Informational only, not legal advice. Verify with official sources before relying on this.

Know Abroad

CanadaCanada

Local Laws & Customs

Last verified August 21, 2026

Written for U.S. passport holders

Public Conduct

  • Open-container laws are enforced provincially; walking down the street or sitting on a beach with an open beer typically draws a fine ($100–$300 CAD depending on the municipality), even though Canada otherwise feels very similar to the U.S.

Medicines You Can't Bring

  • Amphetamine-based medications without a valid prescription fall under Canada's most heavily regulated drug schedule; travel with the original prescription and enough (but not excessive) supply for your trip.

Photography & Drones

  • Drones over 250g require registration with Transport Canada, and flying near airports or over crowds is restricted.

Drugs & Alcohol

  • The legal drinking age is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, and 19 everywhere else, so it genuinely varies by province, not a single national number.
  • Cannabis is legal nationally for adults (19 in most provinces, 18 in Alberta, 21 in Quebec), and adults may carry up to 30g in public. But it is a serious federal crime to carry cannabis across the Canadian border in either direction, even between two places where it's legal on both sides.

Carrying ID

  • No special ID requirement beyond proving your age when buying alcohol or cannabis; a passport is the most reliable option since a foreign driver's license isn't always accepted.

The Gotcha

The cannabis border rule is the one that genuinely trips people up given how normalized legal cannabis feels on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border in many states/provinces: crossing with any amount, even a small personal quantity from a state where it's fully legal, is a federal offense at the Canadian border (and separately, a federal offense re-entering the U.S., since cannabis remains federally illegal there too). Don't carry it across, full stop, buy or consume locally instead.

Sources

This page was drafted from the primary sources below. Rules change, so check the linked page directly before relying on any of this.