Quetico Park Permits, Rules and Regulations

NOTE:  Passports are required for  all travel into Canada.  “Passport Cards” are valid for paddle entry into Quetico Park.  Please be sure to apply at least three months prior to the proposed dates of your trip.  Application information may be found on the US State Department website.

CANPASS

With the closure of the Canadian Customs & Immigration Station outpost at Prairie Portage on Basswood Lake, direct clearance for canoeists paddling into Canada’s Quetico Park from the United States has been eliminated.

The procedure, called a “CANPASS” or Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Permit, is required for those who have reached the age of 18.

REQUIRED for all adults entering Quetico Park by PADDLING through Prairie Portage.

The permits are only available to:

• Citizens and alien residents of the United States
• Citizens of Canada
• Permanent Canadian residents (landed immigrants)

Applicants must complete the official CANPASS application form, available for download from the Canada Border Services Agency website. Applications must be mailed; faxed forms will not be accepted for processing. Proof of citizenship (copy of your birth certificate or copy of the first page of your passport) or proof of legal residence (US Alien Registration card) is required. Adults must also submit a copy of one other piece of government identification (usually a state issued driver’s license). Only photocopies of these documents should be mailed with the application. Automatic disqualifications include game violations, weapons violations, or DUIs. Other convictions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The fee is CN$30 per adult, or per family (applicant, spouse, and dependent children). Non-family members must each submit their own application and their own fee.

North Country recommends, when possible, the applications for a party traveling together be mailed in the same large envelope.

Applications should only be mailed after Quetico Park has issued a reservation number for the Park permit.