US Preclearance

United States Border Preclearance

United States Border Preclearance is the United States Department of Homeland Security's practice of operating Prescreening Border Control Facilities at Airports and other Ports of Departure located outside of the United States pursuant to agreements between the United States and Host Countries.

Travelers are subject to Immigration and Customs Inspections by Customs and Border Protection Officers before boarding their transportation onward to the United States.

Preclearance applies to all Passengers (Americans and Foreigners) regardless of their Nationality or purpose of travel.

Upon Arrival, Precleared Passengers arrive in the United States as Domestic Travelers, but may still be subject to re-inspection at the discretion of American Customs.

The Preclearance Agreement is fully reciprocal, meaning Canada is allowed to operate Preclearance Facilities in the United States on the same basis as U.S. Facilities in Canada, including CBSA Agents’ expanded powers under the 2019 Agreement.

As of 2024, Preclearance has not been exercised by the Canadian Government.

 

History of Preclearance:

American Prescreening Border Control in other Countries began in 1894 when American Immigration Inspections were deployed to Sea Ports in Canada (Montreal, Quebec; Quebec City, Quebec;  Halifax, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick.)

Once admitted, Americans and Foreigners would be given Documentation to physically cross the Land Border by train within 30 days without additional Inspection.

In 1903, the Pre-Inspection by the U.S. Bureau of Immigration, was extended to Victoria, British Columbia for U.S.-Bound Travelers before boarding their ship to destinations in Washington State.

Modern US Preclearance was introduced, at the request of American Airlines, in 1952 at Malton Airport (today Toronto Pearson International Airport) and Calgary International Airport both in Canada.

Over 250,000 Passengers were processed in the first year of Preclearance.

In 1957, Dorval Airport (now Montreal-Trudeau International Airport) was added to US Preclearance.

By 1970 the 3 US Preclearance Airports in Canada (Toronto, Calgary and Montreal) were processing 3 Million Travelers every year.

In 1970 US Preclearance was opened in its first Non-Canadian Airport on the British Colony of Bermuda.

In 1974, US Preclearance operations became formalized under Domestic Canadian Law with the passage of the Air Transport Preclearance Act.

In 1974 the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, the Bahamas was added.

In 1979 the Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport, the Bahamas was added.

In 1979,  the Vancouver and Winnipeg Airports in Canada were added.

In 1982, the Edmonton Airport was added.

US Pre-Inspection for Immigration (but not for US Customs) opened in Shannon Airport in Ireland in 1988 and at the Dublin Airport in Ireland in 1994

In 1994, the Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba was added.

In 1997, Ottawa Airport in Canada was added.

In 1999, The Preclearance Act modernized the Process.

In 2001, Precclearance was updated by the Canada–U.S. Agreement on Air Transport Preclearance.

In 2006, Halifax Airport in Canada was added.

In 2011, the Shannon Airport and the Dublin Airport in Ireland were added as full US Preclearance.

In 2014 the Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates was added.

In 2019, The Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada was signed.

 

Implementation of US Preclearance:

In Airports with Preclearance, Passengers must first pass Airport Security Inspection before they can proceed to the Preclearance Area.

Security Checks are conducted by Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) in the standards of both CATSA and U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Regulations.

Travelers who have passed through Preclearance Facilities, but whose flight or ship has not departed, remain in the legal jurisdiction of the Host Country.

 U.S. Officials may question and search Travelers with such Passengers' permission. Their power to arrest or detain Travelers (such as for Customs or Immigration Violations or Outstanding Warrants) is limited.

Passengers can choose to abandon their flight and refuse search, and unlike in the United States, US Officers cannot search them without permission absent an immediate threat.

 

Preclearance Issues:

In 2013,  when a departing Airplane full of already-Precleared Passengers in Toronto, Canada couldn’t obtain Takeoff Clearance due to worsening weather conditions and was forced to return to the Gate rather than fly to New York the American and Canadian Officials argued over what to do, the final compromise was that anyone who wished to stay in Toronto had to pass through Canadian Customs and anyone who wished to continue to New York on a later flight had to pass through US Preclearance again.

 

 

Current US Preclearance Locations:

Aruba: Queen Beatrix International Airport

The Bahamas: Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau

Note: US Preclearance at the Grand Bahama International Airport of Freeport, the Bahamas was closed in 2022 due to construction at the Airport. It is unknown when it will return.

Bermuda: L.F. Wade International Airport

Canada:

The following Canadian Airports operate U.S. Preclearance Facilities:

Calgary International Airport

Edmonton International Airport

Halifax Stanfield International Airport

Montréal–Trudeau International Airport

Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Vancouver International Airport

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

Note: US Preclearance Facilities are currently being constructed at the Toronto Island Airport and Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport and are expected to open in 2025.

 

US Preclearance Facilities for Rail Passengers in Canada:

There are currently no full Preclearance Facilities for Rail Passengers in Canada.

Since 1995, Pre-Inspection for Immigration (but not for Customs) has been carried out at the Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia for Passengers departing on the Amtrak Cascades trains to Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

 

US Preclearance Facilities for Sea Passengers in Canada:

In 2022, US Preclearance was opened at the Prince Rupert Alaska Marine Highway System Ferry Terminal in Prince Ruper, British Columbia.

 

US Pre-Inspection for Immigration (but not for US Customs) in Canada:

The Port of Victoria, British Columbia for both the Black Ball Line's MV Coho Car Ferry Service to Port Angeles, Washington and the Victoria Clipper Passenger-Only Ferry to Seattle, Washington.

The Ferry Terminal in Sindey, British Columbia for the Washington State Ferries' Anacortes–San Juan Islands Ferry Service to Anacortes, Washington.

The Port of Vancouver in British Columbia for Travelers on Cruise Lines that visit Alaska.

 

US Preclearance Statistics:

Today US Preclearance has 600 Immigration Officers and Agriculture Specialists stationed at 15 Preclearance Locations and US Immigration and Customs Officers have Precleared 27 Million Travelers (or 16% of all Commercial Travelers to the US.)

 

Possible Expansion of US Preclearance:

Brussels Airport, Belgium

Punta Cana Airport, the Dominican Republic

Narita International Airport, Japan

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Netherlands

Oslo Airport, Norway

Madrid-Barajas Airport, Spain

Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden

Istanbul Airport, Turkey

London Heathrow Airport, the United Kingdom

Manchester Airport, the United Kingdom

El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota, Colombia

Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom

Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Iceland

Mexico City International Airport (MEX) in Mexico City, Mexico

Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP) in Milan, Italy

Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka, Japan

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport (GIG) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) in Rome, Italy

São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in São Paulo, Brazil

Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Maarten.

 

Note: I have been through US Preclearance in Aruba; Nassau, the Bahamas; Toronto, Canada and Montreal, Canada.