Phone searches at borders: what to know
This isn't legal advice. Below, we only repeat what each country's official page said when we read it on November 3, 2026. If your job, your immigration status or your situation makes this a real worry, talk to a qualified lawyer before you travel. Canada's travel advice also suggests consulting a legal expert if you're concerned about privacy.
What official pages say
Here are three examples, not a full list. Other countries have their own rules, so look up each one you'll enter or leave.
United States (Customs and Border Protection)
- Who: everyone entering or leaving is subject to inspection, and officers may search devices. The page calls this rare. It reports 55,318 travelers' devices searched in fiscal 2025, out of more than 419 million travelers processed.
- Passcodes: travelers must present devices in a condition that allows them to be examined.
- What's looked at: only what's on the device. The network is turned off first, by the officer or by you if asked.
- If it can't be opened: the device may be held, and processing may take longer. For foreign nationals, a refusal may be considered when deciding on entry, but not being able to inspect a device doesn't decide that on its own. US citizens won't be denied entry for this, though the device may still be held.
- Also: a more advanced search, with equipment that copies or analyzes the device, needs reasonable suspicion or a national security concern, and a senior manager's approval. Copies of information may be kept if there's probable cause of a violation, or if it relates to immigration, customs or other enforcement matters.
Canada (Canada Border Services Agency)
- When: only with indicators or concerns that border laws may have been broken. The page reports that 0.007% of travelers had this happen from November 2017 to December 2025.
- Passwords: you're obligated to give your password when asked, and officers write it on paper.
- What's looked at: only what's on the device. Officers turn off the network first.
- If you refuse: the device may be detained or seized.
- Also: if an officer finds content identified as covered by solicitor-client privilege, the officer must stop inspecting that document. If there are concerns about that, the device can be set aside for a court to decide.
New Zealand (New Zealand Customs Service)
- When: an officer must have reasonable suspicion that the traveler is involved in criminal offending. Customs says 99.99% of travelers aren't searched, using 2018 to 2019 figures.
- Passwords: an officer may ask you to enter it, or ask you for it.
- What's looked at: the device is searched in flight mode.
- If you refuse: a court may impose a penalty of up to $5,000 if Customs prosecutes, and the device may be seized.
How to prepare
- Read the official page for every country on your trip, including any you'll transit, and read it close to when you leave.
- Decide what you need to carry. The Government of Canada's advice says not to take any data into another country that you aren't prepared to lose. Choosing what to bring before a trip is ordinary preparation. Here's how to go through your pictures.
- Back up your phone. If a phone is held for a while, you'll still have your pictures, and you won't panic about them.
- Keep key details on paper: where you're staying, who to call, and your bank's number. They help if your phone is out of your hands.
- Ask about work phones first. If your phone holds work files, ask your employer before you leave. Lawyers, doctors and journalists may have extra duties, so ask your own professional body or a lawyer.
If an officer asks to see your phone
- Stay calm and be honest. Canada's advice to its own travelers is to answer questions honestly and clearly, and it says patience and a respectful attitude can help.
- Don't delete, hide or move anything once you're being inspected, and don't say something isn't there when it is. That's our advice, not a quote from an official page.
- Ask what happens next. Canada's advice to its own travelers is that if a device is taken for forensic inspection, you can ask for a receipt that says how to get it back. The US page says you're given notice before a search begins, which may be a printed sheet explaining how to raise a concern. Canada's page gives 90 days to ask for a review if there's an enforcement action.
Afterward
CBP says passcodes are deleted or destroyed when no longer needed, and New Zealand Customs says it doesn't keep them. Changing your passcode afterward is still sensible, as it would be after anyone else learned it. Here's how. This is our advice, not an official instruction.
What FirstHour can't do here
FirstHour isn't a tool for getting through a border check, and we wouldn't want you to treat it as one. The Vault protects against everyday snooping and a lost phone, and it can't change what an officer may ask of you.
- Encrypted doesn't mean exempt. Canada's advice says some countries may legally demand access, including to encrypted files. The pages above don't mention apps like FirstHour, so don't assume the Vault is treated any differently from the rest of your phone. If an officer asks about it, answer honestly.
- Don't use a decoy vault with an officer. A decoy is meant for someone pushing you to open it. Using one to mislead an officer could be a serious mistake.
- It's not hidden. FirstHour is on your iPhone for anyone to see.
- The Vault isn't a backup. If your phone is kept or lost, what's in the Vault is out of reach, unless you saved a backup and have your recovery phrase.
What it can do is help before you leave. Protect points out pictures of cards, IDs and codes, on your iPhone, so you can decide which ones you really need with you. It doesn't check videos or your Hidden album, and it can miss things.
Questions
Should I delete things while I'm in the line?
No. Do your sorting at home, before the trip, as part of deciding what you need to carry. Once you're at the border, leave things as they are and answer honestly.
Will they look at my iCloud?
The US and Canadian pages say officers only look at what's on the device, and turn off the network first. New Zealand's page says the device is searched in flight mode. Other countries may differ, so don't assume this applies everywhere.
What about Australia, the UK or other countries?
We only list what we could read on an official page. Check the border agency's own website for the country you're visiting, or ask its embassy.
Sources
- Border Search of Electronic Devices at Ports of Entry, US Customs and Border Protection
- CBP Directive No. 3340-049B, US Customs and Border Protection
- Examining personal digital devices at the Canadian border, Canada Border Services Agency
- Cyber security while travelling, Government of Canada
- Electronic device examinations, New Zealand Customs Service