Crossing Borders

Pulling in under the overhang porch of Canada Customs was a lot like stepping out of the shower. I was out of the rain but I was still soaking wet.

A young customs Officer stepped purposefully towards me. My guess is he was in his mid twenties. Six foot tall, walked with confidence and had a natural athletic build. The kind you get from living an active life style rather than spending hours in front of a mirror pumping iron.

He had an air of authority about him but from the corners of his mouth I detected just a slight smile which said; "Welcome to Canada" and I knew right then this crossing would be a good one.

I can't say every crossing has been smooth. I remember spending 6 hours in quarantine in Detroit, being detained for four hours in Seattle and my bags have been stripped and searched on a few occasions. Looking back over the years I must confess, I have had few problems crossing the 49th parallel.

I would certainly encourage anyone traveling by motorcycle who does not have a criminal record not to hesitate to cross the border in either direction.

The riding opportunities are truly spectacular all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean.

I wanted to write an easy to read article on what you could expect and do in preparation for crossing the Canada - USA border. I spent a good deal of time on line confident I should be able to quickly get the information I needed for this article, and to provide a couple of links to government websites providing you with a easy and authoritative source of information to refer too.

I was shocked to find the information highway regarding border crossing looks like it is under major construction and all I found was detour after detour. Governments on both sides of the border seem uninterested in making our life easy.

You will find an assortment of private websites offering advice and tips but they seem more interested in attracting you as a tourist then really providing clear easy information on crossing the border. I found one exception, www.necromantic.net/deadparrot/border01.html

Written mostly for American citizens crossing back and forth but well worth reading for Canadians.

Of course if you are patient and diligent you will eventually uncover the information you are looking for but the following guideline I give may save you the trouble. This information is based upon some research and personal experience. That being said please use my comments only as a guideline.

Make sure you double check with the proper government agency any special questions you have regarding crossing the border, including the limits and types of substances you can bring across with you.

Motorcycle.

Make sure you have all documents pertaining to registration and ownership and that all address match up with your drivers licence. Border Officers do not usually ask to see these documents but if they do they must be squeaky clean. They will enter your licence plate into their data bank while you wait at the border.

Custom Officers are always on the look out for stolen vehicles, and bikes people plan to cross border sell. If any flags appear in their data bank they will check further.

If you are driving another persons bike make sure you have a written document signed by the owner stating that you have permission to drive the bike, permission to take it across the border and approval has been granted by the insurance company for you operation of the bike.

Identification.

If you are form the USA you have a few options such as a passport, nexus card or and enhanced drivers licence. If you are Canadian citizen you basically have the same options although availability of the latter two is more difficult in Canada. Truth is this whole thing about Western Hemisphere Transport Documents is somewhat of a mess.

My advice is get a Passport and leave it at that. Make sure you apply several months in advance for your passport because of the hoops you have to go through take awhile.

Transporting Goods

Check for exact details but as a general guideline this should work.

You can have 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2 Kilos of tobacco. I suggest you make sure you have 1/2 or less of that amount and you will have no problems and trigger no bells in the mind of the officer.

Liquor.
I make it a point not to transport liquor across the border, although generally you are allowed a litre of the stuff for your personal pleasure.

Goods in General
Other goods vary in both type and quantity depending upon the direction you are headed and your citizenship. Here is a good general guideline.

If you are out of the country under 48 hours don't bring anything back. If you are across the border for more than 2 days but less than a week (seven days), don't bring back more than $200 worth of goods. If you are away more than seven days restrict your purchases to less than $400.

To calculate time away do not count the day you entered the country but do include in your count the day you are leaving. For example if you entered on a Wednesday and exited on a Wednesday you would have been away for seven days not eight.

Crossing Strategy

When you get to the border it is all about time. The more of their time you waste the less welcomed you are likely to feel.

If you shopped while you were across the border keep your recites organized and purchases so you can produce them easily upon request.

Keep answers short to the point but friendly and polite. Custom Officials are really strong on polite. A hint of sarcasm may cost you your trip. Crossing the border is a privilege not a right. Border Officers have the absolute authority to prevent you from entering their country.

Would you let a belligerent sarcastic jerk into your home? That's why the Americans call it Homeland Security.

One other really important tip, don't lie. I know it sounds obvious but it isn't. I once had a young officer who was very smooth but he deliberately tried to trap me into lying.

I come from a small town and he started by saying he used to play Junior Hockey and has a good friend who lives in my home town. He mentioned his friends name and the name of his wife and described how everyone knows him because he is the hockey hero of the town. He insisted I must know them. Nope sorry I don't. This went on for well over five minutes.

He was very smooth like a professional actor and it was very tempting to say something like; "Now that you mention it I think I do know them."

Wham Bham that would have been the ruin of that trip.

Food

If you have bought an apple or banana for the road don't show up at the border crossing with it. Absolutely do not have any kind of vegetable with you. In the tourist shops you can often get a package of seeds to take home to your favorite gardener, forget it, no seeds. In fact if you have been riding cross country and have weeds caught up in the undercarriage of your bike you may be required to return to the nearest town and wash your bike before being allowed to cross. No I am not kidding.

Medicine and Drugs.
Despite what you may have heard about Canada, it is illegal to enter with marijuana or any other illicit drug. If you have prescription medicines you must have the original bottle in which the pharmacy dispensed the meds. If you keep one of those weekly pill reminder containers that's fine so long as you have the original container and a couple of pills in the container to prove which pills belong to that container.

My Personal Routine.

I never carry liquor, and I seldom purchase anything when traveling. If I do buy somethings I keep all recites handy stapled to a piece of paper itemized and totaled for quick reference. I place all the the goods in one bag on the top of my saddle bag for quick access.

My theory is the less I have to declare the less likely they are to want to go through my stuff and delay me. On the other hand it is just a theory and doesn't always work.

I carry my passport in a see through zip lock bag in my jacket. I never keep it with my wallet of other papers.

I answer all question with fairly short answers but make sure that even if I am freezing wet, I remain friendly, positive and never complain.

For the past twenty years may strategy has for the vast majority of my crossings resulted in a hassle free trip. For the few times I have been inconvenienced at customs it has been a small price to pay for the many trips I have had across the border Riding Iron.