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| CROSSING
THE US AND CANADIAN BORDERS As a general rule, any person
who crosses a national frontier can expect to be asked to document his
or her citizenship, and about what purchases or gifts he or she might
be bringing across the border. This applies to U.S. citizens entering
Canada, and re-entering the United States.
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| TRAVELING
TO CANADA
•
Travel Documents U.S. Citizens traveling to Canada should be prepared to show either a U.S. passport, or other proof of U.S. citizenship and government-issued photo-ID. A driver’s license is not proof of citizenship, of course, but can serve as a photo ID in support of other proof such as a birth certificate. An original green card is proof of permanent U.S. residence and, together with a photo-ID, will also suffice. •Visas:Visas are not required of U.S. citizens planning to stay in Canada for 180 days or less, but anyone with a criminal record, including a DWI conviction, should contact a Canadian Consulate or Embassy prior to traveling. Waivers of exclusion may be obtained, but the process can take several weeks. The phone number at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC is 202/682-1740. If you are not a U.S. Citizen, you may need a visa. For a list of counties whose citizens DO and DO NOT need a visa to enter Canada as a visitor, click on the following link: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.html •Duty Free allowances:In general, you will be allowed to bring items, including clothing (of course), camping equipment, sports equipment, cameras, laptop computers, etc., for your own use. In theory, you may be asked to post a bond to ensure that certain items are taken back to the United States, but this rarely, if ever, applies to tourists. You can also bring up to 1.5 litres of wine, 1.14 litres of liquor or 24 cans or bottles of beer, and 200 cigarettes, as long at you’re old enough. That’s 18 or 19 depending on the province you’re crossing into. •Prohibited and restricted Items:In short, handguns, including mace and pepper spray are restricted, and automatic and assault type weapons are prohibited. Most hunting rifles and shotguns are non-restricted, except that anyone wishing to bring one to Canada must be 18 years of age. Detailed information should be obtained from the Canadian Firearms Centre (http://www.cfc.ccaf.gc.ca). Please also note that radar detectors are prohibited in Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, the Yukon and Northwest Territories (Nunuvut?) and are subject to confiscation, whether in use or not. •Bringing children to Canada:The Canadian government knows from experience that divorcing or divorced parents of minor children have been known to try to cross the border with their children, without the consent of the other parent, to avoid legal obligations related to child custody. Thus, if you will be crossing the border alone with a young child, you probably will be asked to explain the circumstances. Divorced parents who share custody of children should have copies of the legal custody documents. It may also expedite matters if a single parent traveling with children has a letter signed by both him- or herself and child’s other parent, explaining that the trip is being made with the consent of the absent parent. Occasionally, immigration personnel will telephone that parent, so, as an added precaution, it can be helpful if the absent parent can be reachable at around the time of the expected arrival at the border. •Border Waiting Times:Border crossing delays in the weeks following September 11, 2001 are legendary, but have eased considerably. However, we do sense that more attention is still being paid, on both sides of the border, to the travel documentation described in the foregoing paragraphs. If you will be traveling to Canada by car, and on a tight schedule (such
as driving to Canada for an important meeting, or to catch a scheduled
airline departure from a Canadian airport), you might check the following
sites for two to three consecutive weeks on the day, and at the time,
of your contemplated arrival in Canada, for a preview of the waiting time.
Please note that the following is a preview, not a guarantee, then click
below: TIP: If you’re driving to Canada, plan to fill your gas tank just before crossing the border, and buy only enough gas in Canada to get you back to the United States. Gas pricing can be a bit confusing, because measurements at the pump are in liters (and prices are in Canadian dollars) but in the end, gas is considerably more expensive in Canada. |
RETURNING
TO THE UNITED STATES •
Travel Documents Of course, you may also be asked to document your citizenship when returning to the United States. Returning U.S. citizens should be prepared to show either a U.S. passport, or other proof of U.S. citizenship and government-issued photo-ID. An original green card is proof of permanent U.S. residence, and, together with a photo-ID, will also suffice. Please note that a driver’s license is not proof of citizenship, since non-citizens can obtain them, but a driver’s license can serve as a photo ID in support of other proof such as a birth certificate. It may be worth noting, when returning to certain U.S. airports, that U.S. Customs and Immigration inspections will take place at some Canadian airports, prior to boarding your flight. •Duty Free Allowances:Every person who crosses the United States border is subject to search. If asked, you will need to declare any and all personal or commercial items that you will be bringing back to the United States (including items that you purchased or were given to you) that you did not bring with you when you left. Usually, when returning from Canada after a 48-hour stay, you will be entitled to a $400 personal exemption on personal or household use items that you are bringing back. A $200 personal exemption applies for stays of less than 48 hours, or if you have already used all or part of your $400 exemption within the past 30 days. Separate limits on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products also apply (generally one liter and 200 cigarettes). Family members traveling together and living in the same household may combine their $400 personal exemptions (but not their $200 exemptions). TIP: keep your receipts and pack your purchases separately, especially if you’re over the limit and expect to pay duty on them. •Prohibited and restricted items:Prohibited items include articles forbidden by law to enter the United States, including dangerous toys, and illegal substances such as absinthe and Rohypnol (whatever that is). Restricted items include articles that require special licenses or permits, such as firearms, as well as certain fruits, vegetables, pets and textiles. Don’t even think about bringing Cuban cigars back, as long as George W. Bush has anything to say about it. •Registration of items prior to leaving the United States.Technically, if you have an expensive camera or laptop computer that was manufactured outside North America (in Japan, for example) either would be subject to duty if brought back to the United States. If you’re an extremely cautious person, you might stop at the U.S. Customs checkpoint before you cross the border and register items like these. Firearms, such as hunting rifles, taken into Canada should be registered to avoid questions upon return. •Border Waiting Times. If you have a choice of more than one route to
and from Canada, you can compare the relative waiting times by clicking
on the following link (or pasting the following web address into your
browser window). We suggest that you try this for two or three consecutive
weeks, on the day, and at the time of your contemplated border crossing. Articles purchased in duty-free shops will be counted toward your personal exemption when returning to the United States. Please note that items sold in these shops are duty-free only in the country in which the store is located, and are subject to duty and taxes when crossing the border. •Sales Tax Rebate Program:Business and leisure visitors, who are not Canadian residents, are eligible to receive refunds on the 7% federal goods and services tax (GST) paid on accommodations and tangible goods they have purchased during their stays in Canada. Visitors to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are eligible for rebates on the 15% harmonized federal and provincial taxes paid in those provinces. To qualify, the combination of all purchases must total $200 CAD and the GST must be a minimum of $14 CAD. Individual receipts must total $50 CAD and purchases of certain items, including alcohol and tobacco and meals in restaurants are exempt from the program. Information and applications are available at virtually any hotel and most retail stores. Make sure you read the application before leaving Canada. Receipts (for goods but not accommodations) must be stamped by Canada Customs prior to submission. |
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© Visit Canada, Inc. |
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