Visiting Canada from the US: What You Need
US citizens need no visa and no eTA to visit Canada. The CBSA recommends a valid US passport; a NEXUS card works by air, land or water, and a US enhanced driver's licence is on the CBSA's list. A border officer decides entry and usually allows up to 6 months. A criminal record, such as a DUI, can still bar entry.
Does a US citizen need a visa, an eTA or a passport?
US citizens are visa-exempt under IRPR s.190, so they do not need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to visit Canada. They are also exempt from the eTA requirement under IRPR s.7.1(3)(b), whether they fly or arrive by land or water.
- Flying to a Canadian airport
- The CBSA recommends a valid US passport, and NEXUS members can use their card when they fly to a Canadian airport. Airlines can ask for different documents than the CBSA requires.
- Crossing at a land border
- Present your US passport, which the CBSA recommends, or a NEXUS card or US enhanced driver's licence (from specific states).
- US permanent residents (green card holders)
- No visa or eTA, regardless of nationality: they have been exempt from the eTA requirement since April 26, 2022. Flying, bring a valid passport from your country of nationality plus your green card. By land or water directly from the US or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, IRCC and the CBSA say you only need your valid green card, and not your passport.
The rule
As a US citizen you do not need a visa (Temporary Resident Visa) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA) to visit Canada.
What happens at the border, by air and by land?
Every person entering Canada is assessed at the port of entry under IRPA s.18. A CBSA officer can ask about the purpose and length of your visit, your funds, your return ticket, your occupation in the US, and any past refusal or criminal conviction.
Answering truthfully is legally required under IRPA s.16(1), and misrepresentation is a ground of inadmissibility under IRPA s.40, for five years (s.40(2)(a)). IRCC says you will not be allowed into Canada if you give false or incomplete information.
At a land port of entry you speak directly to a CBSA officer. Flying, you can make your declaration in advance with ArriveCAN's Advance Declaration, up to 72 hours before your flight.
How long can a US citizen stay in Canada?
US citizens, like all visitors to Canada, are subject to the default 6-month authorized stay under IRPR s.183(2), whether they arrive by air or land. The officer may allow you to stay for less or more than 6 months, and then puts the date you need to leave by in your passport.
If you don't get a stamp in your passport, IRCC says you can stay until the first of these dates: 6 months from the date you entered Canada, or the expiry date of your passport. IRPR s.183(4) lists the end dates of a stay, and s.52(1) asks for a passport valid for the period of the stay.
The 6-month period is set at each entry and is not an automatic right to half the year, every year: at every entry you must establish that you will leave by the end of your authorized stay (IRPA s.20(1)(b)). To stay longer, apply to extend your stay (a Visitor Record) from inside Canada before the current period expires. IRCC warns that remaining beyond the validity of your status is illegal and can lead to an admissibility hearing and removal.
Can a criminal record, such as a DUI, keep a US citizen out?
Being a US citizen does not exempt you from IRPA's criminal inadmissibility provisions. Under IRPA s.36(2)(b), a foreign national is inadmissible for criminality if convicted outside Canada of an offence that would be indictable in Canada, or of two offences not arising out of a single occurrence that would be offences in Canada. What matters is how the equivalent offence is treated under Canadian law, not how it was classified in the US.
Effective December 18, 2018, impaired operation (now Criminal Code s.320.14) prosecuted by indictment carries a maximum of up to 10 years imprisonment (raised from 5). A single DUI committed on or after that date can be treated as serious criminality under IRPA s.36(1); for an offence before that date, IRCC applies the penalties in force at the time. A US DUI conviction, even a misdemeanor in the state where it happened, may make a traveller criminally inadmissible to Canada.
- Criminal Rehabilitation
- In IRCC’s words, it removes the grounds of criminal inadmissibility. You can apply once at least 5 years have passed since you completed all sentence requirements.
- Deemed rehabilitation
- No application is required, but an officer checks whether you meet the conditions, such as a single offence with a Canadian maximum under 10 years and at least 10 years since the sentence was completed. It never covers serious criminality, so it does not apply to a DUI committed on or after December 18, 2018.
- Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
- For when you have a compelling, justified reason to enter despite being inadmissible.
What must you declare, from cash to firearms?
You must declare all goods you bring into Canada. Currency or monetary instruments valued at CAD $10,000 or more (or equivalent) must be reported to CBSA.
Many handguns and many semi-automatic firearms that are legal in the US are restricted or prohibited in Canada under the Firearms Act. You must declare all firearms to a border services officer. Visitors cannot, under any circumstances, import prohibited firearms, devices or weapons.
