The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)will be modernizing the way NEXUS members are processed at Canadian airports. The existing NEXUS kiosks that use iris recognition technology will be replaced with new, modernized NEXUS kiosks that use facial verification technology.

Vancouver International Airport will be the first to launch this new process in fall 2019, with other Canadian airports following in the ensuing months.

These airports are:

- Halifax Stanfield International Airport

- Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport

- Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport

- Calgary International Airport

- Edmonton International Airport

- Toronto Pearson International Airport

·- Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport

·- Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

To facilitate the transition to facial biometrics, passenger cooperation is required. Passengers will need a passport the first time using a new kiosk and will prompted to upload the passport photograph the first time. Members who do not have a passport will be referred to an officer for identity verification.

This modernization is intended to better serve NEXUS members travelling by air as facial biometric verification provides travellers with a simplified method of being identified. This initiative aligns the NEXUS program with international trends on traveller processing, and supports the CBSA’s goal to increase efficiencies without compromising security.

It is also important to note that declarations will not be completed at the new kiosks. If passengers have something to declare they must do so verbally, to an officer, at a clearly marked area in the customs hall after using the kiosk. For more information on a traveller’s duty to declare, please visit the CBSA I Declare webpage.

This new process is expected to further expedite NEXUS air processing and enhance the travel experience through the customs hall.

For more information on this initiative, including instructions on how to use the new NEXUS facial verification kiosks, please visit the NEXUS Air webpage.