Marine borders open wider

Entering Canada

On April 1, Canada’s rules of entry at the US-Canada border eased for recreational boaters. Fully vaccinated travellers no longer need a pre-entry Covid-19 test and children under five are not required to test regardless of their vaccination status.

At least 72 hours before arriving in Canada, travellers must supply  required information to ArriveCAN which can be accessed online or via an app on iOS or Android devices. If travellers don’t submit the information, they may be denied entry when arriving at a marine border crossing.

Travel to Canada is still prohibited for foreign nationals who do not qualify as fully vaccinated. This link outlines what qualifies as an accepted vaccine, troubleshoots vaccine issues and provides a checklist of what you need to do before and after arriving at the border.

In response to Covid-19, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has temporarily suspended its services at many small vessel reporting sites. Here is a list of sites which CBSA will continue to service in 2022.

The sites (those in BC are also listed below) are telephone reporting stations and authorized points of entry for members of the joint Canada/US NEXUS marine program.

Around Sidney:

• Port of Sidney
• Canoe Cove Marina
• Tsehum Harbour Authority dock
• Van Isle Marina

Nanaimo:

• Port of Nanaimo Boat Basin, E dock

Victoria:

• CBSA Boat Dock, Raymur Point, Victoria
• Oak Bay Marina

Around Vancouver:

• False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf
• White Rock Government Dock
• *Steveston Harbour Authority (*no telephone reporting)

Note, at the time of this writing, the CBSA’s popular Bedwell Harbour summer station on South Pender Island, as well as their 52 Steps Dock at Ucluelet, are not scheduled to reopen.

Entering the United States

Documented non-citizens who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are allowed to arrive by boat at US ports of entry. These travellers must be able to present proof of vaccination to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer upon request.

There is no Covid-19 testing requirement at these ports of entry.

Children under 18 years of age are exempted from the vaccination requirement.

Boaters looking for a faster way to report their arrival and/or apply for a registered boater program may use the CBP ROAM app, available for free on the Apple App and Google Play stores. Boaters may also continue to report their arrival via designated telephone reporting numbers, if desired.