Touring - Anything I need to know about crossing US/Canada border by bike?

Thinking about a Great Lakes Loop out of Indiana out around Lake Erie and back next summer.

Likely you'll be fine in the east. In the west, the Canadians are dynamite and depending on the amount of time you wish to spend there, will require you to justify the amount of money you have at your disposal to support your visit. The reception you receive at one entry point might also be entirely contradictory to that at another port. I have been told that Vancouver BC randonneurs are considering ending their cross-border events because of the hassle they are getting from their countrypeople when coming back into their home territory. All my experiences were while travelling in a vehicle, too, so it was not as though I was a ragged, lone cyclist.

By contrast, I found that the US officials could not be more courteous, cheerful and co-operative (within their official bounds as security officers, of course). In fact, I found the contrast overwhelming, and my regard for Americans skyrocketed based on my border crossing experiences alone.

That's good to hear about the US. It's like any other business when they find you screwing up they whip your tail, so any particular office can be on high alert. Mostly I haven't had trouble on either side, but I have stayed away since 9/11. The Canuck have juist been approved for guns, so yo can expect a period of foot shooting and "oops you mean it isn't one safe from an open breech?" for a while.

One thing the cyclist needs to be alert for is whether it's possible to cross the desired bridge by bike. Some of them are too narrow to ride over and too narrow to push. And some of them are regular level road crossing, best to inquire about a specific one before you need to use it. Obviously the big bridges are the major issue.

I crossed by bike in 2003, there was no hassle. Just needed a passport.

There's that magic word - PASSPORT. They may never ask for it if you ride across on the Ferry from Seattle but then they might also. Crossing at other points you are at the mercy of the particular boredom of the agent on duty.

Have a passport and enough money (a credit card is acceptable I believe) to get out of Canada again and you PROBABLY won't have any trouble at the borders.

Once inside Canada you'll find them a bit peculiar - they always seem to do everything differently from Americans just BECAUSE. Nice people though.

Be absolutely sure you have the following information with you:

1) Passport

2) Itinerary, including the names and addresses of any hotels you might be staying at, or people you might be staying with.

3) Paperwork for any other modes of transportation you might be using such as flights, trains, busses, etc.

4) Cash or traveller's cheques, and also a bank statement with your current bank balance.

5) Proof that the bicycle is indeed yours ... receipts, or insurance papers are good.

You may not need any of this (except the passport), but security has tightened up so much on the border over the last few months, you may discover yourself heading back to the nearest town to collect it. Yes, this is based on my experiences crossing the border over the last year or so!

Also, it is best not to go into too much detail when you are talking to the border guards ... just answer their questions as briefly as possible ... provide them just the precise bit of information they are asking about. There is a list of about 25 standard questions they ask people crossing the border ... they don't ask everyone all 25, they will pick and choose 3 or 4 from the list. Some examples of those questions are:

1) your name
2) your city and country
3) have you ever been fingerprinted
4) what is your current occupation
5) have you been convicted of a criminal offense
6) have you ever been refused entry to another country
7) what is the purpose of your visit
8) are you carrying firearms
9) have you purchased alcohol or cigarettes to bring into the country
10) have you purchased any other gifts
11) have you purchased any new goods
12) do you have any food with you

Just be prepared to answer those and others. :)

Border crossing is SO much fun these days!!

You do not need a passport to enter Canada, or re-enter the US. I know nobody said you did, but polls show tourism to Canada is down because a majorty of US citizens do not have a pasport and believe the passport requirement is already in force.

I have used nothing other than a drivers license, birth certificate, usually nothing. There is no harm in having a passport, and if you have a current one it's a good thing to bring. The passport requirement is being held off till '09 in a congresional deal taken today, according to CNN. Of course I have heard that before, but either way it isn't currently in place.

We did it four times this summer and passports just make it easy - just save your yourselves some time and hassel just get a passport.

The answer to "8" should be "no". It used to be possible to bring a gun into the us or canada with no problems at all. But in the last 5 years it's become hugely complicated.

You care not allowed to have a weapon in your posession in Canada. So if you are carrying dog spray or something (good luck with that one). make sure you do not say it's for self-defence. Self-defence is not illegal but carrying gas to shoot at humans is.

Almost any lockback knife can be flipped open with the right technique, and flipable knives will be confiscated. You need to tighten the pivot screw so you can barely open it or have it in pieces. No brass knuckles, nunchucks, throwing stars, switch-blades, balisongs. Spring assisted knives are legal, and there is a customs letter circulating that says they may be imported, specifically the Leek type thing. But your chance of meeting a Canadian official who is so educated is pretty minimal.

