Border crossings - Back into the US from Canada

[Blunder]

Is a passport required to cross the US/Canadian border? If not, do any of you feel it makes it easier if you do bring your passport?

In them olden days you only needed a US or Canadian driver's license but now you need some document like a passport to get over the border. There's a pass you can get, similar to what TSA requires to expidite plane boarding at airports, but a passport will do.

[Formerly Known as Bigfoot]

The enhanced driver license will work for Canada as well.

[Mastros2]

I never had issues getting back in the states. In 2008, I was read the riot act going into Canada on a trip to Toronto.  Other than that, nothing either way.

Like others have said; take off helmet, be polite and have your documents ready.

[zer0netgain]

Unless US border scan car plates leaving the US and have access to rental agencies database, I don't see how they would have that info unless Canada shares visitor info with the US border guards.  

I'd say it'd be moronic not to do that, but I'm almost forgetting who we're talking about.  

[David Morrow]

"Nexus" and you have to be pre-screened and pay an annual fee for it.

Nexus is for both Canadians and Americans; I have one ( Canadian ) and my GF has one ( American ).

[David Morrow]

When returning from a multi day visit to the states, always declare that you have bought some souvenir T-shirts.
Tell them you have some, even if you didn't buy anything.  If you don't, they get suspicious.

Utter nonsense and just plain stupid. Never, ever lie. And, that is a lie and an easy one to get caught telling. I cross regularly and look them straight in the eye, seldom with my helmet off and just tell them the truth.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Hehe - I was coming back to Seattle from visiting bubba in BC. Before I left BC I stopped at the store for something and ended up buying a few groceries (hey, I was stopped. Why not be efficient with my time?). The border guard asked if I'd purchased anything while in Canada. He rolled his eyes when I started on the grocery list: Olive oil, storage containers, cake mix...

[misanthropist]

I have been treated well at all the borders I have crossed.  One time recently I got pulled in heading south because I told the guard I was going to Portland, which, apparently, is far enough that there is some sort of standard extra level of screening applied.

Inside, the guys asked me what I did for a living (construction contractor).They asked me how I knew the girl I was with (we have matching rings and last names).  They asked me if I had guns or drugs (no).  They asked what kind of car I was driving (Toyota Corolla). Finally they asked, "why the hell did they send you in here?"

"I'm not sure," I said.  "I did say I was driving to Portland tonight."

One guy looked at the other.

"Who was it?" he asked.

The other guy held up the tag the first guard had given me.

"Oh," he said.  "okay.  You can go.  Have a good time, guys."

So I am guessing either someone had a hate on for Portland or ther is an issue with driving 500km to an evening event or something.

Humorously on the way back, I was a little stressed because I had actually bought stuff at the duty free for the first time and didn't really understand how that worked, plus I'd been hassled on the way down.  I was a bit focused on the stuff from the duty free which was in a bag at my wife's feet, so I was kind of looking in the wring direction, and when I pulled up i just kind of glanced over and just looked at the Hatch gloves the Canadian guard was wearing, and didn't look at the guy at all.  The gloves just screamed "I search cars and shoot motherfuckers" and I thought, "man, there is no way I'm getting through this in one piece".

"Where have you been and what have you been up to?" asked the guard gruffly.

"Portland," I said.  "We just went down for fun.  We bought some things at the duty free.  I have the receipt.  We were down for about 48 hours but slightly less.  I tried to take that into account in my purchases.  We live in Burnaby.  I'm a construction contractor."

"I know what you do," said the guard.  "And I know where you live."

It was quiet for a second.  I felt very nervous.  I looked at the guard.

It was a friend of mine that I have been on shooting courses with about half a dozen times.  For some reason I had never expected to ruin to him at the border, which is really stupid, if you think about it.

I would describe my subsequent expression as "sheepish".


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[gregc]

I went to college in Grand Forks in the 90's and we would go to Winnipeg a lot.  Most of the stories I've seen so far were on par for most visits.  Sometimes you get grilled, most times it's a few questions and you on your way.  I think the big thing is you don't stammer, don't look shady and can answer all questions without difficulty.