A visitor with no Canadian licence who brings a non-restricted firearm completes form RCMP 5589 (Non-Resident Firearm Declaration) and pays a CAN$25.00 fee; once confirmed by an officer, the declaration has the same effect as a temporary licence for up to 60 days. The CBSA says that if you do not declare a firearm or are untruthful, it may seize the firearm, and you may face criminal charges and monetary penalties.
What does a NEXUS card do at the border?
NEXUS is a joint US-Canada trusted traveller program administered by CBSA and US CBP. Approved members use dedicated lanes at land borders and expedited processing at airports.
Applicants must be admissible to Canada and the US and must not have violated customs, immigration or agriculture laws. The CBSA says a person convicted of a criminal offence in any country for which a pardon was not granted may not be eligible.
The CBSA's NEXUS page lists a $120 (USD) non-refundable application processing fee; children under 18 are free, and memberships are valid for 5 years. An applicant who passes the CBSA and US CBP risk assessments completes an interview.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Admissibility ExplorerThe IRPA admissibility grounds, one question at a time
- Criminal EquivalencyHow foreign offences line up with Canadian law
- Rehabilitation CalculatorDeemed rehabilitation and eligibility dates (IRPA s.36)
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
Can you cross the Canada border with a REAL ID?
A REAL ID alone does not prove US citizenship. The CBSA asks US citizens to show their full name, date of birth and citizenship, and it recommends a valid passport. A driver's licence, REAL ID included, serves as photo ID, so pair it with a birth certificate or certificate of citizenship, or carry a passport or US enhanced driver's licence instead. The CBSA's Travel documents page lists what it accepts.
Can you cross the Canada border with an enhanced driver's license?
Yes. The CBSA lists a US enhanced driver's licence among the documents that show a US citizen's identity and citizenship, and it recommends a valid passport. If you fly, airlines can ask for different documents than the CBSA requires, so check with your airline. A NEXUS card works by air, land or water.
Do I need ArriveCAN to enter Canada?
No. Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN is optional. Travellers flying into a participating airport can make their customs and immigration declaration in advance through ArriveCAN, up to 72 hours before the flight, or at an airport kiosk or eGate. At a land crossing, you answer the officer's questions directly. The CBSA Declaration guide explains each option and what to declare.
Do US citizens need an eTA to fly to Canada?
No. US citizens are exempt from the electronic travel authorization (eTA) and must carry proper identification, such as a valid US passport. The eTA applies to most other visa-exempt foreign nationals who fly. US lawful permanent residents have also been exempt since April 26, 2022; when flying, they show a passport from their country of nationality plus a green card. The eTA vs Visitor Visa guide explains who needs which.
How long can a US citizen stay in Canada?
Usually up to 6 months per entry, at the officer's discretion under IRPR s.183(2). With no stamp in your passport, IRCC says you can stay until the first of 6 months from the day you enter or your passport's expiry date; if the officer writes a date, that date governs. To stay longer, apply for a visitor record from inside Canada before your period ends. The How Long Can You Stay in Canada guide explains extensions.
Can I be refused entry to Canada as a US citizen?
Yes. CBSA officers can refuse entry to any person found inadmissible under IRPA, US citizens included. Common reasons are a criminal record, even a misdemeanor that matches a Canadian indictable offence, a past immigration violation, misrepresentation, or weak evidence that you will leave. The Denied Entry to Canada guide explains what happens at the border and what you can do next.
I have a DUI from 10 years ago. Can I enter Canada?
It depends on the offence date. Impaired driving has carried a 10-year maximum since December 18, 2018, so a DUI after that date is serious criminality under IRPA s.36(1) and deemed rehabilitation never applies. For a DUI before that date, IRCC applies the penalties in force at the time, and a single offence can be deemed rehabilitated 10 years after the sentence was completed. An officer decides. The DUI and Canada Entry guide covers both cases.
Can I bring my dog into Canada from the US?
Yes, with the right papers. The CFIA's import rules say a dog under 3 months needs no rabies vaccination, and an older dog from a country not designated rabies-free can enter with a valid rabies vaccination certificate, in English or French, issued by a licensed veterinarian, that clearly identifies the dog and shows it is currently vaccinated against rabies. Pet dogs face no post-import quarantine. Declare the pet to the CBSA officer. The Bringing a Pet to Canada guide covers cats, age bands, titre tests and US transit rules.
Part of:Visiting Canada
- Canada Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents 2026
- How Long Can You Stay in Canada as a Visitor?
- Why Canada Visitor Visas Get Refused: Top Reasons Explained
The textbook on this subject
Volume 1: Entering Canada $79
Six IRPA inadmissibility grounds (s.36 and s.38 to s.42), explained with the official text cited.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.