You do not need a passport to enter Canada, or re-enter the US. I know nobody said you did, but polls show tourism to Canada is down because a majorty of US citizens do not have a pasport and believe the passport requirement is already in force.

I have used nothing other than a drivers license, birth certificate, usually nothing. There is no harm in having a passport, and if you have a current one it's a good thing to bring. The passport requirement is being held off till '09 in a congresional deal taken today, according to CNN. Of course I have heard that before, but either way it isn't currently in place.


I know the news tells us that passports aren't required, but I have been asked for a passport every single time I have crossed the border in the last 16 months.

So what we need is someone who's answer was "no I don't have one".

In case you didnt know, you will not be aloud to ride your bike across the Ambassador bridge, or through the tunnel, at Detroit-Windsor. Also at Port Huron-Sarnia, no bikes aloud on the bridge. There is a ferry you can take above Lake St. Clair, from Marine City to Sombra.

I think to take a taxi across from U.S. to Canada, there is a $40 fee for crossing the border, plus fare, plus tolls, plus tip. Not sure what it is from Canada to the U.S..

All good info...Thanks much! It'll help me plan the trip very nicely! This'll be my wifes first tour and I want her to have a BALL!

GET THE PASSPORT....no one has mentioned one item that is crucial for traveling anywhere other than your home country.

If something should happen...an accident...a crime that you witness....anything of that nature....the passport guarantees you the full faith and civil protection of the Canadian government as part of their reciprocal agreement with the U. S, and requires that they assist and render aid to you.

If you are a U. S. citizen please be wise enough to consider Canada as a foreign country....because it is.

GET THE PASSPORT....no one has mentioned one item that is crucial for traveling anywhere other than your home country.

If something should happen...an accident...a crime that you witness....anything of that nature....the passport guarantees you the full faith and civil protection of the Canadian government as part of their reciprocal agreement with the U. S, and requires that they assist and render aid to you.

If you are a U. S. citizen please be wise enough to consider Canada as a foreign country....because it is.

You took the words right out of my mouth....very important points, these. Why does it seem to me that so many Americans are so against getting a passport? It is money very well spent.

Cheers,

Brian

I live in British Columbia only a few kilometres from the American border and 3-4 times/year will venture south on a day trip (usually for a round of golf). I don't have a passport and have got along fine with my birth certificate and driver's license.

Although passports are sometimes asked for at the border, they are not mandatory. The implementation of mandatory passports for LAND crossings has been delayed by 17 months. See:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/27/security.spending.ap/index.htm

However, as of Jan 8, 2007 all crossings by airplane or cruise ship will require a passport.

The ferry from Marine City to Sarnac is the way to go if you are crossing from Michigans lower penninsula to Canada. I took it this summer and it was absolutely no hassle at all. Just waited in line for about ten minutes (and there was really no line to speak of) and the crossing only took about ten minutes. They even forgot to charge me the two dollar fee that bicyclists are supposed to pay. And the Canadian border guard questioned me for about two minutes and didn't ask for any ID other than my driver's license.

I've crossed from Montana to Alberta and back, and from Michigan to Ontario and back. I don't have a passport, so I always carry my driver's license and a copy of my birth certificate. I always offer to show the birth certificate, but border guards usually tell me not to even pull it out. I've never been searched by border guards, and the my interaction with them has almost always been genial.

Some examples of those questions are:

9) have you purchased alcohol or cigarettes to bring into the country
10) have you purchased any other gifts
11) have you purchased any new goods
12) do you have any food with you

And they don't ask them like that. They say "What are you bringing back...?" or "How much alcohol or cigarettes are you bringing back?"

I think they do it to catch people off guard, but it can seem very pushy and accusing. I've never had problems by car. Just answer their questions and hope you got in the cheerful line rather than the I've-been-here-all-day-and-I'm-tired-and-bitter line.

its really all luck of the draw. when in detroit with a friend in 2003, we decided to head over to windsor for an afternoon. we were wished a good time by the canadian border patrol on the way there, but had a hell of a time returning to the united states. most likely, the u.s. border patrolman we encountered just liked giving people a hard time. while i didn't have my passport (called ahead and was assured i didn;t need one), he spent quite a bit of time scrutinizing my pennsylvania driver's lisence for authenticity (despite the very difficult to reproduce hologram on the entire front of the lisence and the magnetic strip on the back that if he just ran through a computer would tell him everything he could possibly want to know about me).

best to just treat it like a job interview. you will want to make a good impression, but don't say more than you have to.

