Crossing the Border
By Barbara Ballard
Canada Customs and Immigration
Citizens or permanent residents of the United States require birth or baptismal certificate, voter's registration card, resident alien card, green card or passport to enter Canada. A driver's license is not accepted as proof of citizenship. All other international visitors require valid passports, and, in some cases, visas. All persons entering Canada must fill out a declaration for Canada Customs.
Canadian Currency and Banking
Canadian currency is in dollars and cents. The Canadian dollar is a coin (nicknamed a "loonie") and so is the Canadian two-dollar (nicknamed a "toonie"). All other dollar denominations starting with $5.00 are paper currency.
Goods and Services Tax and Visitor Rebates
Visitors to Canada can claim a rebate on the GST they paid on certain goods they take out of Canada, and for GST on accommodation if their stay is less than 30 days. Cash rebates of up to $500 can be claimed by submitting original receipts at a participating duty-free store, or they can be mailed with an application form (available at Tourism Victoria's Travel InfoCentre) to Revenue Canada.
Emergency Services
In case of emergency (fire, police or ambulance), dial 911. Tourist Alert is an emergency message service administered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The names of visitors with urgent messages waiting are posted in Visitor Info Centres and other transit points.
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our North America Insiders page.
