(UTC-7)
Airport

Vancouver Airport Security Wait Times Vancouver Airport Live Security Wait Times

IATA Code:

YVR

Timezone:

UTC/GMT -7:00 hours

Airport local time:

Tuesday, 2:16pm

Current conditions

Live Airport Status

Current wait times, updates and terminal information for this airport.


Wait times are steady
Updated today, Tuesday 27 October 2026
2:02 PM (UTC/GMT -7:00 hours)
Add Your Time
  • Data

    Qsensor makes use of data from CATSA for this airport.

  • Disclaimer

    Waiting times may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

  • Airport Last Updated

    2:02 PM (UTC/GMT -7:00 hours)

Terminal level wait times

  • airplane
    All Terminals
    4 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal ABC - Canada
    Queues: 1
    0-5 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal D - International
    Queues: 1
    5-10 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal E - United States
    Queues: 1
    0-5 mins wait time
Plan ahead

Forecasts, historical patterns and guidance to help plan your airport arrival.

Latest Airport Arrival Time
Domestic 1h 25m before departure
International 1h 45m before departure
How we calculated this

Bag drop closes 45-60 min before departure. With an estimated 25 min bag drop queue, you need to arrive at the desk 70-85 min early. After that, allow 3 min for security (avg on Tuesdays) and 12 min to walk to your gate, which closes 15-20 min before departure. Finally, add a 15 min buffer.

What Will the Wait Time Be?

Pick a day and time to see the typical wait, based on historical data.

— min typical wait

Wait Times by Day of Week

Average wait times based on the last 3 weeks of data.

5m
Mon
3m
Tue
4m
Wed
5m
Thu
4m
Fri
3m
Sat
4m
Sun

Wait times today, hour by hour

Actual readings recorded so far today.
Current: 4 min (Longer wait than usual: avg wait time is 3 min)

Best & Worst Times to Fly

Based on historical security wait times across all days of the week.

Best Time
Night
9pm - 4am
4 min avg wait
Worst Time
Early Morning
4am - 8am
5 min avg wait
Flying in the Night instead of Early Morning could save you up to 1 minutes in security lines.

Travel Tips to Help You Navigate Vancouver Airport

Located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, YVR is Canada’s second-busiest airport and a premier gateway connecting Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Frequently recognised as one of the top airports in North America, YVR is celebrated for its calming “Land, Sea, and Sky” architecture, which features floor-to-ceiling views of the mountains and an extensive collection of Indigenous art.

Beyond its aesthetics, YVR is a complex operational hub. It is one of the few global airports to feature US Border Preclearance, allowing passengers to clear US Customs and Immigration before boarding their flight, effectively arriving in the United States as domestic passengers. Whether you are navigating the “AddFare” on the Canada Line or looking for the most strategic parking lot, this guide addresses the specific nuances of travelling through YVR.

Vancouver Airport FAQ

Yes, the current Security queue at Vancouver Airport is approximately 4 minutes. Check the live data on this page for the latest queue times.

It currently takes approximately 4 minutes to get through Security at Vancouver Airport. Wait times vary by time of day and day of week — check the hourly chart on this page for the full breakdown.

Security wait times at Vancouver Airport vary throughout the day. Check the historical wait time chart on this page to find the quietest times.

The main difference is key custody and price.

  • Value Long Term (VLT): This is a self-park lot. You park your own car, keep your keys, and take the Canada Line SkyTrain (from Templeton Station) to the terminal. It is generally the cheapest option.
  • jetSet Parking: This is a “valet-style” drop-off. You leave your car and keys with staff, and they park it for you. You then take a shuttle bus (5-7 min ride) to the terminal.
  • Note: You cannot keep your keys at jetSet.

There are two ways to apply the BCAA discount, but they work differently:

  • Book Online (Recommended): You save 15% if you book in advance through the YVR or Park’N Fly website.
  • Drive-Up: You can save 25% off the drive-up rates (which are higher than online rates) by showing your card at the checkout. Important: The BCAA discount is only valid for stays of up to 30 days.

