page_title: United States border preclearance
section_title: Canada
hierarchical_section_title: United States border preclearance / Canada
caption_attribution_description: English: The new U.S. Departures sector at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Septembre 2009. Français&#160;: Le nouveau secteur des départs vers les États-Unis à l'aéroport international Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau de Montréal (YUL) en septembre 2009.
context_page_description: United States border preclearance facilities are prescreening border controls operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security at airports and other ports of departure located outside the United States under agreement between the host country and the federal government of the United States. Travelers are subject to immigration and customs inspections by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers before boarding their transportation onward to the United States. Preclearance applies to all passengers regardless of their nationality or purpose of travel. Upon arrival, pre-cleared passengers are treated as domestic passengers and do not need to be screened again. This process is intended to streamline border procedures, reduce congestion at American ports of entry, and facilitate travel into airports that otherwise lack customs processing facilities.
  Preclearance facilities were first introduced in Toronto under an informal arrangement with the Canadian government, and are now available at eight major Canadian airports with facilities under consideration as sea ports and rail stations.
context_section_description: Informal preclearance arrangements between the United States and Canada began at Malton Airport (now Toronto Pearson International Airport) in 1952, following a request from American Airlines. This was extended and formalized with Canada's passage of the Air Transport Preclearance Act in 1974, the 1999 Preclearance Act, and with the 2001 Canada–U.S. Agreement on Air Transport Preclearance. The preclearance agreement is fully reciprocal, meaning the government of Canada has the option of opening Canadian Preclearance facilities in the United States. On average, however, U.S. international airports offer far fewer flights to Canada compared to the reverse, making this an expensive and inefficient proposition that, as of 2019, has not been exercised by the Canadian government.
  On March 16, 2015, U.S. and Canadian officials signed the ministerial-level Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada, which foresees significant expansion of the scope of preclearance facilities. For instance, under the new agreement, U.S. CBP officers working at U.S. preclearance facilities in Canada will be able to carry firearms, and detain travelers who try to voluntarily withdraw their application. Although CBP does not have arrest powers in Canada the bill also includes increased cooperation with the Canada Border Services Agency to arrest travelers found to be breaking the law.
  On March 10, 2016, U.S. and Canadian officials announced that preclearance would become available at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, and Montreal Central Station.  The necessary upgrades in Quebec City will take 18 months and $35 million CAD to complete.
  On December 8, 2016, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the bipartisan Promoting Travel, Commerce and National Security Act of 2016 into law, enabling an expansion of US-Canada preclearance.  On December 12, 2017, Canadian Governor General Julie Payette gave royal assent to the Canadian counterpart legislation: the Preclearance Act, 2016. The only hurdles standing in the way of implementing an expanded preclearance regime are orders-in-council in Canada, a joint agreement between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and an official presidential proclamation from Trump. In Canada, the preclearance measures interface with the Quarantine Act in the case of a public health emergency.
caption: The interior of the U.S. Departures wing at Montreal Trudeau Airport.
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