custom?

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starcrafttom

Active member
What paper work do you have to hav eto get across to canada? i have never had a pass port but have been to canadaseveral times on just my drivers licence. What paper work do you have to have for kids. My boy is 14. We will be gettting pass port soon but i have been saing that for three years. I just want to know in case we decide to pop over the border.
 
We have used birth certs. for family members and have no trouble. Many check in sites are closed untill May 1st. CANPASS ($40.00 per person over 18) people can check in at many places in teh Gulf Is. and up the coast. (604-535-9346 for CANPASS info). I'm heading up in April and will try and check in via phone at Bedwell Harbour. They may send me to Sidney!
 
The lake we live on (Rainy) is 60% in Canada and we're over there all the time. We get the CANPASS, which used to be called the Remote Area Border Crossing Permit (RABC). The form is available on line. You can fill it out, send it in to Canada Customs & Immigration, and once they check you out, assuming you are not a convicted felon, you'll get the crossing pass in the mail. Then you, and any immediate family members listed in your application, can cross into Canada by water at any time without checking in. As I recall the cost is about $25 US per permit.

Since US Immigration laws do not apply to US Citizens, re-entering the US is not a problem from Immigration's standpoint. US Customs is a different matter. Given the scrutiny that border crossings are receiving today, I'd advise carrying some sort of photo IDs with you. Talking directly with officials in your area might not be a bad idea either to see what they recommend.

I hope this helps.
Al
 
We do not have the Canpass, may think about that - but we have checked in to Canada at White Rock, Bedwell Harbor and Victoria - at all three places, we have used either the land line at the Customs Dock or called in via cell (the number is posted, and is also listed in Waggoner Cruising Guide, which I assume you have or will be getting) and there has never been a Canadian official present in person, even at Victoria. They just ask the usual questions and you give the usual answers. Not sure, but I think Bedwell is the only one of the usual close-in spots that is closed seasonally - check Waggoner on this.

On returning, the US is a completely different story. First off, you MUST have a birth certificate AND photo ID, or have a passport. If you do not, expect to be in for a very hard time.

They USED to have a program for boaters to check in by phone on returning to the US by using a PIN number (which actually is just your telephone number). If you do not have a PIN number, you need to go to a designated point of entry, and you must wait until a live person comes down to the Customs Dock. We did this at Blaine on our first re-entry, we called Customs at the I-5 border crossing, and they came down to the Customs Dock at Blaine Marina quite promptly actually. We got what I believe is the very last PIN number ever approved, they have stopped issuing new ones (David on Anna Leigh tried to get one about a week after we got ours, and was told no more PIN numbers were being given out). They advised us we may continue to check in by phone with our PIN number as long as they are still answering the phone, but they don't promise how long the program will continue in operation. It is of course VERY convenient, and I will be very sorry if they stop it, as it is a major PITA to have to wait for a Customs officer. On the other hand, I understand why they may decide they need to do that.



MOOSE":37hws3if said:
Since US Immigration laws do not apply to US Citizens, re-entering the US is not a problem from Immigration's standpoint. US Customs is a different matter. Given the scrutiny that border crossings are receiving today, I'd advise carrying some sort of photo IDs with you. Talking directly with officials in your area might not be a bad idea either to see what they recommend.

I hope this helps.
Al
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Make sure that if your son is traveling with only one parent across the border and back that you have a notarized letter from the other parent stating that the traveling parent has permission to take the minor child out of the country and back.

Go to: http://www.nwa.com/services/reqtraveldocs.html
and then read "International Travel With Minors (including Canada & Mexico)"

We've had to do this for quite a few years when our son was in Boy Scouts.
 
Here's my 2 cents worth....a passport may initially be a pain in the butt to get (paperwork, photos, getting to the passport issuing office) but it is the best way to go thru any borders. It's universally recognized and saves wear and tear on documents (like a birth certificate) that were not meant to be carried around and used as an ID. They are good for ten years.
 
My 2 cents on trailering the boat across the border: when we arrived in Nova Scotia this summer, I was surprised at how much info the Canadian authorities wanted on the boat and the trailer. They want to make sure you are not bringing it in to sell it without paying taxes, so they wanted title, bill of sale, registration, etc. for both boat and trailer. I was just lucky that I had most everything they wanted in a folder I keep on the boat.
 
Great info guys. it looks like we will be geting the passports sooner then latter but will be able to make due until then. getting permmission for my son from his mom would be ok if we knew where she was. He will just have to go with the program when crossing and talking to the agents. We have both been across before at the highway just never on boats.
 
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