  • Terminal Parkade: There are Level 2 chargers on P1, P2, and P3, plus a DC Fast Charger on P1. These are first-come, first-served.
  • Value Long Term: There are 10 EV stalls available.
  • jetSet: Charging is available “upon request” since staff park your car, but it is subject to availability.

Yes, but only leaving the airport. A $5.00 “YVR AddFare” is added to cash or Compass Card fares for eastbound trips starting at YVR Airport, Sea Island Centre, or Templeton stations.

  • Hack: You can avoid this fee if you use a pre-purchased DayPass or a Monthly Pass, as they are exempt from the surcharge.
  • Free Zone: Travel between the three Sea Island stations (e.g., going from the terminal to the Outlet Mall at Templeton) is free.

Ride-hailing apps do not pick up at the standard taxi curb.

  • Domestic Arrivals: Go to Level 2. The pickup zone is specifically between Stalls 8 and 14.
  • International Arrivals: Go to Level 2 and cross to the outer curb (Ride App Pick-up zone).
  • Note: A $4.00 drop-off fee applies to rides ending at the airport.

Do not arrive earlier than 04:30 AM. The US Customs and Border Protection facility at YVR generally opens at 04:30 AM. If you arrive at 3:00 AM, you will be stuck in the public landside area waiting for customs to open.

No. The YVR Express program, which allowed travelers to book security screening times in advance, was discontinued as of September 2024 (for many airports). You must use the standard queues or expedited lines (Nexus/Verified Traveller).

  • Flying TO the US: Use the Mobile Passport Control app. It allows you to submit your declaration digitally and access a dedicated line at US Preclearance, which is often faster than the general queue.
  • Flying INTO Canada: Use ArriveCAN for your Canadian customs declaration to save time at the kiosks.

Officially, TSA PreCheck is a US domestic program. However, YVR has a Verified Traveller line for security. While this line is primarily for Nexus/Global Entry members, some travelers report being allowed access with TSA PreCheck on their boarding pass, though this is inconsistent. Note that TSA PreCheck does not get you into the Nexus lane for US Customs, only for the security screening portion.

20,000+

Trusted by travellers monthly

Award Winner

UK Travel Awards

Similar Airports

Explore wait times for other airports in the region

YYC
Calgary Airport

Calgary, Canada

YEG
Edmonton Airport

Edmonton, Canada

YUL
Montreal International Airport

Montreal, Canada

YOW
Ottawa Airport

Ottawa, Canada

YYZ
Toronto International Airport

Toronto, Canada

Latest Travel Insights

Las Vegas TSA: What To Expect in October

How long were the TSA queues at Las Vegas 2 in How October 2026 is stacking up so…

Read more →

Customs, Immigration and Passport Control Wait Times at European and US Airports

For those that travel, they know the struggle of coming back into the country after a long trip…

Read more →

Beating the Security Queues at Frankfurt Airport: An Essential Guide

Discover how to navigate security lines smoothly at Frankfurt Airport, from daily rush hours to terminal queue trends.

Read more →

Live Airport & Flight Intelligence

Real-time security wait times, flight delay tracking, and airport busyness data — all in one place.

Security Wait Times

Live TSA, CATSA, and security checkpoint wait times by terminal and queue, with historical patterns to help you pick the best time to arrive.

Updates every 5–15 minutes from official feeds and crowdsourced reports
Per-terminal and per-queue breakdowns
Historical charts showing quietest times to fly

Flight Delay Tracking

Live status for individual flights with 14-day rolling delay averages, on-time rates, and side-by-side route comparisons.

Real-time departure and arrival status
Email alerts for delays and cancellations
Similar-flight performance comparisons

How It Works

1

Search

Find your airport or flight number

2

Check Live Data

See current wait times, delays, and busyness levels

3

Travel Smarter

Use insights and alerts to plan your journey

Official Sources

Data from TSA, CATSA, and airline systems

Always Current

Continuous updates throughout the day

Flight Alerts

Email notifications for delays and cancellations

Global Coverage

Hundreds of airports worldwide

Qsensor FAQ

Live data: For the majority of the airports we track we use live data from the airport. For the remaining airports we provide a modelled projection, combined with crowdsourced data.

