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Nissan 2023

Erev Pesach Border Update:

As we near the Yom Tov of Pesach and many of us in the community are
preparing to travel, CJHQ met with high-level officials of the CBSA and
CBP (Canadian and American Border Agencies) to communicate our needs and to help
ensure a smoother border experience.

Please consider the following:

• We’ve discussed the expected increase in travel and border officials will be
investing maximum effort to open more lanes to ease border traffic during Pesach.
(Bedikas Chometz, Erev Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed and Motzei Yom Tov etc.)
• Travellers should consider the fact that this year Pesach coincides with לידבהל
Easter. Therefore, please expect that there will be even more traffic than usual.
• Birth Certificates, unlike passports, cannot be scanned and therefore take longer to
process since the information gets entered manually. It’s advisable to bring
passports even for children.
Although an expired passport is not valid for travel, you save time by bringing it
along (in addition to the birth certificate) because it can still be scanned. This
significantly speeds up the border process.
• During our meeting we discussed Kosher l’Pesach food and Matzos. The officials
will brief all officers about our customs and traditions, and they will know to be
sensitive and to handle everything with care.
In the event that you do get sent in for a secondary inspection, you can respectfully
inform the agent about our customs and the need for them to handle food items
with care. Calm and courteous communication is always best.
• When travelling on Erev Shabbos or Yom Tov, especially when travelling by air,
please avoid arriving late as any delay can cause issues with arriving on time,
before the Zman.

Have a safe trip
&

A Gut Yom Tov

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