Anything else I can do to make my transit in Canada as easy as possible?

Question

I’m travelling Air Transat Manchester, UK > Toronto > Holguin, Cuba next weekend on a connecting ticket. It’s my first time using this carrier/route and I’ve never experienced the Canadian transit process before so I want to make sure that I’ve prepared for it as much as possible.

I have my eTA. I’ve downloaded the ArriveCan app and will submit my Customs & Immigration advance declaration the day before my flight. My bags will be checked through to my final destination in Cuba.

I’ve reviewed the Toronto airport transit guide. Is my understanding of the process correct?

• Follow the Arrivals signs, and then signage for the Advance CBSA Declaration Express Lanes
• Clear Customs & Immigration: scan my passport at a kiosk/eGate, review / certify my advance declaration and submit final, take the receipt to a Border Officer. Do I get a passport stamp at this point? Presumably transiting counts as entering Canada for any future travel history-related questions about ‘countries visited’?
• Go through the baggage hall and head for Security/Departures. Am I allowed to take duty free purchased in Manchester airport Departures through Toronto airport Security? If I buy any liquids such as perfume or alcohol, the UK airport staff will seal them in a secure bag at the point of purchase, will Toronto Security accept the sealed bag or will they want to open it?

Have I overlooked or misunderstood anything?

Answer 1

Have I overlooked or misunderstood anything?

Not really. Clear immigration, collect your bags, clear customs, drop off bag after customs, go through security and head to your gate.

Presumably transiting counts as entering Canada for any future travel history-related questions about ‘countries visited’?

Yes. You will officially enter Canada. I always find it hilarious when the immigration agent asks you "how long are you planning on staying". The correct answer would be "One hour, but only if you hurry up get me through here in time. Otherwise it may be a lot longer", but I don't recommend saying that :-)

Am I allowed to take duty free purchased in Manchester airport Departures through Toronto airport Security?

Unknowable. Your are not going through transit security but regular departure security. Whether a specific security agent will flag this or not is anyone's guess. Your best shot is to not do duty free or just put it into your checked luggage before rechecking your bag.

Caveat: There are exceptions to every rule, so you need to pay attention and, if in doubt ask. Ask about the baggage process when you check in in Manchester. Occasionally I have been "short cut" in Toronto, i.e. an immigration officer unlocked a door and shoveled us through into the departure area without having to clear security again.

Answer 2

I will accept @Hilmar’s answer as it was the most helpful. Here’s what actually happened:

• I checked in online and got e-boarding cards.
• Manchester check-in agent said “we’ve been told not to check bags through to final destination”. Also asked me if I knew that going to Cuba means I can’t enter the US on the VWP (yes, I did know that and don’t care as I have no intention of ever revisiting the US). The agent made no attempt to check my entry documents for Cuba but did give me boarding cards for both flights.
• I bought duty free perfume in Manchester.
• My bags were tagged to Toronto, where I duly cleared Immigration and Customs (answering a few questions about food items I had declared in my advance declaration). I did not get a passport stamp.
• Baggage retrieval was fairly quick (my bags were tagged ‘Priority’ at Manchester) and to my relief trolleys were available for free in the baggage hall to help me manage two heavy suitcases plus carry on. My duty free purchase went in my case.
• Check-in for my Cuba flight took a while. The agent seemed confused as to why a UK citizen (non Canadian resident) was transiting in Canada, there seemed nothing in the Air Transat system that recognise that I’d literally just got off one of their flight from Manchester and I had to show them my printed Canadian eTA confirmation. I was given a fresh boarding card.
• The gate agent re-checked my Cuba entry documents during pre-boarding.

My conclusion is that this felt much more like two separate bookings than two connecting flights booked direct with the same airline. But it all worked out fine.

Edit: Adding what happened on the return flight for completeness, because it was a different process.

• I submitted the advance customs declaration (no food items this time).
• Holguin check-in agent tagged my hold luggage through to Manchester.
• After clearing Customs & Immigration in Toronto, I went to the baggage hall expecting to pick up my suitcase and re-check it at the Connections bag drop off. My case didn’t appear, after waiting a while I went to the Air Transat baggage desk and they told me my baggage was being automatically transferred to my onbound flight.
• My suitcase duly arrived in Manchester.

Answer 3

Yes you seem well prepared.

You will arrive at Terminal 3 in Toronto, at the south end/concourse of airport. Be prepared for a long walk to immigration down corridors and then down escalator. If you can walk fast and pass some people on the way, you can get there faster and maybe ahead in the line. There is signs to get there but there is really only one way to go.

I am Canadian, so i use the Canadian immigration lines, so i am not sure how it will work for international travelers. For Canadians, there is a room full of the kiosks, and you scan your passport, it takes a picture of you, and you declare anything you are bringing back in country. Normally takes 5 min or less. Then we get in line for a immigration officer that quickly checks the printout from the kiosk, and then I am off to baggage claim. The line can take up to 10 min, so maybe 10-15 min total.

Baggage claim, you said it would be checked to destination, but as Jcaron points out their webside says that it has to be picked up and rechecked. So i am not sure about that, but the baggage normally comes quickly. If you pay for the option plus feature with air Transat, then your bag will get priority tag and will come out first. I am not sure where you are sopost to recheck it exactly. I am normally out of baggage hall in 5-15 min with my bag.

Then you exit the baggage hall, no line to exit normally. You will have to go up to the departures level. Air Transat is in the south end of the airport, the US airlines are in the north end. International departures security is there as well. 5 min to walk there.

Security is normally pretty fast. You WILL NOT be able to take any liquids larger then the allowed amount through security, it doesnt matter what they are in. They will take it. If you do have to recheck your bag you can put it in the bag before rechecking, but becarefull of bag weight if near limit.

After security maybe a 5 min walk to the farthest gates.

Edit/adding: There is a duty free in Toronto after security, so instead of buying in manchester, you can buy it in toronto. Not sure if they have the same brands. There is for sure a duty free in Toronto.