Many international travelers are now allowed to skip border control when transiting through major airports in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
International transit passengers can proceed directly to international departures after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport (Terminal 1), Vancouver International Airport or Montreal Pierre Elliott-Trudeau International Airport, without having to meet with a border guard or check in at a kiosk.
To be exempt from border control, a passenger must have a confirmed air ticket for an international flight departing from Canada within 24 hours of arrival and must remain in the airport’s designated international departure area until boarding the next flight.
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The border security exemption was introduced under the Canada Border Services Agency’s new free international transit process.
Other airports across Canada now have the opportunity to apply to the CBSA to adopt this procedure.
The CBSA announced the new simplified process in a press release issued on June 26, 2026.
How the new process works
All passengers must carry the appropriate visas and travel documents to their final destination, including a transit visa or electronic travel authorization (if applicable).
Same-day connecting travelers whose baggage is transferred automatically are eligible for Free Flow and will be directed to the international departure area.
The new process relies on airlines collecting and transmitting information about passenger flights to CBSA, including their final destination and scheduled departure time.
People transiting through Canada on their way to the US can go directly to the Canadian airport’s US connection area, where they (and their luggage) will be “re-screened for security” and processed by US Customs and Border Protection.
Travelers are no longer eligible for Free Flow if their flight is canceled or delayed and the wait time exceeds 24 hours, or if they leave the airport’s designated international departure area. In these cases, they must report to the CBSA for processing.
Free flow does not apply if baggage is not automatically transferred or the next flight is not scheduled on the same day. In these cases, travelers must claim their luggage and undergo CBSA processing before boarding their international flight.
The new process builds on the International to International (ITI) pilot that the CBSA launched at the same three airports in 2018, in which transiting international passengers can bypass an officer’s body search by scanning their passport at a special kiosk.
The latest changes, drafted by the government in November 2025, eliminated the need for passport scanning and also allowed the exemption from border controls to be extended to other participating airports across Canada.
“We are working with our airport partners to provide travelers with a simpler, more efficient process to get to international destinations without delays,” said Rob Chambers, vice president of the CBSA Travel Division.
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