Key takeaways
- The limit is CAD 10,000 or more in total, counting cash in any currency, bank drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques, money orders, stocks and bonds
- Declare it at the kiosk, on your Advance Declaration, on a declaration card or to the officer
- You fill in a short CBSA form for individuals; mail and courier shipments use the general form
- If you don’t report, CBSA can seize the money. To get it back you pay 5% (up to CAD 2,500) to 50% of the amount
- You have 90 days to ask for a review of a seizure
What is the CAD 10,000 rule?
Canadian law says anyone who brings into or takes out of Canada currency or monetary instruments worth CAD 10,000 or more must report it to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The rule is in the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and its Cross-border Currency and Monetary Instruments Reporting Regulations.
Three points matter most:
- There is no limit on how much you can bring. You can carry CAD 50,000 if you want. You just have to report it.
- It is a total. Add up everything you carry: Canadian dollars, foreign cash and monetary instruments.
- It works both ways. The rule applies when you arrive and when you leave Canada.
What counts toward the CAD 10,000?
| Counts | Examples |
|---|---|
| Currency | Bank notes and coins in any currency: Canadian dollars, US dollars, rupees, pesos, yuan, naira |
| Negotiable instruments | Bank drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques, money orders, promissory notes |
| Securities | Stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills in a form you can hand over |
The regulations do not count instruments that carry a restrictive endorsement (for example, “for deposit only”) or a clearing stamp. Money already in a bank account, on a card or in a digital wallet is not carried across the border, so it does not count.
How foreign money is converted: CBSA uses the Bank of Canada exchange rate in effect when you cross. If you are close to CAD 10,000, check the Bank of Canada rate the day before you travel, or simply declare.
A bank draft made out to you still counts. Many newcomers carry a draft for their savings and forget that it must be declared.
How do I declare money when I arrive in Canada?
CBSA lets you declare in several ways when you arrive:
- at the airport kiosk or eGate, where you answer the currency question;
- through your Advance Declaration before you land, if your airport offers it;
- on a paper CBSA declaration card, if you were given one;
- by telling the border services officer.
The officer will then ask you to fill in the Cross-border Currency or Monetary Instruments Report for individuals (form E677). It asks for your identity, where the money came from, what it will be used for and the amounts. Keep your bank statements or sale documents in your hand luggage in case the officer asks.
If you land at Pearson or YVR, our Toronto Pearson arrival guide and Vancouver YVR arrival guide show where the kiosks and CBSA offices are.
What if I am leaving Canada with money?
The same CAD 10,000 rule applies when you leave. There is no officer at departure gates, so you have to go to CBSA yourself:
- By air: go to the CBSA office on the arrivals level before you enter security on the departures level.
- By land, sea or rail: visit a CBSA office before you leave.
If you are a NEXUS member, you cannot use NEXUS lanes when you carry CAD 10,000 or more.
Sending cash or drafts by mail or courier
Mail and courier shipments must be reported too. Use the general form (E667), not the individual form.
- Mail to Canada: put the completed form inside the item and attach the postal customs declaration (CN23) outside.
- Courier: give the completed form to the courier, who reports it to CBSA.
- Use the general form too if you carry money for someone else.
Sending cash by mail is risky. A wire or transfer service is usually safer. See the best way to bring money to Canada.
Families and people travelling together
The regulations do not set a clear rule for adding up amounts carried by a family or travel group. In practice, each person reports what they carry. If your family together carries CAD 10,000 or more, the safest choice is to tell the officer about the full amount and let them decide. There is no penalty for declaring money you did not have to declare.
Do not split money between family members to stay under the limit. CBSA can see this as hiding money, which leads to the higher penalties below.
What happens if I don’t declare?
If you do not report, CBSA can seize the money. In most cases you can get it back by paying a penalty. The amounts below are from section 18 of the regulations, as in force in October 2026 (they changed in September 2023 from the old flat amounts of CAD 250, 2,500 and 5,000).
| Level | When it applies | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You did not hide the money, you told the full facts when it was found, and you have no past seizure | 5% of the amount, up to CAD 2,500 |
| 2 | You hid the money (not in a false compartment), made a false statement, or have a past seizure for another reason | 25% of the amount |
| 3 | You hid the money in a false compartment of a vehicle, or have a past seizure for hiding money or false statements | 50% of the amount |
Example: you forget to declare a CAD 30,000 bank draft, but you tell the truth when asked. At level 1, the penalty is 5% of CAD 30,000, which is CAD 1,500.
If CBSA suspects the money comes from crime or will fund terrorism, it keeps the money with no option to pay a penalty.
How to ask for a review of a seizure
You can ask the Minister of Public Safety for a review within 90 days of the seizure. Send a written request with your evidence, such as bank statements showing where the money came from. If the decision says there was no contravention, the money or penalty is returned. After the Minister’s decision, you have 90 more days to appeal to the Federal Court.
Because the amounts can be large, consider talking to a lawyer. Our guide to finding legal help explains who can help.