identification. See Procedures for Entering the U.S.A.)
Canadian Regulations:
The Canadian Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety [Government directory] lists the requirements for foreign recreational vessels in Canadian waters. Visting boaters staying in Canada less than 45 days are exempt from most regulations for safety equipment if the boat is legally fitted and licenced in their home state. Visitors must follow most other Canadian boating regulations such as speed limits, operator age and power restrictions, drinking and driving laws, VHF radio station licence, marine radio operator licence. Visitors must also comply with provincial regulations for boat toilets and sewage.
Pleasure Craft Operator Card:
Starting September 15, 2009, boat operators require proof of competency to operate a boat in Canada (younger operators and operators of small boats already require it), including visitors (non-residents) staying more than 45 days or who operate a Canadian licenced or registered boat (includes most cottage boats). You are exempt if you and your boat are in Canada less than 45 days, but you must carry proof of residence.
Proof of competency can be one of these three: Pleasure Craft Operator Card, a renter's document (see below), or an "operator card" that meets the requirements of the U.S.A. or your home state.
The "operator card" is recognized in both Canada and the U.S. and can be acquired from a Transport Canada authorized business.
You can study and get a PCOC online from
BoaterExam.com. (about the company) Download their study guide for free. They've been helping boaters get their PCOC online since mid-2000!
Renting a boat:
People renting a boat will need to get a "Rental Boating Safety Checklist" before heading out. They do not need to acquire the PCOC, operator's certificate (a dockside session is required instead). However, you must have a valid radio operator licence to transmit on a VHF radio outside the U.S. (listening does not require a licence).
NEXUS card:
This is a joint program between the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S Customs and Border Protection, for frequent, low-risk travel between Canada and the U.S. by land, sea and air. Boaters can call a Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC) 30 minutes to 4 hours prior to arrival. Everyone in the boat must be a NEXUS member, otherwise regular reporting procedures must be followed. A NEXUS card will likely replace the I-68 and CANPASS programs, and can be used instead of a passport when entering the U.S. by land or water (but not by air).
Read a letter from an American boater using Nexus on the west coast.
[Government directory: NEXUS]
CANPASS
is a telephone reporting system for recreational boaters entering Canada from the U.S. was reinstated by the Canadian Border Services Agency. Check for latest changes.
[Government directory: Border Control]
I-68 & OARS:
The U.S. also has special border programs for boaters: "Canadian Border Boat Landing Program" (I-68 form) and the "Outlying Area Reporting Stations" (OARS). Forms are valid for one year and everyone on board must have one. It is convenient for boaters who travel across border waters for a day or two.
News October 2011:
Letter from the Minister of Public Safety: Entering Canada by Boat
Telephone Reporting:
When a private pleasure boat enters Canada, the boat master must report to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) by telephone. Private boaters must dock at an approved marine telephone reporting site in Canada and call the telephone reporting centre (TRC) (888) 226-7277 immediately on arrival.
The Boat:
Fly your vessel's national flag at the stern. A "quarantine" flag (yellow rectangle) may be displayed at a starboard spreader or radio mast (optional). A Canadian courtesy flag is a nice gesture too.
The Captain and Passengers:
U.S. citizens should arrive with boat "papers" in addition to general border requirements. American visitors can enter with photo ID. Other foreigners must carry their national passport and a visitor's visa where required. Canadian "landed immigrants" must carry the Permanent Resident Card to re-enter Canada after travelling outside Canada. [Pets aboard]
Where to Check in:
The captain of a boat arriving in Canada must report to Canadian Border Services Agency (was Canada Customs) immediately upon arrival. You must report in at designated stations, but, as a convenience, many marinas are eligible and have instructions posted by the docks with Toll-free phone numbers. It is illegal to stop or anchor anywhere in Canadian waters before checking in.Kingston Mills, the most southern Rideau Canal lock, is an official "Canada Customs Telephone Report Site". Canadian or American boaters can call directly to Canadian Border Services Agency (was Canada Customs) and receive their Customs Report number when entering the Rideau Canal as their first Canadian stop arriving from the United States.
Documents:
Have your boat licence or registration information, and full names, citizenship, birth dates, and addresses of all persons on board. You may also require vaccination papers for pets. You should be prepared to wait for an inspector or to move your boat to another location if required. Be sure to keep all passengers on board until you have cleared entry procedures. Make an entry in your ship's log with date, agent's name, location of entry, and clearance number for reference in any future disputes. You can phone Canadian Customs, part of Revenue Canada, toll free at 1-800-265-5633 24 hours a day.
If you are a CANPASS permit holder (annual fee), you can report your estimated arrival time by calling 1-888-CANPASS (1-888-226-7277) up to four hours before arriving in Canada, and arrive at any approved marina or dock.
Guns:
Many guns and other weapons are prohibited and are not allowed to be brought into Canada. You must declare any firearms and weapons in your possession when entering Canada. Anyone who does not declare them upon arrival can face prosecution and the firearms, and the vehicle used to carry them, may be seized. (CBSA)
Some Canadian boating regulations of interest to boaters:
If you have never arrived at a Canadian border crossing before, here are a few things you need to know:
Note that some provinces (like Ontario) have laws that require boats to have a holding tank and pump-out deck fitting connected to any toilet on board. I've never checked to see if this means that you can comply simply by removing your toilet altogether! There are no gray water laws - boat organizations banded together to "educate" the Ontario government when these were proposed a few years ago.