"the passport guarantees you the full faith and civil protection of the Canadian government as part of their reciprocal agreement with the U. S, and requires that they assist and render aid to you."

What exactly do you think the Canadian government would do if you didn't have one. This isn't Baghdad, you will be treated like a friend if you deserve that treatment, regardless of the piece of paper you are carrying.

It is a foreign country up here, all that means in a practical sense is that there are some different laws. But not so far out that if you are just a fraction careful about gray areas you should be fine. The same is true visiting other states in the US. Your concealed carry permit may not be valid or your Mass. wedding.

Both countries do not allow arbitrary search and seizure, except at their borders. Most people are in no greater risk at a border than they would be at a routine traffic stop. If you're not drunk, don't have a pound of weed in your lap, an illegal firearm, an abducted child, etc... You have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if like Arar they want your ass, your passport is diddly.

The big change (recent court rulings aside) is that foreigners visiting the US used to have equal treatment under the law. In ways like the right to have a Florida carry permit, that were pretty wildly generous. Now we fall into a different category, which in 99.999999% of the cases probably doesn't change much... As far as I know nothing has changed relative to rights of US Citizens coming into Canada.

All these little changes highlight the unique border relationship between the US and Canada which has typically been very friendly, The friendliest border in the world, until the EC countries gave up caring. That is likely to continue in the big picture as US policy continues to favour disassembly of the border, and free labour flows. Just in the short run there remains some business to be done. There is the appearance of fairness vis a vis the Mexican border thing. When that gets sorted out there is a chance of a return to the status quo ante up here. The other thing is to create the climate for as many smart cards etc... for everyone, so expect a lot of short term inconvenience to soften us up.

You took the words right out of my mouth....very important points, these. Why does it seem to me that so many Americans are so against getting a passport? It is money very well spent.

Cheers,

Brian


I agree!! What's the big deal with getting a passport? I've had mine for years now, and intend to keep renewing it. Not only is it very helpful for a faster and more simple border crossing between Canada and the US, but it also allows us to visit other countries in the world. For me, that part is essential! If I want to ride events like the PBP, GSR, and LEL ... I have to have a passport.

Crossing between Canada and the US is a gamble depending on the border crossing you use, and depending on the border guards on staff that day. You may have no trouble at all (I have had some recent - in the last month - crossings that have gone very smoothly) ... or you could have all sorts of problems (I have also had some recent - in the last month - which have not gone smoothly). BUT if you carry a passport, and if you have your other paperwork, which I described above, and if you are prepared to answer all the questions I listed and more ... you can make your border crossing as simple as it can possibly be. If you aren't prepared ... be prepared for some delay and hassle.

Gee, the simple answer is most people are not international travelers! duh. I have euro relatives, so I get there, but many people never travel out of the country. Keeping an up to date passport for oneself and four other familly member is 400 dollars every time they run out. Last time I checked the Canadian government didn't accept a passports to get one, so I'm pretty confident my original birth certificate and other less PC factors are still the gold standard.

One thing though, Machka, is that I have heard that more people have received lifetime US visitation bans leaving Alberta than anywhere else. It seems like a tough gig, so everyone else's mileage may vary. I'm not saying you aren't right from you experience.

I have ridden my bicycle on day trips several times back and forth across the northern border at the Blaine, Lynden and Sumas crossing points in Washington state. I have a passport and have never had a problem either with the Canadian or US border personnel. The Canadians hardly ever ask to see any ID while the US personnel always ask for ID. Both groups have gladly taken a picture of me on my bike posing next to the border marker. I suspect that they don't see much of a potential threat posed by a sweaty middle-aged guy clad in a Spandex jersey and road shorts! You cannot stuff much contraband into the jersey pockets!

Gee, the simple answer is most people are not international travelers! duh. ... but many people never travel out of the country.

Actually, if you polled the students in my college you might be surprised to discover that most of them have travelled internationally. Coming from Manitoba, I was under the mistaken impression that most people don't travel much ... and they don't in Manitoba ... but here in Alberta it seems like EVERYONE does!

And it's only $80 per person every 5 years. That's not too bad! I wanted a passport so badly that I paid my $80 in 2003 to get mine ... and then paid another $80 in 2004 to get a new one with my new name! I had no problems at all doing that. It frees me to go where I want to go.

In your case, $400/5 years is $80/year. If you travel overseas or back and forth to the US every year, that $80 is a minor amount in comparison to all your other travelling costs.