Search: By airport name, IATA code, city, county, country or region. To save you time, we keep your last visited airports on the front page. If you can’t find an airport, contact us using the contact form and we will look to add it. 

Current average wait time: The airport’s latest average security, passport control or customs queue wait time. If the airport has multiple queues, we display the average of them. If you want a more granular view that includes wait times for individual queues, take a look at the terminal level wait times. We regularly update each airport’s data,  but make sure you click the “i” icon to check when the last update was made.

Terminal level wait times: The latest security or customs queue wait time for individual terminals. Click on the terminal to access more information at the terminal level. Please note that this data is not available for all airports. We are working to expand this functionality to as many airports as possible.

Historical wait times: The typical wait time on different days and times over the past 2 weeks. Click the filter at the top right of the graph to cycle through the days of the week.

Add a security or customs queue wait time: How was your airport security experience? Contribute to the community by inputting your wait time. This feature is only available for airports where Qsensor does not automatically track data. To add a wait time, simply click the “Add Your Time” button on the airports page and follow the instructions.

add time button

Please note that this data is monitored and may be modified or deleted if found to be invalid.

Click the “i” icon to view and take note of more contextual information on each airport. “Airport Last Updated” denotes the last time the data was refreshed.

Our sources for wait time data vary and may include air travel data aggregators, federal agencies such as the TSA, CATSA CBP, or information from the airport and its affiliated service providers. For some airports, Qsensor utilises its proprietary queue modelling technology to project wait times. Additionally, we crowdsource data from passengers who have input their wait time using the “Add Your Time” button.

Qsensor is not affiliated with any airport, airline, or associated service provider.

We regularly check queue times and flight delays for accuracy, however all times are estimates and waiting times and delays may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

There are a wide array of ways that queue data is measured. Including but not limited to looking at how long a passenger takes to get from scanning their boarding pass to exiting the security or customs area. Auditing passengers on how long it took them to pass through security or customs as well as Qsensors’ proprietary system for user added wait times. 

For airport wait times, we currently support over 140 airports worldwide. Whether it be London Heathrow, Istanbul, or Miami – we have got you covered. More are added all the time. Is Qsensor missing an airport that you want to be supported? We are more than happy to accommodate your request, get in touch via the contact form. 

For flight delays and cancellations, we currently support 12 airports, with the goal of expanding coverage going forwards.

Qsensor automatically tracks wait times for a variety of airports including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Amsterdam Schiphol, Kempegowda Bangalore, Madrid Barajas, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and many more!

For flight delays and cancellations, we track OHare, Gatwick, Heathrow, Barcelona and more.

Qsensor is available in English, German, Italian, Greek, Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic.

Send the request via the contact form below:

Contact form

Make sure you include the name of the airport and its IATA code in your request!

The flight delay tracker gives you a comprehensive view of flight status delays, both for the current day and historically on a per flight basis. Tap on a weekday to see all flights that have historically taken off on that day and their typical delay over the past two weeks. You can also search for your flight using your flight number and view the airport’s average delay.

Get insights into flight on-time performance and make better travel decisions. Please note, this feature is not available for all airports, but we’re adding more all the time!

To keep wait times relevant, the message “There is currently no data for this airport.” is shown when no traveller has recently inputted a wait time.

add time button

For airports Qsensor automatically tracks, this message may also be shown if we haven’t recently gotten data from the airport. This typically rectifies itself within 12 hours.

If you have a suggestion for an airport you want to be tracked or a feature added, share it via the contact form.

Any feedback is appreciated <3

Please review the T&Cs and privacy policy.

Simply refresh the page and you should see the premium content.

If you switch browsers or devices, make sure you use Google Chrome and are signed in with the account you used to subscribe.

Follow us on socials and the blog for updates on Qsensors’ development, helping travellers with airport wait times and flight delays, and letting everyone know what Qsensor is all about.

This FAQ section is updated periodically, please check back for updates.

map map

Testimonials

Samantha Novae
Euismod ipsum

“In purus at morbi magna in in maecenas. Nunc nulla magna elit, varius phasellus blandit convallis.”

More information

Are you looking for a different airport?

Browse over 130+ airports worldwide.

Find An Airport