The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced Friday morning that the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Program will be phased out and replaced by a telephone reporting system. The transition is scheduled to be completed by September 14, 2026.

The RABC program has been on pause since September 2024. According to the CBSA in a release at that time, the processing of new and renewing applications was paused to conduct an administrative review and update internal procedures.

In February 2025, the CBSA issued another update stating that all permits issued after September 1, 2023, would be extended through December 31, 2025. As the previous deadline approached, travelers and local businesses were waiting for an update. 

According to the agency in a December 19, 2025, release, the decision to transition to a telephone reporting system is part of an effort to "enhance border integrity" and modernize operations in a "constantly-evolving environment." By moving away from the RABC permit system, the CBSA aims to establish a more uniform security standard across the country. Specifically, to "more closely align with how travellers report to U.S. Customs and Border Protection" when entering the United States in similar remote stretches.

As it currently stands, the RABC Program allows registered permit holders to enter Canada in specific remote areas without physically appearing at a port of entry. However, starting September 14, 2026, the CBSA states that "all travellers entering Canada through remote areas of northern Ontario or from the Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba, must report to the CBSA at a port of entry or a designated telephone reporting site."

The regions affected by this change include:

• The Northwest Angle Area

• Pigeon River through to and including Lake of the Woods

• The Canadian shore of Lake Superior

• The Sault Ste. Marie upper lock system

• Cockburn Island

At the time of the announcement, the agency had not yet finalized the locations for the upcoming telephone reporting sites. Over the coming months, the CBSA said it plans to determine these locations "in consultation with Indigenous communities, local businesses and law enforcement partners."

According to the CBSA website, the RABC Program currently serves approximately 11,000 members annually, roughly 90% of whom are American citizens. To accommodate these travellers during the phase-out, the CBSA has stopped accepting new applications but has extended all active RABC permits, ensuring they "remain valid until 11:59 p.m. on September 13, 2026." Anyone who does not currently hold a valid permit must report in person at a port of entry until the new telephone reporting sites are established.

The CBSA warned that failure to comply with the new reporting protocols after the 2026 deadline could result in "enforcement action, including monetary penalties, seizure of goods or vehicles, and possible criminal charges under the Customs Act."