CBSA Announces the Expansion of the Automated Border Clearance Program

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - April 20, 2012) - The Honourable James Moore, Senior Minister for British Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, today announced the expansion of the Automated Border Clearance (ABC) pilot project at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

"Our Government is committed to making travel at airports easier for Canadians," said Minister Toews. "Automated Border Clearance is a secure service that accelerates passenger screening and expands the work the Canada Border Services Agency does to streamline the border process for Canadian travellers."

ABC is an innovative new concept that uses self-serve, automated technology to process Canadian travellers returning to Canada. As result, Canadian travellers will experience shorter wait times, less congestion, and faster processing at the airport. The self-serve kiosks are easy to use and do not require pre-registration by travellers or payment of any membership fees.

"Canadian travellers returning home will soon have a convenient new option to clear the border," said Minister Moore. "Our Government will continue to look at ways to ensure Canadians travelling abroad have a fast, safe, and secure experience at our airports."

"Vancouver Airport Authority continues to focus on developing and implementing cutting-edge technology that facilitates the efficient and secure movement of passengers through YVR," said Larry Berg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vancouver Airport Authority. "We are pleased to be the first airport in Canada to participate in creating and delivering an automated approach to border processing that substantially reduces the average customs wait time for eligible users."

Building off the success in Vancouver, the pilot project will be moved to full program status and expanded to other international airports across Canada starting with Montréal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in June 2012.

Travellers should have all of the necessary documents on hand when they approach the kiosk, including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) E311 Declaration Card, their Canadian passport or Canadian permanent resident card, and all receipts for purchases made abroad.

To use the kiosk, the traveller places their passport or permanent resident card in the document reader, inserts their completed E311 Declaration Card in the kiosk and follows the instructions on the screen. Once the transaction is completed a transaction receipt is issued. The traveller reports to a Border Services Officer for verification of their identity and visual authentication of their passport or permanent resident card. The ABC kiosk allows up to four travellers residing at the same address to be processed in a single transaction if they are all identified on the same E311 Declaration Card.