You are right. Probably covers a lot of people on the touring forum also. Still leaves one with 200+million passportless people to deal with. OK, happily, the vast majority of them don't actually go anywhere. Somewhere in there there are a few million folks living along borders gaming the gas price, finding the best deal on Pampers, and 80 bucks just sounds like a lot of money to them. Heaven forbid they should remember when a loaf of bread was 10 cents.

Machka, since you live in Alberta, have you seen any frames by the dean of Canadian touring bikes Arvon Stacey? He used to do 200 mile/day bike rides in his younger years, though I don't know if they had a name for it then.

This is NOT to say that having a passport is a bad idea, but I have crossed the US/Canada border about 6 times in the last year or two, once on a bike, and each time all I brought with me was my drivers license. No hassle whatsoever. (And I do have a passport)

When i crossed in to Quebec last year they asked if i was carrying pepper spray (HALT) i believe it is illegal there .My experience has been that you will not need Halt in Quebec. I was never bothered by dogs there.
Alummule

I believe a passport is good for 10 years not 5
Doya think Masters of war (DYLAN )was 30 years ahead of its time.

You do not need a passport to enter Canada
Yes and no. They DO hassle you at airports if you do not have a passport but they usually let you in. However they don't HAVE to. The only reason that they let me in was because I would have closed up a subsidiary and put 10 Canadians out of work if they hadn't.

When i crossed in to Quebec last year they asked if i was carrying pepper spray (HALT) i believe it is illegal there .My experience has been that you will not need Halt in Quebec. I was never bothered by dogs there.
However, it works equally well on French speaking Canadians.

"Yes and no. They DO hassle you at airports if you do not have a passport but they usually let you in. However they don't HAVE to. The only reason that they let me in was because I would have closed up a subsidiary and put 10 Canadians out of work if they hadn't."

The problem is you can't run a test to see whether they would have hassled you with some alternate documentation. A passport does not garantee you entry.

Flying is different because there is a huge fear about getting the right info about people embarking a plane, and even in the old days its' inconvenient to stop people who should be able to fly, but get turned away at customs.

Anyway, if you do have a passport use it.

"However, it works equally well on French speaking Canadians."

In a lot of ways Quebec is the dignified part of Canada, on the other hand, it's probably the place you are most likely to be tied to a chair in police headquarters and worked on with a phonebook, so watch how you go.

The ferry from Marine City to Sarnac is the way to go if you are crossing from Michigans lower penninsula to Canada. I took it this summer and it was absolutely no hassle at all. Just waited in line for about ten minutes (and there was really no line to speak of) and the crossing only took about ten minutes. They even forgot to charge me the two dollar fee that bicyclists are supposed to pay. And the Canadian border guard questioned me for about two minutes and didn't ask for any ID other than my driver's license.
Last I read the US government will be requiring all Americans have passport upon re-entering the US when visiting Canada. They will be demanding they track your travels with the magnetic strip within the passport. Seems that requirement will be either 2007/2008? As to traveling across Michigan borders on a bike. The most fun would be the Marine City Ferry. No hassles with bikes on busy bridges and loading bikes on taxi's. And with the industrial mid-west's economies in shambles; crime is awful. I'd think twice before I'd ride my bike through cities such as Buffalo or Detroit.

Yeah, you're right about the new passport requirement. The days of open borders will soon be behind us.

Detroit isn't nearly as scary a place as people make it out to be. There are many bad neighborhoods, don't get me wrong. But I live about forty miles away from the city limits, and I bike into the city at least a few times a year. I actually feel safer, and better respected by motorists in the city of Detroit than I do in any of comparatively rich surrounding suburbs. While car theft can be a problem in Detroit, bike theft is much less of a problem than it is in other big cities, like New York, which have vibrant bike cultures and strong markets for used bikes.

There are certainly a lot of downsides to living in Detroit, although high rent is not a problem in the city, but it isn't a bad place for visitors, not that many people have a good reason to visit Detroit.

Bro. My mom sends me the crime reports from Ann Arbor. Maybe Ann Arbor is worse than Detroit? In terms of crime. Actually, I might not sound it, but I am a Detroit booster from afar. Lots in Detroit worth a visit. Love the DIA, Greektown, and there is a new theater frequenting Michigan playwrights in downtown Detroit ? . Surrounding burbs, Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum. It is not just Detroit, but the fate of most large American urban centers. As you say bikes belong in Detroit.
With industrial decline and urban neglect, few American cities are not going the way of Detroit. But, still I think a ride thru the thumb to be more cycle friendly.

I've biked the shorline of the thumb and found it very agreeable. The roads are lightly trafficked, north of Port Huron, the towns are small and the scenery is pretty nice for much of the ride. In general I prefer the northwest side of the lower penninsula for touring, but the whole state offers a lot of nice rides that are really overlooked by the majority of touring cyclists.