My worst grilling, not really bad, was with my now wife, going into Cananda:

Canadian: "Where you going?"
           Me: "Winnipeg."
Canadian: "Where are you staying?"
           Me: "We're camping, so I don't know yet."
Canadian: "What camp ground are you staying at?"  (I'm not sure if Canadian's end sentences in prepositions like Minnesotans.)
           Me: "I'm not sure, we will find one when we get there."
Canadian: "What will you do if you can't find a camp ground."
          Me:  "Stay in a hotel."
Canadian:  "Which hotel will you stay at?
          Me:   "I don't know.  I hope to camp though."
Canadian:  "Where will you stay if you can't find a hotel?"
          Me:  "Grand Forks"  (Which is the town south of the crossing we crossed.
Canadian:  :Ok, have a good day."

We send lots of people to work in Canada and our biggest problem is DUI's.  Canada is all upidy about U.S. citizens with DUI's.

[TheRedOnesAreFaster]

This was our (me & Strypes) yesterday when we drove to Sarnia, Ontario to see Iron Maiden (Up the irons!!).

First, we had just arrived in Detroit when Strypes realized that he'd forgotten to leave his pistol at home.  Fortunately, this occurred before we got to Canada, and the company I work for has some locked storage in Detroit, so we were able to dump off the pistol safely and securely and not have to drive back home and subsequently miss our concert.

The GPS told us to stay on the highway, cross over into Canada at Port Huron, and bam! we would be in Sarnia.  We running a good 90 minutes ahead of schedule, so we figured we'd take the tunnel from Detroit and take the long way around to kill the extra time.  No point in arriving at the venue 90 minutes before the gates would be open.  

When we got to the customs checkpoint, we gave the guard our IDs (Strypes: US Passport.  Me: Enhanced DL).  We were asked what we were doing, what we did for a living, have we been to Canada before, did we have guns/knives/tobacco, did we know that it was MUCH faster to get to Sarnia through "The States"?  Evidently that didn't satisfy the guard; we get picked for a more thourough exam.  (Note: I do not know what information about US citizens Canuckistan has access to, but both Strypes and I have concealed carry permits.  I don't know if that somehow triggered the extra search or not.)

Then we went and parked in the customs area, were again asked the what were we doing, what we did for a living, do you know it's faster to go to Sarnia through "The States", yada yada yada.  Once they determined there was no contraband in the pickup, we were sent inside the office.  Where we again asked all the above questions, as well as "don't you have a GPS?  Yes, we do.  Didn't it tell you to come "through THE STATES?"  Yes, in fact it did.  Why didn't you?  We had extra time to kill.  Why are you looking at your phone?  Because it rang.  

They checked our IDs again, and sent us on our way.

So I gather that if you are going to Canada, you'd better be taking the shortest, fastest route or you will arouse suspicion.  Maybe they don't understand "pleasure rides" over there.  Or maybe they do, and they figure that anyone who is going to hop on the 401 for any reason other than getting from point A to Point B as fast as possible must be up to no good.  This is because the 401 SUCKS ASS.  30 minutes on that road and I was ready to ride Nebraska for fun.  The scenery there still sucks, but at least it goes by you at 75mph, not the godawful 62 that Canada gives you.

Crossing back into the US was no problem.  Where'd you go, what did you do, how long were you in Canada, have a nice day...

A note on the Enhanced Driver's License:  The EDL will get you into and out of Canada and Mexico, as well as some of the Carribean Islands.  They did tell me at the Secretary of State/DMV that this was the case only by land or by sea; if you fly, you will need a passport.

[misanthropist]

I have to admit that anyone who told me they were going to drive on the 401 for any reason other than "I am being forced to at gunpoint" would seem pretty suspicious to me.

I know a lot of CCW holders that cross semi-regularly in to Canada.  That is not likely to be the cause for any extra scrutiny as far as I can tell.

[David Morrow]

One of the most interesting questioning sessions was heading south from Vancouver. A friend was on his bike in front of me and was questioned for about 5 minutes.

When my turn came, I rolled up and the guy leans out of the booth, points to my tank bag, and asks " How does that thing stay on your bike ? ". I lifted it up and reply " Magnets. " "OK", he says, "you can go...."

[NuckaMan]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but what is the exact MO going into Canada?

