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

A buddy and I cross over to go to Windsor frequently to gamble. The smoke-free atmosphere is nice. Getting stopped three times on the way back into the U.S. is not. We are both U.S. Citizens and border patrol is rude, impatient and never helpful. They can never tell us why we are being pulled over. Sometimes we get patted down. We have to leave all of our valuables in out car while they ransack it for hours.

The Canadians however, have never been anything but friendly. They have never stopped us, been rude or anything.

 

You must be lucky. I've been pulled over by Canada Customs and given the once-over more than I care to admit.

Meanwhile, I've never had a problem with U.S. CPB.

Guess it's the luck of the draw.

 

Getting a new passport ain't cheap. Try upwards of $200.

 

Just got my passport renewal--in less than two weeks. $87.00 for five years.

 

Say 'Saskatchewan seal hunt.' That may work.

 

I <3 u, Flash.

 

Back at you, sweetness.

 

If you live in New York, later this year they will start offering an enhanced driver's license for an extra $30 ($80 total) that you can use instead of a passport for border crossings.
See....
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF NEW ENHANCED DRIVER LICENSE
New Document Will Be Offered Statewide Beginning on September 16, 2008

Enhanced License Will Help Boost the Upstate Economy Through Easier Border Crossings

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will begin issuing the new Enhanced Driver License (EDL) statewide on September 16, 2008. New York State and the Federal Department of Homeland Security reached an agreement in late May approving the business plan for the State to issue the new document.

The new EDL is expected to immensely benefit the Upstate economy by expediting land and sea border crossings. Currently, 468,750 New York State jobs are supported by Canada-US trade. In 2006, the US-Canada merchandise trade was valued at $489 billion. Recent statistics show that Canadians made 2.5 million visits to New York State spending $679 million and New York residents made 1.7 million visits to Canada, spending $561 million. With New York as well as the provinces of Quebec and Ontario all offering EDLs, traveling across all 17 shared New York/Canada land borders, and in particular across five of the nation’s busiest 39 border crossings, will be improved.

“The Enhanced Driver License is a major step forward for all New Yorkers who travel in North America and the Caribbean,” said Governor Paterson. “This new travel document will improve our security and provide a real boost for the economy, especially for those Upstate communities that border Canada. I congratulate the Department of Motor Vehicles for its work in developing and expeditiously making the Enhanced Driver License available to the public.”

The EDL was developed by DMV to meet the requirements of the federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, requiring all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. The EDL can be used for land and sea border crossings in Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Beginning June 1, 2009, only a handful of documents will be acceptable for border crossing, and the New York State EDL will be one of them.

New York’s EDL will provide New Yorkers with a lower-cost and more convenient alternative to a U.S. Passport for land and sea border crossings within the Western Hemisphere. The EDL can be readily obtained by applying at local DMV offices. Since it is a driver license, it will be easier to carry than a passport, making it especially convenient for those who make frequent or unplanned crossings. The EDL will be valid for up to eight years, the same period as a current drivers license. The new licenses will be clearly distinguishable as a limited use international travel document by the added features of a U.S. flag on the front and the machine readable text on the reverse, both identifying it is an “enhanced” driver license.

DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts said: “The new federal mandate for border crossing requires a passport or other federally recognized documents such as an EDL. By expediting cross-border travel, New York’s EDL will help ensure that the Upstate economy does not suffer from the federal mandate. The DMV is pleased to make the EDL available to our customers.”

Michael Balboni, Governor Paterson’s Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, said: “The Enhanced Driver Licence program achieves the appropriate balance between security and the economy. In partnership with Canada, the EDL will permit the safe flow of people across our mutual border. In doing so, New York is recognizing its vital relationship with Quebec and Ontario, while implementing real steps to mitigate a vulnerability cited by the 9/11 Commission report. New York was one of the first states in the nation to adopt this program and Governor Paterson should be congratulated for his leadership.”

To get an EDL, New Yorkers will be required to visit a DMV office to provide verifiable proofs of identity and citizenship. In addition to the current requirements for proof of identity, motorists will be required to present proof of U.S. citizenship and also state residency. A list of validation documentation can be found on the DMV website at www.nysdmv.com/edl.htm. The verification of the documents will support the DMV’s core principle of one driver, one license. Each EDL will have various new security features within the document that will help to deter counterfeiting.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant EDL will cost $30 more than a current state driver license, but will cost less than a passport. For most motorists, an eight year EDL will cost $80, and will be an identity document, a cross border travel document, and a drivers license. When compared to a passport that costs $100 (excluding photos), but does not confer driving privileges, the EDL is not only convenient, but a bargain as well.

The DMV anticipates that it will take approximately two weeks from the date a motorist presents an application and required proofs for an applicant to receive an EDL, the same amount of time it takes to receive a current New York State photo license or non-driver identification document.

 

OK, my brother and I made it back from Boston to see four Springsteen shows and two MLB games.

Canadian border at the Peace Bridge (at 7:30 p.m. Sunday): 30 seconds.

US border at Port Huron, MI (at 10:45 p.m.): 15 minute wait to the inspection gate.

At the inspection gate, we both had DL, BC, and voter registration.

The border guard asked us: where do you live, why/how long were you in Canada, bringing back any food, liquor, etc etc?

Three minutes and we were through.


I am still going to get a passport, though.

 

Peace and Rainbow Bridges are said to have easiest access. Maybe it's so fast and bullshit-free because they don't allow trucks.

 

Rainbow doesn't allow trucks. The Peace Bridge does. It's one of the busier commercial crossings.

The mood of the officers can vary from border crossing to border crossing. The ones at the Peace Bridge are OK but the ones at Queenston/Lewsiston (just down the river) have reputations for being notorious pricks

 

The people at Fort Erie never even asked me about my pet, and I was ready to give them the paperwork and go through all the accompanying crap on that.