CBSA Notes and Travel History Report: How to Request
Last updated · Reviewed by Morteza Idjadi, RCIC R708675
"CBSA notes" are the records the Canada Border Services Agency holds about you: every recorded entry into Canada and, since 2019 and 2020, every recorded exit, together with the notes of any examination at a port of entry and any enforcement action. They are not part of your IRCC file and are never included in GCMS notes, because CBSA is a separate institution with its own records and its own access office. This guide explains what the CBSA record contains, who orders it and why, the Travel History Report, how a request is made under the Privacy Act, the consent form for representatives, and what to expect back.
What CBSA holds about you
- Travel History Report. CBSA's record of your entries and exits. According to CBSA it contains "name, date of birth, citizenship, gender, date of entry, location of the port of entry, and any document numbers associated with that travel". Exit information has been collected for all travellers in the land mode since July 11, 2019 and in the commercial air mode since June 25, 2020, and the report is retained for 15 years.[1]
- Examination notes. Where you were referred to secondary examination at a port of entry, the officer's notes of the examination, the documents checked and the outcome.
- Enforcement records. Allowed-to-leave, exclusion or removal orders, seizures, and any inadmissibility report written at the border.
- Information-sharing records. Where CBSA screening contributed to an IRCC decision, the IRCC file shows only the result; the underlying CBSA record is held by CBSA.
Who orders CBSA records, and why
| Situation | What the CBSA record settles |
|---|---|
| Citizenship application | The exact dates of entries and exits behind the 1,095-day physical presence calculation, and the same data IRCC checks your declared travel against; see GCMS notes for citizenship |
| PR card renewal or residency obligation | Days inside Canada in the five-year period, when passport stamps are missing or a passport was replaced |
| Refused or examined at the border | What the examining officer recorded, which becomes the "previous immigration history" the next IRCC officer reads |
| Applications for other countries | Proof of travel dates where a foreign visa application asks for travel history |
| Overstay or status questions | The recorded date of last entry, which fixes the authorised period of stay |
If your question is why IRCC refused or delayed an application, you need the IRCC file, not CBSA's; the comparison is in IRCC vs CBSA notes.
How a CBSA request is made
Your own CBSA records are requested under the Privacy Act. CBSA states that "all individuals living in and outside of Canada" may request their personal information, and that "there are no fees involved with the processing of a request under the Privacy Act".[2] The request can be made online through the ATIP Online Request service, or in writing using the Personal Information Request form (TBS/SCT 350-58) or a letter, "signed by the requester and dated", with your full name, mailing address and contact details, and enough identifying detail (time periods, file numbers, client identifiers, dates of birth) for staff to locate the records.[2] Written requests go to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator, Canada Border Services Agency, 333 North River Road, 14th Floor, Tower A, Vanier, Ontario, K1A 0L8.[2]
For a Travel History Report "you must indicate whether you are seeking your exit information, your entry information, or both", and a request made directly to CBSA "can take up to 30 days to complete".[1] When someone requests the report on your behalf, CBSA requires its consent form, BSF745, completed by you.[1] That is the form we send you when you order CBSA records through us.
Order your CBSA records
We prepare the BSF745 consent, file the request with CBSA and deliver the release to your dashboard. USD 25.
Order CBSA RecordsWhat you receive
A Travel History Report is a table: one row per recorded crossing with the date, the port of entry or exit, the direction and the document number, covering the period you asked for. Examination and enforcement records, when they exist, come as system printouts and officer narratives, with information about other people removed. Land exits before July 2019 and air exits before June 2020 were not collected and will not appear,[1] so older travel has to be shown from passport stamps and tickets. Entries into the United States by land are recorded by CBSA as exits only from those dates.
Frequently asked questions
Are CBSA notes included when I order GCMS notes?
No. GCMS notes come from IRCC; CBSA records come from CBSA under a separate request. Order both if you need both.
I have never been examined at the border. Is there anything in my CBSA file?
Yes: the Travel History Report, which exists for every traveller with recorded crossings.
Can I request my report from outside Canada?
Yes. CBSA accepts Privacy Act requests from individuals living outside Canada.[2]
Does the report show my trips to the United States?
Land exits to the United States are recorded since July 11, 2019 and air exits since June 25, 2020; earlier trips are not in the report.[1]
Official sources
All information on this page is based on official Government of Canada publications: