Access to Information and Privacy

How to make a request under the Privacy Act

Requests for personal information pertaining to the requester and held by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) should be made to the CBSA under the Privacy Act. The requester must either: be in Canada, be a Canadian Citizen, or be a Permanent Resident.

Formal requests under the Privacy Act must:

• Be in writing;
• Be signed by the requester and dated;
• Include the name, Canadian address, and if possible, a telephone number and/or e-mail address where the requester can be contacted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Written requests may be submitted using the Personal Information Request form (TBS/SCT 350-58 ), or in a letter indicating that the request is made in accordance with the Privacy Act. There are no fees involved with the processing of a request under the Privacy Act.

Requests must include sufficient detail to enable an experienced employee of the CBSA, with a reasonable effort, to identify the records that are being requested. Examples include, but are not limited to, time periods, file numbers, client identifiers, file names, report titles, locations (office, port of entry or region/branch), names of individuals, dates of birth (if requesting traveller history or immigration files).

Requests for personal information that is not the requester's must be made under the Access to Information Act. Please refer to the How to make a request under the Access to Information Act section.

Requests made pursuant to the Privacy Act must be addressed as follows and sent by mail or fax (613-957-6408):

Canada Border Services Agency
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
410 Laurier Avenue West, 11th floor
Ottawa, ON K1A 0L8

In addition, inquiries concerning the Privacy request process at the CBSA may be e-mailed to ATIP-AIPRP@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca. Please note that any inquiries related to the processing of a specific request should be directed to the officer handling your request, and should reference the request number assigned to it by our office in your correspondence.