Visitors are encouraged to enquire at provincial departments of tourism or the Ministry of Natural Resources where they are planning to visit. You could also post a message in the Canadian boating discussion group called can.rec.boating. To access the group, you must be connected to a news server that carries it - ask your ISP to carry can.rec.boating! Read the Charter for more about accessing can.rec.boating.
A complete listing of nautical charts, Sailing Directions, Tide Tables and authorized dealers is available from Canadian Hydrographic Service. NOTMAR contains all Notices to Mariners publications with changes to charts, light lists, and Sailing Directions. See our Government Index for Web site links.
Reference: Charts and Maps for U.S. and Canada.
There are major errors in "Richardson's Chartbook and Cruising Guide, Lake Ontario, 3rd Edition" on page 68-70. For correction, call Richardson at 800-873-4057 or e-mail rcharts@aol.com.
A foreign boater who wish to legally transmit using their VHF radio in Canada requires a valid ship's licence plus an operator licence. Call the American FCC toll-free 1-888-CALLFCC in the U.S.A. or the Canadian government for current information about VHF regulations.
FCC rules for American VHF radios operated in Canada.
Foreign visitors who wish to legally transmit using their marine VHF radio in Canada require a valid ship's licence plus an operator licence. U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian government have recently created exemptions for VHF marine radio licences for radios used in home waters, there are international treaties governing radio usage outside home borders that boaters must still abide by.
The U.S. FCC processes applications for VHF radios for boaters in American licensed or registered boats travelling to Canada. Phone the FCC toll-free at 1-888-CALLFCC for current information.
All radio operators must have a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's permit, Form 753 ($45Cdn in 1998) to actually transmit on a VHF radio in Canada. Listening is free!
The Marine Radio in Canada page has information about using VHF for calling, emergencies, channel usage for different geographical locations, etc.
You should fill out a Float Plan before embarking on a trip and give it to someone on shore. Check out the at Canadian Coast Guard services.
For current rules, read the Duty free information before buying merchandise to take back to other countries. Foreign visitors can get a GST rebate on the GST (tax) they have paid.
If you want to buy a boat in Canada, read why it's a great idea and all about buying a boat. Generally, American visitors to Canada can bring back goods (excluding alcohol or tobacco) duty free if in Canada more than 24 hours. After 2 full days you may take home $200 worth of goods. If in Canada more than 48 hours, you may take home $400 worth of goods (including 1 alcohol and 1 carton cigarettes) (valid 1998).
Canadians should read the information about buying a boat & trailer in the USA, and more about importing a boat.
Print out a handy currency converter for Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars (OANDA Inc.)
Visitors from outside of Canada can receive a return of all GST tax paid while in Canada by taking a completed GST rebate form to a participating Canadian duty free shop. To receive a form, write to:
Americans may leave their boat in Canada during the winter without paying duty and tax only if repair or maintenance work is to be done by a bona-fide marina during that time.
Before you can leave your boat in Canada for winter repair, the local Canadian customs office must be presented with a copy of the work order. For more information, call their marina division at 519-257-6457.
Regulations for fishing are different in each of the ten provinces and two territories. The Ontario Fishing Page explains fishing in Ontario waters. You must be in possession of a fishing licence. See the Government of Canada listing of provincial and territorial governments for other locations.
For a hundred year it was considered fine to fish or cruise into Canadian waters without checking into a Canadian port of entry (customs) - as long as you didn't dock or anchor your boat you had not "landed". In June 2011, Roy Anderson, an American boater fishing, was boarded by Canadian Border Services officials -- just across the Canadian border in the middle of the St. Lawrence River (Gananoque Narrows). He said he was told 'If you are in Canadian waters, you should be running toward a port of entry. If you're not running toward a port of entry, you are in violation of the law,' He was threatened with seizure of the boat and being handcuffed and towed ashore unless he paid $1000 - ON THE SPOT. Chris J. Kealey, a spokesman for the Canadian Border Services Agency, said if the penalty is not able to be paid on the water, "the alternative is they can seize the vessel pending payment of the penalty."
News article: watertowndailytimes.com Jun17/2011
A spokesman for Vic Toews, Canada's minister of public safety, said last week (June 2011) that a spate of smuggling had led the nation to more stridently enforce its regulations.
News article: watertowndailytimes.com Jun30/2011
This re-interpretation of border rules is bizarre. It has been the 'rule' for many years that you check in to a port of entry only if you wish to anchor in Canadian waters or dock on shore, but not if you are simply passing through on an afternoon cruise or fishing. Why did the "application" of the rules change and no one bothered to inform anyone? $1,000 is a bit high for stopping to fish. $999 was finally refunded to Roy Anderson, which would imply CBSA will not admit they went just a bit 'overboard'. ---Pat, Boating in Canada
Jul.8/2011: CBSA announced it will now allow boaters to check in on their cell phones if they cross the border (Canadian customs 1-888-226-7277), rather than having to dock and use a special CBSA landline.
News article: northcountrypublicradio.org Jul12/2011
This doesn’t resolve the problem but is supposed to make us all shut up. American fisherman (and people out for a Sunday cruise) are now afraid to come across the "invisible line" for fear of running into Vic Toews river troops! How this improves border security is obviously not the question. It certainly destroys any normal tourist traffic. Canada must have some problem with USA Homeland Security to hassle people out fishing on a Sunday afternoon. Please contact your MP. Nothing else will make them go back to the previous rules or legislate to allow fishing and cruising along the border without proceding to a border checkin first.
If your pet come boating with you, carry a vaccination (rabies) certificate dated within the last year. People living in the towns along the St. Lawrence River are in a battle to contain an epidemic of raccoon rabies. For more information, see our information about Cruising with Pets.
