The short answer: yes, Toronto Pearson has US preclearance, in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and Billy Bishop has had it since 10 March 2026. In all, nine Canadian airports let American officers check you before you board, so you land in the US like a domestic passenger. The US decides what documents you need for that; a Canadian eTA only matters for flying into Canada or connecting through it.
Preclearance is a quirk of the Canada-US border: the US inspection happens on Canadian soil, before departure. If you have just landed in Toronto and are hunting for the right line, our guide to arriving at Toronto Pearson on an eTA covers the arrival side, and Vancouver airport on an eTA does the same for YVR. This page is about the other direction: leaving for the United States.
What is US preclearance?
Preclearance is an arrangement under which officers of the destination country work in the departure country and decide who may travel. In Canada, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers carry out the immigration, customs and agriculture inspection before your flight, and the arrangement has existed for air travel since 1952. Today it runs under the Preclearance Act, 2016, Canada’s law for the agreement signed with the US in 2015.
For a passenger the benefit is practical. After preclearance you skip CBP and TSA when you arrive in the US and go straight to your connection or the exit. It also lets airlines fly direct to more than 160 US airports, including ones with no CBP post of their own. Signs in the preclearance area say you may choose to withdraw from the process, and that biometrics may be collected.
Which Canadian airports have US preclearance?
There are nine, listed here from west to east. The hours are those CBP publishes for its officers, not the hours of the airport.
| Airport | Terminal or level (where confirmed) | CBP hours | Visa-free transit from overseas to the US (TWOV) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver (YVR) | International Terminal, Level 3 | 4:30 to 0:00 | Yes |
| Calgary (YYC) | Ask the airport | 4:30 to 20:00 | Yes |
| Edmonton (YEG) | Ask the airport | 4:30 to 18:30 | No |
| Winnipeg (YWG) | Ask the airport | 5:00 to 18:00 | Yes |
| Toronto Pearson (YYZ) | Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 | 3:30 to 21:00 | Terminal 1 only |
| Billy Bishop Toronto City (YTZ) | Ask the airport | 6:00 to 20:00 | No |
| Ottawa (YOW) | Ask the airport | 4:30 to 19:30 | No |
| Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) | Ask the airport | 4:30 to 20:00 | No |
| Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) | Level 2 | 5:00 to 17:00 | No |
Hours change with the season and the schedule, so confirm with the airport and your airline before you plan around them.
Two more places count in the Canadian government’s list but are not airports. In Vancouver, the Pacific Central railway station has preclearance for the train south, which our page on taking Amtrak to Canada touches on. In Prince Rupert, the Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal has it as well. So the honest count is nine airports, one rail station and one ferry terminal.
One trap: the CBP page also lists Victoria. That is a harbour terminal on Belleville Street for the ferry and passenger boats, not an airport, and its hours (9:00 to 17:00) are not airport hours.
Does Toronto Pearson have US preclearance?
Yes. Pearson offers it in Terminals 1 and 3. Security screening by CATSA, the Canadian airport security authority, starts at 3:00, and CBP is open from 3:30 to 21:00. Mobile Passport Control, the free CBP app, is accepted there, and a priority lane exists for NEXUS members and for passengers in a wheelchair or with reduced mobility.
Toronto’s second airport works the same way. Billy Bishop began US preclearance on 10 March 2026, and every passenger flying to the US passes through it. The order is check-in, CATSA security, CBP, then the transborder lounge. The airport is closed from 23:00 to 5:00, and check-in opens at 5:30. Airlines collect a CBP user fee of CAD 22.50 per US-bound passenger in its first year, when you buy the ticket.
What happens at preclearance, step by step
The details vary by airport, but the sequence is the same almost everywhere:
- You check in and drop your bags with the airline.
- You go through the usual Canadian security screening.
- You enter the CBP hall, show your passport and a visa or ESTA if you need one, and answer the officer’s questions. Your bags can be examined.
- If you are admitted, you move into a US departures area, separated from the rest of the terminal.
- You board, and on landing you walk out like a passenger from a domestic flight.
