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Border Information Service (BIS)
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What is the Border Information Service (BIS)?
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is committed to providing timely information to the public. Our goal is to continually improve our service to better suit your needs and expectations.
BIS is a computerized, 24 hour bilingual telephone service that automatically answers all incoming calls and provides general border services information. You can use a touch tone telephone to hear recorded information on several topics.
If you call during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time, Monday to Friday, except holidays), you can speak directly to an agent by pressing “0” at any time.
Note
If you use a rotary dial phone, you will not
be able to make selections from the recorded
menus. However, if you call BIS during regular
business hours, you will be transferred directly
to an agent.
Since our agents receive many telephone inquiries, you may have to hold until an agent becomes available. Therefore, we encourage you to listen to the recorded messages fi rst to fi nd the information you need before transferring to an agent.
How can you access BIS?
You can access BIS free of charge throughout Canada:
1-800-461-9999
1-866-335-3237 – teletypewriter (TTY) device for persons with a hearing loss or speech impairment
If you are calling from outside Canada:
1-204-983 3500 or 1-506-636-5064
(long-distance charges will apply)
How does BIS work?
It’s simple – just call one of the numbers provided.
Choose from one of the following categories of border services information:
- personal travellers information
- business importations/exportations
- exchange rates
- moving to Canada
Once you have chosen one of these categories, you can further navigate the system to find additional information.
At the end of the recorded message, you can choose to either speak with an agent (during regular business hours), select another topic or hang up.
Did you know?
The BIS can provide you with the exchange rates for seven common currencies from the last 60 days. You can get information on other currency exchange rates simply by pressing “0” to speak to an agent (during regular business hours).
Special touch tone features
On your touch tone telephone, you can use the following shortcuts anytime during the recorded message:
- Press “*” to return to the previous menu
- Press “#” to repeat the message
- Press “0” to speak to an agent (during regular business hours)
You can find more information about the CBSA programs and services by visiting our Web site at www.cbsa.gc.ca.
Technical Assistance
To access the Portable Document Format (PDF) version you must have a PDF reader installed. If you do not already have such a reader, there are numerous PDF readers available for free download or for purchase such as:
If you have difficulty accessing a document in PDF format, please contact:
Publishing Services
Canada Border Services Agency
E-mail: Publishing.publication@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Ottawa ON K1A 0L8
Canada