I know Mexico is handled a bit different, but I go in and out of Mexico on occasion for dual sport riding and never had an issue going into MX or back home into to the States, other than dealing with incrediable lead times at the border coming home.

Everytime, its been a simple ride/drive across into MX, never been pulled over for inspection and coming back is the same with the exception showing a passport to BP person in the booth, explaining my business in MX and im off on my merry way.

Seems like getting into Canada and coming back is little more intense than this.

Im asking because Im planning a trip to Alaska next year, kinda want a heads up on the process.

[The Shepherd]

Canada is all upidy about U.S. citizens with DUI's.

We don't want your criminals here. I'm sure you don't want ours there do you?

[Hambonee]

We don't want your criminals here. I'm sure you don't want ours there do you?

Yeah, you gotta watch out for Scott..he's a di*k!



But seriously...makes sense they wouldn't want our DUIs driving around their roads...not sure I do on mine.

[sleazy rider]

The only interesting crossing I've had was going across from Detroit to Windsor in the late '90s on our way to Maine with our kids.  We had our popup camper on the back of a high top conversion van.  As we pulled up on the Canadian side, the guy asks if they were our kids and did we have their birth certificates.  WTF?  I'm taking someone else's kids camping for two weeks?  I told him no, but to look at them and then me.  All three boys are mini mes.  He asked 'em a couple questions and wished us a good trip.  

I have had the Canadian folks ask me a couple times if I had my handgun with me.  CCWs are in the system apparently.  I simply told them I knew their laws didn't allow me to carry and it was home locked in the gun safe.

Being in Detroit, I cross somewhat frequently just to visit and eat in Windsor with the wife.

[Fourstring]

A few times at the Sarnia crossing, I've had the bad luck to cross that high, windy bridge on a loaded touring bicycle.

The US side passed us through and said 'good luck' as we mixed it up with traffic on a four lane bridge.  
The Canadians shut down two lanes for us and sent a police escort behind so we didn't get plowed.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Im asking because Im planning a trip to Alaska next year, kinda want a heads up on the process.

Where do you plan on crossing?

When I went to Alaska (from Seattle), they pulled me aside at the border because they wanted to talk to me more about when I'd be crossing into Alaska. For some reason, this seemed to be very important information to them, even though I really didn't know the answer. I gave them my best guesstimate and after waiting around a bit, they let me continue. The whole stop took maybe 20-30 minutes.

Crossing into Alaska from the Yukon was interesting. I am American and was traveling with a Canadian. The border was void of any other vehicles and the guard came out and started asking us questions. He seemed highly suspicious that an American and a Canadian would be traveling together (gasp!). He looked like he was just settling down to being a hardass about it when another guard came out. The second guard said "Hey! You got a phone call!" The first guard looked at him, looked at us, slumped his shoulders in disappointment and went inside. The second guard double-checked a couple of the basic questions and sent us through

[David Morrow]

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but what is the exact MO going into Canada?

I know Mexico is handled a bit different, but I go in and out of Mexico on occasion for dual sport riding and never had an issue going into MX or back home into to the States, other than dealing with incrediable lead times at the border coming home.

Everytime, its been a simple ride/drive across into MX, never been pulled over for inspection and coming back is the same with the exception showing a passport to BP person in the booth, explaining my business in MX and im off on my merry way.

Seems like getting into Canada and coming back is little more intense than this.

Im asking because Im planning a trip to Alaska next year, kinda want a heads up on the process.

You'll be fine. Remember, what you're reading here, for the most part, is the more exceptional stories, not the more routine ones. Not often do you read about the routine 30 second Q&A sessions that are more normal. Look them in the eyes, answer the questions directly, and be civilized.

[Galo]

returning to the US has always made me appreciate other country's border guards . . . . . always.

   +1
Last year, returning from the BBBBQ, my inspection fell about this shy [<>] of a cavity search.....the man even asked for my bike's papers, which are under the seat. When I removed the seat, he even peered and poked underneath it with a flashlight!  

Then he saw my passport noted Cuba as my place of birth which prompted the most ridiculous question I have ever heard: 'did you fly to Cuba while you were in Canada?' I looked at him dumbstruck and finally responded: 'I came up Friday, today is Sunday. Do you really think I could have travelled back and forth from this border crossing in BC to Cuba and back in two days?'