Data
How border wait times are measured
What the two border agencies say their numbers are, how often they update and what they leave out, with the passenger-vehicle measurement type CBP lists for each port.
What the agencies say
| Topic | What the agency says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CBP: what the wait time is | Estimated time to reach the primary inspection booth, the first point of contact with CBP | [1], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBP: update cadence (stated) | Each border location updates its estimated wait times hourly | [1], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBP: coverage in feed at read time | 85 entries (30 Canada-border, 55 Mexico-border); US-bound only | [3], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBSA: coverage | 30 of Canada's busiest land crossings (page title); 30 rows in the data file at read time; Canada-bound only | [2], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBSA: road delays | Not included | [2], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBSA: factors named | Major events, holiday visitors and enforcement actions such as drug or firearm seizures | [2], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBSA highway service standard | 10 min weekdays, 20 min Fri-Sun and holidays (Sep-Jun); 20 min daily Jul-Aug; target 95% of the time | [7], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBSA NEXUS highway service standard | 5 min weekdays, 10 min Fri-Sun and holidays (Sep-Jun); 10 min daily Jul-Aug; target 95% | [7], read 2026-10-20 |
| CBSA reported performance FY2025-26 | Highway standard met 96.9% of the time across 25,126,202 travellers | [7], read 2026-10-20 |
Measurement type by CBP port
The CBP XML feed carries a passenger-vehicle measurement field for each port. CBP does not define the values on the pages we read, so we show them as published: of 85 ports, 82 list Manual, 3 list Bluetooth.
| Type as published | Ports |
|---|---|
| Manual | 82 |
| Bluetooth | 3 |
What we add
We do not change the agencies’ figures. We show each lane with the time the agency reported it, turn the stamp amber after 30 minutes and hide the number after 90 minutes. Read the full explanation, with every claim cited, in the guide How border wait times are reported. Details of our own pipeline are on about the data.