Does NEXUS make customs faster at Pearson?

Generally yes. NEXUS members use dedicated kiosks that are usually the fastest way through, followed by the standard Primary Inspection Kiosks (PIK/eGate), then in-person officer lines.

What time of day is customs busiest at Pearson?

Waits build through the afternoon (roughly 12–6pm) and early-evening (7–9pm) arrival banks and ease overnight and in the early morning. At the same hour, weekends run about the same as weekdays.

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How long does it take to clear customs at Toronto Pearson?

Q: How long does it take to clear customs at Toronto Pearson?

There's no single number — it swings with how your passenger clears (NEXUS, a Primary Inspection Kiosk, or an officer), the time of day, and the terminal. NEXUS members can be through in minutes, while an economy traveller into a busy evening bank waits much longer. The heaviest arrival banks are the afternoon and early evening; overnight and early morning are lightest.

If you're waiting on an international arrival at Pearson, "landed" and "at the curb" can be a long stretch apart — and most of that gap is customs. Here's what actually drives it: your terminal, the time of day, and how your passenger clears.

Short answer: for an international arrival, customs is usually the biggest chunk of the gap between "landed" and "at the curb" — but there's no single number, because it swings with how your passenger clears (a NEXUS member can be through in minutes; an economy traveller into a packed evening bank waits much longer), the time of day, and the terminal. Below is how each of those moves the wait — and the one thing that makes it predictable: watching the actual flight.

What "customs" actually includes at Pearson

When people say customs, they usually mean the whole arrivals-hall sequence. At Pearson that's three things stacked together:

The walk from the gate to the customs hall — longer than most people expect from a far Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 gate.
Immigration / primary inspection — a Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK), a NEXUS kiosk, or an officer booth, where you declare and get cleared to enter Canada.
Bag collection and the customs exit — for checked-bag travellers, the belt wait overlaps this step (covered in the baggage-claim guide).

Only international and U.S.-origin arrivals go through this. Domestic arrivals skip customs entirely and walk straight out.

When customs is busiest — and quietest

Pearson processes international arrivals in banks — clusters of wide-body flights landing close together. When several land at once, the hall fills and the queue builds; between banks it can be nearly empty. So the hour you land matters more than almost anything else.

From CurbSync's tracking of Pearson arrivals, the heaviest banks are the afternoon (roughly 12–6pm) and early evening (7–9pm), and the lightest stretch is overnight and early morning. One myth worth killing: at the same hour, weekends run about the same as weekdays (within ~5% in our data) — it's the time of day, not the day of the week, that drives the wait. See busiest times to pick up at Pearson for the full pattern.

How your passenger clears changes everything

Two people off the same flight can reach the exit far apart depending on which line they're eligible for. Fastest to slowest:

NEXUS kiosk — members only; typically the quickest way through.
Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK) / eGate — most travellers with an e-passport: scan, photo, and declaration at a self-serve kiosk.
Officer booth — referrals, families, and manual cases; usually the slowest.

If your passenger has NEXUS, expect them out noticeably sooner than the rest of the plane — worth knowing before you decide when to leave.

What about flights arriving from the U.S.?

A flight arriving from the U.S. still clears Canadian customs on arrival, just like any other international flight — so plan for customs time the same way you would for an overseas arrival.

Don't want to guess which line your flight lands in?

Text CurbSync one flight number. We watch it live and fold the customs pattern for that terminal, that hour, and that arrival into a single estimate of when your passenger actually reaches the curb — updating as the flight moves. The tracking is free; no app, no account.

Text your flight number

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Frequently asked

Is customs faster at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3?

There's no reliable winner — it comes down to the hour and how full each hall is when your flight lands. Both terminals process international arrivals independently, and CurbSync tracks each separately.

Does NEXUS really save time at Pearson?

Usually, yes — NEXUS kiosks are typically the quickest path, ahead of the standard Primary Inspection Kiosks, with officer booths slowest.

What's the busiest time for customs at Pearson?

The afternoon (12–6pm) and early evening (7–9pm) banks are heaviest; overnight and early morning are lightest. At the same hour, weekends run about the same as weekdays. See also busiest times to pick up at Pearson.

Do domestic arrivals go through customs?

No. Domestic flights skip customs and immigration — passengers walk from the gate to the exit, so the wait is much shorter.

This page describes Toronto Pearson (YYZ) international arrivals. The busiest/quietest patterns come from CurbSync's tracking of 143,000+ Pearson arrivals (Aug 2025–Jul 2026). Customs clearance itself isn't published minute-by-minute, so we describe what drives it rather than quoting a fixed figure — and CurbSync folds it into a live estimate for your specific flight.