If you intend using your NEXUS pass for air travel, you must have the NEXUS Iris scan. At the NEXUS interview you stand in front of a special infra red digital camera that focuses on your eye. The camera takes high-resolution images of the detail-rich, intricate structures of the iris – it works on pattern-recognition techniques.The technique should not be confused with retina scanning – a process that is not used to take NEXUS pass biometric data. When the iris scans are converted into digital templates, they provide mathematical representations of the iris that provide an unmistakable positive identification of an individual, which lasts a lifetime. While there are some medical and surgical procedures that can affect the color and overall shape of the iris, the fine texture remains remarkably stable over many decades.  Iris recognition effectiveness is rarely impeded by glasses or contact lenses and it is now hailed as the ideal part of the human body for biometric identification overtaking fingerprinting in its effectiveness. There are no associated side effects in taking an iris scan – it’s just the same as having your photo taken! Infant Nexus applicants do not have to have an iris scan nor do the visually impaired. You can have your child’s iris scanned for NEXUS if you prefer and in many instances this is a good idea as there have been incidents when border officials have not allowed families with children to use iris scanning lanes, making them queue up in lengthy crew lanes, knowing that an iris scan is non-invasive and totally harmless, it is worth the effort if your child can sit still through the iris scan photo process

More questions about Nexus? Read our FAQs

The following NEXUS Enrollment Centers offer iris scanning:

Downtown Vancouver

333 Dunsmuir St, 1st floor 
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 5R4

360-332-2380
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fort Erie, Ontario

10 Central Avenue
Ft. Erie, Ontario 
L2A 6G6

905-994-6521
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Champlain, New York

237 W. Service Road
Champlain, NY
12919

518-298-7950
Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Woodstock, New Brunswick

1403 Route 95
Belleville, NB
E7M 4Z9

506-325-3199
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Halifax

Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport
International arrival area
1st floor
1 Bell Boulevard 
Enfield, Nova Scotia 
B2T 1K2

902-873-7637
Monday to Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Montréal

Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
International arrival area, Room T1470 
Room T1470
Montréal, Québec
H4Y 1H1

514-633-3203
514-420-5151
Monday to Sunday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ottawa

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
1000 Airport Parkway Private
Suite 2641, Level 2 (south)
Ottawa, Ontario 
K1V 9B4

613-949-3472
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Toronto
Pearson International Airport
Departure Level
Post H
Mississauga, Ontario
L5P 1A2

1-866-521-9454
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 8  p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
International arrival area, Lower level
North end of the terminal, Room 1023A
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3H 1C1

204-983-4354
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Calgary

Calgary International Airport
Main Terminal
Across from U.S. Departures
2nd Floor departure level
2000 Airport Road North East
Calgary, Alberta
T2E 6W5

403-292-5421
Saturday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Edmonton

Edmonton International Airport
Departure level, South Terminal
P.O. Box 9866
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 2T2

780-890-4857
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Vancouver

Vancouver International Airport
International terminal
Level 3, U.S. Departures
Richmond, British Columbia 
V7B 1K6

604-666-4598
Monday to Sunday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

IPVS does not guarantee approval for any Trusted Traveler program. Inaccurate or incomplete NEXUS pass application forms are automatically denied access to the NEXUS cards program.