Working Abroad

Returning to Canada

Leaving a foreign country

Transport companies, such as air, rail, and bus services, are required to ensure that all passengers travelling to Canada can produce valid, universally accepted travel documents. This includes Canadian citizens returning to Canada from abroad. Transport companies, especially international airlines, may be fined if they carry improperly documented (pdf) travellers and are often liable to return those passengers to their point of origin.

A Certificate of Canadian Citizenship is not a travel document. A Canadian passport is the only reliable and universally accepted travel and identification document available to Canadians for the purpose of international travel. Canadian citizens returning to Canada who present other documents, such as a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, birth certificate, provincial driver’s license, or foreign passport, instead of a Canadian passport, may face delays or be denied boarding by transport companies.

Re-entering Canada

Returning to Canada means a stop at a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) check point. Be sure to declare everything acquired abroad, whether purchases for yourself or gifts, as well as goods bought at a Canadian or foreign duty-free store. Keep original receipts. The booklet I Declare describes what you can and cannot bring back to Canada if you have been away for less than a year.

If you are planning to bring back gifts or other consumer products into Canada, make sure that they comply with Canadian regulations. Some products can have safety requirements and may be prohibited in Canada. For more information, please consult Health Canada’s Information for Canadians Travelling Outside of Canada.

Permanent residents (immigrants living in Canada who are not yet Canadian citizens) travelling outside Canada need a valid permanent resident card to return to Canada. Travellers are reminded to check the expiry date on their card. For more information on permanent resident card processing time, please visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/abroad_a-letranger/return-canada-retour-eng.asp