Plan Your Visit

Northern Ontario commissioned a tourism wayfinding strategy for Northern Ontario. Completed in 2014, the strategy offered the following observation on the importance of providing accurate information to visitors arriving from the U.S. and other countries.

Crossing the Border

All U.S. citizens aged 16 and older, entering Canada by air (including in-transit passengers who are transferring planes in the U.S.), land or water, must present one of the following documents: a passport or passport card; an Enhanced Driver’s License; or a Trusted Traveler Program Card (SENTRI, NEXUS or FAST Card). Travellers aged 15 and under require a birth certificate for land or sea travel and a passport for air travel. For current requirements go to cic.gc.ca.

If you are traveling with your own children under the age of 16 and your spouse, bring their birth certificates. If you are traveling with a child other than your own or without your spouse, have the child’s birth certificate along with a letter of permission, including name and contact information for that child’s parents/guardians or your spouse. This is needed in case Customs officers decide to verify you have permission to bring the child into Canada.

Visitors from all other countries require a valid passport and, in some cases, a visitor’s visa. Starting March 15, 2016, visa-exempt foreign nationals who fly to or transit through Canada need to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Exceptions include U.S. citizens and travellers with a valid visa. For more information:

Canada Border Services Agency

• cbsa.gc.ca
• Within Canada: 1-800-461-9999
• TTY Within Canada: 1-866-335-3237
• Outside of Canada: 204-983-3500

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

• cbp.gov
• Within the U.S.: 1-877-CBP-5511 (1-877-227-5511)
• TTY Within the U.S.: 1-866-6582 1-800-877-8339
• Outside of the U.S.: 202-325-8000
• Grand Portage, MN Port of Entry: 218-475-2244

Frequently Asked Questions

• canadawelcomesyou.net
• travel.state.gov

Important Notice for U.S. Residents

If you or anyone in your party has a felony or misdemeanour conviction, you may not be allowed into Canada. This includes such offences as a DUI. Your admissibility to Canada depends on the nature of the offence, how many offences you have, as well as how long ago it occurred. If this applies to you or someone traveling with you, it is imperative you contact Immigration Canada well in advance of your arrival. You will likely have to complete some paperwork and Immigration Canada authorities will then advise you of the likelihood of being allowed into Canada. Final determination of your admissibility into Canada is only made when you cross the border.

Visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada regarding any forms you may be required to fill out. You may also wish to call an Immigration Officer at the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Port of Entry to discuss your situation at 1-800-461-9999 or 1-204-983-3500 (friend checking | calls outside of Canada).

Frequently asked questions for Americans traveling outside of the U.S. are available on these two websites:

• canadawelcomesyou.net
• travel.state.gov

What Can Come Into Canada

Residents of the United States who visit Canada are allowed to bring in a reasonable amount of personal goods duty free. The amount you bring should align with your length of stay. Limits for some of the regulated items:

• Alcohol: If you are 19 years of age or older and crossing the border into Ontario, you can bring, free of duty and taxes, either 1.5 litres (50 oz.) of wine, 1.14 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, or 24 X 355 millilitres (12 oz.) of beer or ale. If you bring in more than the amount listed here, you will be required to pay the duty at the Border on excess amounts. Make sure you fully declare all alcohol in your possession. When the visit is for less than 24 hours, quantities may be reduced.
• Tobacco: If you are 19 years of age or older and crossing the border into Ontario, you are allowed to bring, free of duty, up to 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks. You may bring additional quantities but you will be required to pay duties and taxes on the excess amounts.
• Food Products: What is and what is not allowed changes frequently. Visit inspection.canada.ca for current information prior to your departure.
• Pets: Dogs and cats accompanying their owners from the U.S. must have current (within 36 months) rabies vaccination certificates. Owners from other countries who wish to bring their pets with them should contact 1-800-442-2342 / / TTY 1-800-465-7735 or visit inspection.canada.ca.

Residents Returning to the United States

If you’re a U.S. resident visiting Canada for less than 48 hours, you can bring back $200 worth of goods duty-free. For stays longer than 48 hours, the duty-free limit rises to $800, but this $800 limit can only be used once every 30 days. If you return for another shopping trip in less than 30 days and have already purchased $800 worth of goods, your limit drops to $200.

People who live in the same house can combine their duty-free limits, but they must travel together. Please refer to Customs Duty Information for more details.

Driving & Insurance

Any necessary permits are issued at the port of entry. If you’ve rented a vehicle or trailer, make sure you bring along a copy of the rental contract, which stipulates that you have permission to use it in Canada. U.S. motorists planning to travel in Canada are advised to obtain a Canadian Non-Resident Interprovincial Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card available only in the U.S.

• In Ontario use of cellular and other devices is hands-free.

• Use of transportation of radar warning devices is illegal.

• Speed limits are posted in kilometres.

Contact your local insurance agency. For more information contact Canadian Border Services 204-983-3500, or 506-636-5064, or visit the website.

Seat Belts

Ontario Law requires that adults and children over 40lbs/18kg in weight wear seat belts. Infants from birth to 20lbs/9kg in weight must travel in a rear-facing child restraint system. Toddlers weighing 20-40lbs /9-18kg must travel in a front-facing child restraint seat.

Hospitals & Health Insurance

Most communities have hospitals and/or resident doctors. Wise travellers will check with their medical service plans to ensure they will be covered while in Canada, as health insurance plan may not extend coverage outside your country of residence.

If you are taking prescription drugs, make sure that they are in the original packaging, bring an adequate supply, and bring a copy of the prescription in case you need a refill during your stay in Ontario. If this is not possible, carry a copy of the prescription or a letter from your doctor.

