- Joined
- Apr 27, 2010
- Location
- Bethlehem, Georgia
Canada updates boater reporting requirements
Although the law has not changed, the Canada Border Services Agency modernized its reporting requirements for pleasure craft entering Canadian waters to make it easier for private boaters to comply with the requirements, the agency said.
All recreational boaters are required to present themselves when they arrive in Canada. That includes all foreign boaters entering the country, as well as private boaters who leave Canada, enter foreign waters and subsequently return.
Certain private boaters may present themselves to the agency by calling the Telephone Reporting Centre from their cell phones from the location where they enter Canadian waters.
The groups that may report by cell phone are:
• Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have not landed on U.S. soil; and
• U.S. citizens and permanent residents who do not plan to land on Canadian soil.
Owners/operators of private boats that are strictly weaving in and out of Canadian waters, but are not in transit, will be required to call the center only once, at the time of their initial entry into Canadian waters.
All other private boaters, including those without cell phones, must proceed directly to a designated marine telephone reporting site and place a call to the center to get Border Services Agency clearance. That includes all vessels carrying foreign nationals (other than U.S. citizens or permanent residents).
Failure to report could result in detention, seizure or forfeiture of the vessel and/or monetary penalties, the agency said. The minimum fine for failing to report to the Border Services Agency upon entry to Canada is $1,000.
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