To your list of Detroit attractions I would add the Detroit Symphony, the Detroit Opera, and the Tigers, Red Wings, and maybe someday the Lions if they could ever fire Matt Millen and put together a real team. Any one of these attractions would be enough to draw me into the city on a regular basis, but for the lack of decent public transit between Ann Arbor and Detroit. It's not a bad bike ride during the day, but I'm not a big fan of covering long distances in the dark, thus it would be nice to be able to take a bus or a train home.

"Last I read the US government will be requiring all Americans have passport upon re-entering the US when visiting Canada. They will be demanding they track your travels with the magnetic strip within the passport. Seems that requirement will be either 2007/2008?"

That's the thing they delayed another 18 months. There isn't any magnetic strip on our passport for now, I think they would like some kind of smart thing. In some ways it would be better if there was a more rational system based on smart something rather than border bullies.

Certainly carrying a passport is good advice. Generally speaking, it's easy to cross into Canada. The Canadian custom officials seem to be more interested in talking with you about your travels than anything else. However, sometimes crossing back into the US can be a hastle. In 2003 I got hastled in Cut Bank Montana because I didn't have birth certificate or passport. However, at Niagra Falls, and just before the Democratic Convention in NYC, they waived me right through. Go figure.

You were in cut bank in 2003? Me too. I crossed north into Canada on may towards waterton some time in July. I headed back south into the states at Cheif Mountain.

I was riding highway 2 across most of the country, although I took alternate roads after crossing into Glacier. Wonder if I saw you out there.

I believe a passport is good for 10 years not 5
Doya think Masters of war (DYLAN )was 30 years ahead of its time.

Depends what country you are from. Canadian passports are good for 5 years.

I've biked the shorline of the thumb and found it very agreeable. The roads are lightly trafficked, north of Port Huron, the towns are small and the scenery is pretty nice for much of the ride. In general I prefer the northwest side of the lower penninsula for touring, but the whole state offers a lot of nice rides that are really overlooked by the majority of touring cyclists.
It's not a bad bike ride during the day, but I'm not a big fan of covering long distances in the dark, thus it would be nice to be able to take a bus or a train home.

One problem with Mich. It's state/national highways have no shoulder for bike lanes. Might US 25? , north of Port Huron Be an exception? I will be in Mich/Calif in two weeks time. I have no bikes in the US anymore. Possible to rent a bike in Ann Arbor?

French speakers were never problem all were more than helpful .

However, it works equally well on French speaking Canadians.
I have often heard thease comments about French Canadians . :o
My experience has been they are more than helpful and courteous then most people .:)

Machka, since you live in Alberta, have you seen any frames by the dean of Canadian touring bikes Arvon Stacey? He used to do 200 mile/day bike rides in his younger years, though I don't know if they had a name for it then.

Geez, Arvon Stacey, I haven't heard that name in years.
I remember a talk from him at a bike club meeting, he built his own hubs, and he didn't believe in low gears.

Passport is king. You can use a drivers license, but will be subject to detainment until they can verify that you are who you say you are. Why deal with the hassle? And no weapons of any kind. In either direction.

Thanks SKookum, I've got email working with him now. He seems to be making some interesting bikes. 50" wheelbase, very big ride and lots of room for luggage. I haven't got any account of his hubs, but they will have to allow low gears to work for me! :0)

Yeah, you're right about the new passport requirement. The days of open borders will soon be behind us.
The bad part is that you get hassled more at the border. The good part is that the open flow of illegal aliens across the border might slow a bit. It was pretty common knowledge that Chinese were getting Visas to Canada and then just walking across the border. They're all over the San Francisco bay area.

I always recommend getting a Passport.....

This is off the Canadian border subject, but we go to the Bahama's/Caribean on mini-vacations 2-3 times a year....in many places a passport is "not required".......HOWEVER, plan on extra time at the entry points...with a passport, you just sail right thru.....

When returning thru Miami.....there are 20 stations for non-citizens with Visa's, Green Cards, etc. to process thru, 20 stations for US citizens with Passports....1 station for people with Birth Cert's, etc.....that one station's line is so long, I still don't know if it has an end....

You took the words right out of my mouth....very important points, these. Why does it seem to me that so many Americans are so against getting a passport? It is money very well spent.

Most Americans need a passport as often as men need lipstick. Sure, it could be useful one day..... Mind you, I never leave home without my passport or my lipstick. Ok, it's not my lipstick, it's my wife's, but you get the idea. ;)