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How much of a hassle is it crossing the Canadian border these days?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Starman, Jul 17, 2008.

  1. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    No, I do not have a passport. Been "thinking about it" for several months now.

    So assuming I have regular ID (driver's license, SS card, voter's registration card, etc etc.), how hard is it to get across the border these days?
     
  2. jps

    jps Active Member

    believe you need your ID and a birth certificate/passport now.
     
  3. funky_mountain

    funky_mountain Active Member

    http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html

    from that site:
    but read more, in case i missed something.
     
  4. pallister

    pallister Guest

    Depends. Are you a mule?
     
  5. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Think I'll leave the heroin-packed spare tire at home this time. ::) ::)
     
  6. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Be ready for some weird questions. I went up there to see a friend and the guy at border asked me what gift I was bringing my friend. Turns out I did have a couple of coffee mugs in a gift bag in my car, but there was no way the guy could have seen them from where he was standing. Weird stuff.
    So, bring presents to Canadians in addition to a passport.
     
  7. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Starman,

    Get a passport if you have the time.

    It makes it so much easier--getting into Canada and more importantly, going back to the US

    Most of the time, Canadian customs officers ask,

    1)Nationality
    2) purpose of your visit
    3) anything to declare.

    Oh, two more things:

    Take off your sunglasses when the customs officer talks to you (that goes for Canada and US)

    No guns allowed in Canada. Leave them at home
     
  8. andyouare?

    andyouare? Guest

    That really threw me off when I visited Canada, too.

    I had just switched jobs, and careers, a month earlier. So, when the Mountie looked over my passport and said, "What do you do for a living", I was totally unprepared. I actually had to think for a minute, because I couldnt' say sports writer anymore. I had to say internal communications manager.

    I'm surprised they didn't ask me to pull over.

    And driving into Canada through Vancouver? Total pain in the ass. First, it took an hour in bumper to bumper and the U.S. Custom Officials did ask me to pull me over this time. True story: The only people in the U.S. border office asked to pull over were two families of Middle Eastern descent and myself, a non-whitey. Coincidence? Yeah right.
     
  9. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Mounties don't man the customs offices.

    Last summer, it took HC & I two and a half hours to get through US Customs on our way to NYC.

    Officer: How do you two know each other? (we have different last names)

    Me: Uh, we live together

    Officer: Where you going?

    Me: NYC

    Officer: Why would you want to go there?

    Me (getting pissed but keeping my cool): To visit friends
    (Note: This was the last minute SportsJournalists.com NYC get together. We were basically driving from TO to NYC for a night of drinking)

    Officer: (This was the kicker) WHERE DID YOU MEET THESE FRIENDS?

    Me--(This was a toughie)
    I was definitely not going to say "sports journalists message board" so I just said, "Met them up here in Toronto last year" --which was mostly true.

    Officer: How much money do you have?

    Me: $100

    Officer: How can you spend a weekend in NYC with $100?

    Me: Credit card. (and muttering, asshole under my breath)

    Guy was a first class douche.

    Coming back, the Canadian officer didn't even look at us

    Citizenship?
    Canuck
    Anything to declare
    Nope

    Waves us away.

    Now, there's nothing to say this couldn't have been reversed.

    Both countries have surly little pricks working on the borders.
     
  10. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Yeah, and Canadian Customs claims they don't profile either.
     
  11. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    The Truck route is usually much quicker to Vancouver. The turnoff is about 1 mile south of the Peace Arch.
     
  12. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    I don't understand. You were driving from the US to Canada. Why would you be stopped at US Customs going INTO Canada?
     
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