Entry and exit data collection and use

Collecting entry and exit data

When you arrive in Canada, a CBSA officer collects your biographic information as part of the primary inspection process. Canada also collects exit information in the land and air modes.

When you travel to the United States (US) at a land border crossing, Canada receives your biographic entry information from US authorities. We use this information to create your Canadian exit record.

When you leave Canada by air, we collect basic exit information directly from air carriers through passenger manifests. We do not share this information with the US.

Collecting entry and exit information enhances the CBSA’s ability to manage border security by closing the loop on an individual's travel history. This allows us to focus our efforts and resources on unknown or known higher-risk travellers.

Collecting and exchanging basic biographic information is a seamless process that does not impact the travel experience.

What data we collect

The CBSA collects basic biographic information whenever you enter Canada. The CBSA also collects exit information in the land and air modes.

Biographic entry data

Entry data include biographic information, such as:

• first name
• middle name(s)
• last name
• date of birth
• nationality
• gender
• travel document type, number and name of the country that issued the travel document

Additional entry data

At land ports of entry only, the US and Canada collect and exchange the following information:

• date and time of entry
• the name of the port of entry

The CBSA creates exit records in the land mode based on this information.

Exit data

Exit data includes biographic information such as:

• first name
• middle name(s)
• last name
• date of birth
• citizenship or nationality
• gender
• travel document type, number and name of the country that issued the travel document

Additional exit data

At land ports of exit, Canada and the US collect the following information:

• date and time of exit
• the name of the port of exit

At air ports of exit, Canada collects the following information from air carriers for passengers on outbound international flights:

• date and time of departure
• the name of the port of departure
• flight information

Privacy safeguards and information sharing to better protect Canadians

The collection of exit data is limited by law to basic biographic information that is already routinely collected from all travellers entering Canada.

The Government of Canada is committed to keeping Canadians safe while protecting individual rights and freedoms, and has built privacy protections into the core of entry and exit information sharing.

We collect, use and disclose exit information in accordance with Canadian law, including the Privacy Act, the Customs Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The CBSA and US Customs and Border Protection have signed an information sharing memorandum of understanding, which includes safeguards and protections on the sharing of biographic entry data at the land border. Information sharing arrangements are in place between the CBSA and its federal partners before any exit information is shared with them.

How we use entry and exit data

Entry and exit information is used by the CBSA to establish reliable and accurate travel history information on all travellers. This enables the Agency to better administer and enforce Canada’s immigration and customs laws where a traveller’s presence or absence from Canada is relevant and necessary to:

• Identify individuals who do not leave Canada at the end of their period of authorized stay
• Focus immigration enforcement activities on persons believed to still be in Canada; and
• Respond to the departure, or intended departure, of high risk persons or goods who may pose a risk to the national security or public safety of Canada

Data use by federal partners

The CBSA discloses entry and exit information we collect in accordance with legislative authorities to:

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the administration and enforcement of immigration and citizenship programs
• the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for law enforcement purposes
• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for the administration of the Employment Insurance and Old Age Security programs
• the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the administration of Canada’s child and family benefit programs

Data use by the United States

Canadian entry data collected at land ports of entry is shared with the US to create an exit record.

The US uses its exit records:

• to manage its border
• to verify the travel date, or
• for any other lawful purpose consistent with its domestic law

A Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and the US governs the sharing of biographic entry data between both countries.

Related links

• Exit information requirements for air carriers
• Exit Information Regulations
• Access to information and privacy: Programs and information holdings 2018
• Privacy impact assessments: Final implementation
• Request your travel data report