jfry541

Hello again, I have searched the forums on this topic and have only come up with posts that were before the new passport rule. I was wondering how much information they need nowadays. Registration of the bicycle? can they search your bags? Bank account information? Written itinerary?

Same questions for coming back into the states.

Thanks
Jonathan

Randochap

Our club crosses the border regularly on events. We usually cross in the morning, do a couple hundred km in Washington State and cross back over into Canada (at another crossing) in the evening.

They have never asked me anything more than "where you going, how long you staying?"

Border formalities take no more than 20 minutes (most of this waiting), assuming you have a passport.

Machka 

From Rowan's and my experience in 2006:

-- Passport - you must have this
-- Bags - yes they can search them
-- Proof that you'll leave when you say you will, especially if you're planning to be in Canada for a while - they may ask for this, and you might provide flight information, or proof that you're returning to a job, or proof that you own or rent a place in the US
-- Bank account information - yes, they may ask about that, and if you're planning to stay in Canada for any length of time, they may ask you to produce a bank statement or the actual cash to prove you can support yourself. **This actually happened, I'm not making up a word of it**


And for going back to the US, you'll want to have proof that you bought the bicycle in the US and didn't pick it up in Canada while you were here.

If you're only coming over for a day or two, it's no big deal ... but if you're planning a cross Canada tour and will be in Canada for several months, that's when it becomes an issue.

valygrl

Crossed this summer, just needed a passport, they asked if we had any firearms or alcohol or bear spray. Sure they can search your bags but I doubt they will. They didn't ask about bike registration (is there such a thing?).

Getting back in the US was easy, they looked at the passport and said "Welcome Home"

Machka 

No, they probably won't search your bags, but I wouldn't risk carrying any sort of weapon or drugs or anything.

nancy sv

Exactly. I would add that they asked us if we had any fruit - they took our apples that we had forgotten to eat during our morning break! Also, if you are crossing with kids, it would be helpful to have some document indicating who their parents are - we only had the passports, but passports don´t tell who their parents are so we were questioned a bit on that one.

arctos

Last Summer I crossed into Canada on a day ride from Eastport in the Idaho Panhandle. What a pain in the posterior to merely enter Canada.

After explaining to the first agent my wish to ride for several hours on my bike into BC and return I was directed inside for a further grilling about why I wanted to do this. Enjoying a bike ride was not an acceptable reason. Was I a courier for drugs, money or other contraband? I was photographed, as was my passport and my bicycle inspected- a track bike with a 2 speed coaster brake rear hub with one water bottle cage and nothing else! [Keep in mind that I am a retired, grey haired Caucasian, Norwegian-American Clydesdale in shorts and a t-shirt with windbreaker.]

At that point I started laughing at these rent-a-cops and asked for a supervisor who repeated the party line as previously repeated by the two previous grand inquisitors. There had to be an ulterior motive on my part other than riding a bicycle.

After working in law enforcement for over thirty years I have some idea about professional conduct something lacking this day. Reluctantly after searching desperately to find a non-existent criminal record I was allowed to proceed against their better paranoid judgement.

Until this regime of fear emerged following 9/11, I had crossed and returned over various Western Canadian crossing points over thirty times without incident since the 1970's for bike and kayak touring trips. Since 9/11 I have had three absurd bizzarro world experiences going into Canada. My patience and tolerance for these attitudes is wearing thin. I will be spending my recreation funds elsewhere in the immediate future.

In contrast to the Canadian side when i returned the US Border person looked at my passport and asked if I had a good ride. I said that the ride was fine just getting permission to do the ride was the hard part.

Machka 

It depends a lot on the border crossing itself. I've had better experiences with larger & busier crossings than the little remote ones out in the middle of nowhere. It's almost like the people in the remote ones have been demoted to them, and are bored and angry.

mev

Me too. I haven't ever had big issues crossing between US/Canada though:
- passports are required
- entering Canada seems to give special attention to weapons
and child abductions
- entering US was more likely to have a cursory check of my bags
The smaller crossings seem to want to check things a little more carefully than the larger ones. A crossing north of Haines, AK kept giving me mixed messages about bear spray [i.e. it was a weapon so it wasn't allowed - though they thought I was a fool for not having any with me]. However, most all of the border agents see me with my touring rig and gear and for whatever reason believe me about cycling across and doing a tour so it isn't a big deal.

I did have one US/Canada crossing incident that happened prior to 9/11. This was a year that I was cycling the Atlantic Coast a segment at a time. Over Labor Day weekend I decided to ride a segment between Yarmouth NS to Halifax, NS. I was living in Boston and drove up to Portland, ME to take an overnight ferry to Yarmouth. No problems entering Canada along with the other ferry traffic. I had chosen to leave my passport at home given this was an overland crossing. Once I reached Halifax, I found the airport for the flight back to Portland via Boston. What I had overlooked was that entry by airline flight went through a standard international arrivals hall at Boston Logan airport. Other than my flight ticket they had no other way of knowing that I had come from Canada vs. some other country. A passport was definitely required and mine was left at home. Fortunately, I was able to explain the situation and answer their questions (e.g. where did you go to high school) and show local ID like a MA driver's license. After a short delay they did let me back in the US.

jabantik00

i know eh. i crossed at the glacier/waterton port (forget the name) in 2006 eh. they stopped me and asked me a bunch of stuff about my itinerary and my ability to support myself eh. like i was some hoser who was going to canada to take advantage of some generous welfare system eh. take off, you hoseheads.
go get a glazed and a jelly at timmy's eh.

