Remote Area Border Crossing permit updates

Canadian authorities have provided an update to the Remote Area Border Crossing Permit program (RABC). In late December, officials announced that the RABC program is no longer accepting applications and is being phased out. Instead, a new telephone reporting system will take the place of areas previously covered by the RABC program.

Effective Sept 14, 2026, the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) program will be discontinued. In an email sent to Quetico Superior Wilderness News, the CBSA communicated that starting that day, travellers entering Canada through remote areas listed below will need to report to the CBSA at a port of entry or through a designated telephone reporting site.

These regions include:

• Northwest Angle Area
• Pigeon River through to and including Lake of the Woods
• Canadian shore of Lake Superior (includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness-BWCAW)
• Sault Ste. Marie (upper lock system)
• Cockburn Island

The RABC program allowed visitors to enter Canada at remote locations, such as when traveling from the Boundary Waters into Quetico Provincial Park, without reporting to a staffed customs office. Authorities paused the program in September 2024 to conduct an administrative review and update procedures. At that time, they automatically renewed valid permits without requiring any action from permit holders.

Existing valid RABC permits were originally set to expire on December 31, 2025. In its latest email, the CBSA announced that it has extended these permits, which will now remain valid until 11:59 p.m. on September 13, 2026.

This extension allows anyone with a valid RABC permit to travel between the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Quetico Provincial Park until the new phone reporting system takes effect. In addition, visitors will still need a Quetico park entry permit. Then, when returning to the United States, they’re required to report to a Customs Border Protection officer for inspection at a port of entry, or a designated inspection location or use a smartphone reporting app.

New telephone reporting system

Authorities said they will determine the locations of the new telephone reporting sites in the coming months.

Telephone reporting sites in Canada are a physical location. It’s usually a marked dock, marina, or small port where travelers can stop their boat and make the required phone call to the CBSA. It’s unclear what this means for the BWCAW, so we’ve reached out to the CBSA for clarification.

Canadian authorities are building on a system already in place across the country. On their website, they communicated that, “This process ensures a consistent level of security and expectations of compliance for everyone. It is a measure that will also more closely align with how travellers report to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when entering the U.S. in remote areas.”