For more information and insurance details, contact your travel agent, insurance broker, or your employer’s insurance provider.

Credit Cards, Financial Services & U.S. Funds

Chartered banks are located in virtually all cities and towns. These full-service institutions are the best locations for exchanging currency. There is also a government sanctioned Canada/U.S. currency exchange service at the Ontario Travel Information Centre in Sault Ste. Marie and at the Duty Free Store & Kiosk. Credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and AMEX, are generally honoured in all communities. Be sure to check with individual businesses before or when booking accommodations to ensure they accept your type of card.

Sales Tax

In Ontario, a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of 13% applies to most purchases.

For more information, contact:

• 1-800-565-9353 (inside Canada)
• 1-902-432-5604 (outside Canada)
• cra-arc.gc.ca

Surtax

Starting July 1, 2018, certain goods originating from the U.S. are subject to a surtax that will apply to commercial shipments as well as goods being imported by travellers above their personal exemptions. The list of goods is available on the Department of Finance website. For more information, please refer to Customs Notice 18-08, Memorandum D16-1-1 and Frequently Asked Questions.

Currency

If you want to know what your money is worth in Canada, visit the Bank of Canada website to quickly convert your currency to Canadian dollars.

Liquor Outlets & the Law

You must be 19 or over to buy or consume liquor, wine and beer in Ontario. It is an offence to consume alcohol anywhere other than in a licensed establishment, your residence or within a reasonable distance of your residence. Ontario laws prohibit having open bottles of liquor in a location accessible to the driver of a vehicle. Please don’t drink and drive! Liquor including wine and beer is available through stores run by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) or in smaller centers, by their authorized representative. Beer may be purchased through “The Beer Store” or directly from brewery outlets. Beer, wine and cider is now available at select grocery stores in the province of Ontario.

Drinking hours in licensed establishments are from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. In Ontario, it is an offence to consume alcohol anywhere other than in a residence or on licensed premises. Please note that driving motorized vehicles, including cars, trucks, All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, and boats, while impaired is illegal. You can immediately lose your license for 90 days for refusing to take a breathalyzer reading greater than 80 mg (0.08%) of alcohol per 100 mL of blood. Charges may be laid under the criminal code of Canada.

Cannabis

Despite the fact that cannabis (marijuana) is legal and regulated in Canada, it remains illegal to take cannabis across Canada’s national borders, whether you are entering or leaving Canada.

For more information, consult cannabis (marijuana) legalization.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)

For police services anywhere in Ontario, call the 24-hour toll-free line 1-888-310-1122 or 1-888-310-1133 (TTY).

Boaters – How to Report Your Entry

Pleasure crafts may enter Canada by trailer or under their own power. All boats powered by motors 10 HP or over must be licensed. Boat licenses from outside Ontario are accepted. Operator Competency Requirements for Pleasure Craft – Regulation requires that all operators of motorized pleasure crafts have proof of competency and proof of age on board at all times. An operator card or equivalent, issued to a non-resident by their state or country, will be considered as proof of competency. For information visit safeboater.com.

Planning to land your vessel on Canadian soil or did you leave Canadian waters and land on U.S. soil? All private boaters who intend to land on Canadian soil, or who have departed Canadian waters and landed on U.S. soil, are required to report to a CBSA designated marine reporting site.

Upon arrival at this designated site, call the Telephone Reporting Centre at 1-888-226-7277 from the phone provided to obtain clearance. Not planning to land your vessel or did you leave Canadian waters but did not land on U.S. soil? You still need to report to the CBSA.

Certain private boaters may contact the CBSA by calling the TRC at 1-888-226-7277. For more information, visit this website.

Fishing Regulations

• Licenses: All non-residents of Canada who want to fish in Ontario require a current non-resident sports fishing license and a non-resident Outdoors Card. Non-residents under the age of 18 may fish without a license if accompanied by a licensed family member. Any fish caught are part of the limit of the person with the license. Canadian residents require a resident fishing license and a current resident Outdoors Card.
• Bait: You cannot bring live minnows, smelts, leeches or any other bait fish into Ontario from the United States. Night crawlers are allowed but they must be brought in containers with artificial bedding only.
• Limits & Regulations: With countless lakes and streams, it is important that anglers are aware of the general regulations and of any exceptions to the general regulations (e.g. specific slots or catch and possession limits) that may apply to the lake you will be fishing.

Ontario Fishing Regulations can be downloaded from the website.

Hunting Regulations

Non-residents must have one of the following to obtain a hunting license:

• An Ontario non-resident hunting license issued to you after January 1, 1968.
• A hunting license issued to you after January 1, 1968 by a competent authority in a jurisdiction where you were a resident of that jurisdiction.
• An Ontario hunting license verification certificate showing your license to hunt in Ontario or that you passed the hunting license examination.

For further information, visit the website or call the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at 1-800-667-1940.

Firearms Information

Residents of the U.S. over the age of 18 may bring a hunting rifle or shotgun into Ontario for hunting purposes. You are also allowed to bring up to 200 rounds of ammunition duty free, or up to 1,500 rounds for use at a recognized competition. Firearms are subject to a registration fee. It is suggested that you contact the Canada Firearms Centre For information before you attempt to import a firearm.

Residents of the U.S. are encouraged to pre-register their firearms prior arriving. Handguns, fully automatic weapons, modified weapons, stun guns, mace and other weapons are not allowed in Canada. Proper storage of the firearm is important so make sure you are aware of the regulations. Of special note, firearms of any kind are forbidden in many of Canada’s National and Provincial Parks and adjacent areas.

For more information on importing your firearm into Canada and to receive a registration form, please contact the Canadian Firearms Centre at 1-800-731-4000 or 506-624-5380.