Preclearance is a US check, not a Canadian one. The officer is deciding on US entry, and the eTA plays no role in it.
Do you go through customs again after preclearance?
No. Once you have cleared in Canada, there are no further checks on arrival in the US, no CBP queue and no second security screen. If something unusual happens to the flight, such as a diversion, ask your airline what applies rather than assuming.
Flying from Europe to the US through a Canadian airport
This is a common routing, and it involves two separate permissions. A traveller on a passport that is eTA-eligible needs an eTA to connect in Canada, even if you never leave the transit area. The US side is a different matter: citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries need an ESTA or a visa for US entry, and the same applies to passing through the US. Read your own passport’s requirement on the CBP site, or ask your airline, before you book.
In Toronto, you follow the signs from the arrival gate to the US connections area, pass a second screening and then meet CBP. If you are on a different kind of journey, the layover guide for eTA transit has the table by passport.
Holders of passports from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand or Taiwan (without a personal ID number) may transit without a Canadian visa on a connection to the US, if they hold a valid US visa, have a ticket to the US within 24 hours, and fly with a participating airline. The programme works only at four airports: Pearson Terminal 1, Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. Terminal 3 does not qualify, and neither does a change of terminal. The conditions are laid out on the transit without a visa eligibility page.
Ending your Canada trip with a flight to the US
Say you finish a road trip in Calgary after Banff and connect through a US hub on the way home, or you leave Montreal for a hub in the US. You do the US inspection at the Canadian airport before boarding. The eTA is not the document being checked; it is for entering or connecting in Canada. What the US wants of you (ESTA, visa, passport type) comes from CBP, and the page on how the eTA differs from the US ESTA sets the two side by side.
Plan the timing around the airport you leave from. For a Calgary departure, our notes on Calgary airport with an eTA describe the US-bound routine at YYC.
Missed the preclearance cut-off or your connection?
CBP does not work around the clock, and the table shows why a late flight can be a problem: Halifax stops at 17:00, Edmonton at 18:30 and Winnipeg at 18:00. If your flight leaves after the hour on the table, ask the airline how it is handled before you buy.
If a connection falls apart, or the US refuses you entry during a transit, you are in a different situation. A traveller using the Transit Without Visa programme loses the visa exemption and must see a CBSA officer. The programme also does not apply if the transit area closes overnight, according to the Canadian government’s TWOV page (see its section on preclearance outside hours).
How to get through faster
- Install Mobile Passport Control before you travel. It does not replace the passport, but it can shorten the process where it is accepted.
- If you hold NEXUS, use the priority lane; a passenger with reduced mobility can use it too.
- Arrive when your airline tells you to, and follow its advice on timing.
- Keep your documents out and your answers short, since the CBP officer is the one who decides.
The short version
- Nine Canadian airports have US preclearance: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Billy Bishop, Ottawa, Montréal-Trudeau and Halifax.
- At Pearson it is in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3; Billy Bishop joined on 10 March 2026.
- CBP does not work around the clock, so check its hours against your departure time.
- After preclearance, a US arrival has no customs or immigration step.
- A connection in Canada on an eTA-eligible passport needs an eTA; US entry needs its own ESTA or visa.
- Visa-free transit is open only to four passports and four airports (at Pearson, Terminal 1 only).
FAQ
Is US customs at Pearson? Yes, in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. CBP works there from 3:30 to 21:00, with security screening opening at 3:00.
Which Canadian airports have US customs? Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Billy Bishop, Ottawa, Montréal-Trudeau and Halifax. A rail station in Vancouver and a ferry terminal in Prince Rupert have it too, but they are not airports.
Do you need to go through customs after preclearance? No. After preclearance you arrive in the US as a domestic passenger, with no CBP or TSA step at the other end.
What time does customs open at Pearson? CBP preclearance opens at 3:30 and closes at 21:00, and CATSA security starts at 3:00. Canadian customs for passengers arriving in Canada is a separate process.
What is a preclearance airport? It is an airport where officers of another country check travellers before departure. In Canada that means US officers inspect you before a flight to the US, and in the US you land as if you had flown domestically.