News

Canada expands airport kiosks

April 23, 2012

Canada's Automated Border Clearance pilot project using kiosks at Vancouver International Airport is moving to full-program status and will also expanded to other airports in June, according to a press release.

ABC uses self-serve kiosks to process Canadian travelers returning to Canada; the machines don't require pre-registration or payment of any membership fees. As result, Canadian travelers will experience shorter wait times, less congestion and faster processing at the airport, Minister Vic Toews said in the press release.

"Our Government is committed to making travel at airports easier for Canadians," he said. "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 travelers."

Travelers should have all of the necessary documents on hand when they approach the kiosk, including the Canada Border Services Agency E311 Declaration Card, their Canadian passports or Canadian permanent resident cards and all receipts for purchases made abroad.

How it works

To use the kiosk, travelers place their passports or permanent resident cards in the document reader, insert their completed E311 Declaration Card in the kiosk and follow the instructions on the screen.

Once the transaction is completed a transaction receipt is issued. The traveler reports to a Border Services Officer for verification of his identity and visual authentication of his passport or permanent resident card. The ABC kiosk allows up to four travelers residing at the same address to be processed in a single transaction if they are all identified on the same E311 Declaration Card.

Read more about travel kiosks.