Machka 

If you talked like that, no wonder you had problems!!

jabantik00

beauty eh. i was in canada for only a few weeks, but i learned to speak canadian pretty fast eh. at least i never said, 'aboot.'

Machka 

So ... why don't you try to speak some Canadian for us then? I don't know what language you're speaking there. Is that some sort of US dialect you're trying to convey?



(Here's a hint ... watch just about any US movie or TV show where there are English-speaking actors, and you'll have the Canadian dialect ... like say ... Law & Order)

ljg

The funny thing is that border issues tend to be one sided. I'm Canadian and I often get harrassed going into the USA (Bag searches, not beleiving that I'm going to visit/tour, having to provide lots of proof), but my re-entry into Canada is never more than 2 minutes and a hearty "Welcome home".

From the posts here it sounds like this is the experience Americans have had going to Canada (Hard time to get in, but going back home to USA is easy)

I can only conclude that you should have your documents in order and be patient with the border officials whose job it is to be suspicious and not believe you (which is a pain, no matter which way you are trying to cross)

Best of luck and enjoy the riding.

rodar y rodar

Borders suck!
I had problems the one time I tried to cross into Canada, my Canadian (cousins-in-law?) friends frequently have problems getting into the US, my Mexican wife and her parents have had terrible incedents crossing from Mexico to the US but my inlaws roll merrily through into Canada twice a year. Go figure. If the "other side" is where you want to ride, have everything in order as much as possible, definitely carry a valid passport, grit your teeth and go for it. Also, take note that Canada won`t let you in if you have a DUI on your record no matter how old it is. Just thought that was worth mentioning since a lot of folks don`t know until they get a surprise at the border.

Doug64

Several multi-week tours (all involved border crossings) in last 7-8 years, with the most recent last summer. Never had a problem on my bike. I did have a bit of an issue when I went up to Vancouver Island for a conference (in my truck), and told the customs folks that I was getting paid for it. Not a big deal. I have found the officials on both side to be courteous, friendly, professional and helpful (it sort of sounds like the boy scout oath). On real hectic days, even the best can have a bad day!

nancy sv

I guess there's a first time for everything! I just flew into Miami today - and didn't think the official was going to let me into my own country! I arrived with just a small drybag of stuff and was wearing my cycling clothes - that's all I have anyway. He just couldn't seem to understand why I was there - so I explained about our trip from Alaska to Argentina and I just came back to pick up a bike part - thinking that would explain it. So then he goes on about how I must have a lot of free time and such!! IN the end, he let me go - but I wasn't sure what he was on about.

I suppose it all depends on so many things, there's no predicting what might happen.

Machka 

Exactly!!!

You just never know. If you're going to cross a border make sure you've got all your paperwork in order, and that you're ready for anything. And I allow at least a couple hours to make the crossing, just in case things don't go as planned.

Big Lew

As a Canadian, I've crossed back and forth many, many times into Washington using several of the crossings. The one and only problem I had has returning from a 3 week cycling tour from Vancouver to San Fransisco with our bikes in a US rented car at 10:30 at night.(wasn't allowed at the time) The Canadian guard listened to our plight and issues a temperory permit so that we could return home long enough to drop our gear and then return the car to Bellingham the next day. He was very pleasant and understanding. The key is to have all your papers, receipts, and passport, ready, and in order.

skookum

It seems that if one side tightens up border security the other side reciprocates. It used to be pretty easy to go across but it is getting harder all the time.

A friend was crossing to the US from Canada by bicycle at a small crossing on the BC/Washington border and it was raining. They made him empty out his panniers, and lay his clothes out on the wet pavement, while he stood in the rain and the border officer stood under a roof.

Have the proper documents, be polite and patient and tell them what they want to hear, no more no less.

paxtonm

I just don't understand. Isn't Canada the 51st state? I mean they almost speak the same language and everything...

paul2

That's been my experience as well. And this goes back well before 9/11. When I spent a year traveling, the only country where I was hassled by customs was the US.

Boudicca

I've done a fair bit of crossing in both directions, and it's always a cr__shoot, both in terms of the time it takes and in terms of what they ask. I'm a Brit, so the Americans take my picture each time, and anywhere between 2 and 10 fingerprints, but the odd questions come both ways.

Best was driving across the border with two bikes on the back of the car. First question from the supremely intelligent US border guard was "What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?"

"Um -- a bike vacation?"

rotharpunc

The problem usually seems to be with the U.S. I've traveled all over(though not by bike-yet) and getting in and out of this country were the only times I have ever had issues. Crossing borders when the U.S. isn't involved are no problem. Traveling in South America, I don't recall ever even being asked for ID at most crossings. Many of them were not even manned.

axolotl

When I arrived by bike in both Chile and Argentina, my passport was stamped and it was written "Ingresa con bicicleta" next to the passport stamp. When I left Argentina by land back into Chile, the Argentine border guard came outside of the building with me to verify that I was departing with a bike. When I was leaving Chile by airplane, the Chilean official at passport control (which you go through after you check in with the airline) demanded to know where my bike was. I told her it was with suitcases on the airplane. I showed her a receipt I had for the bike box I purchased from the airline. That didn't satisfy her. She called her supervisor, my passport was confiscated, and I was taken back to the airline counter. Fortunately, the agent who checked me in was still there and she verified what I had said while rolling her eyes at the absurdity of the situation. I nearly missed my flight.

Years ago (well before 2001) I was biking with some friends from Quebec to Vermont. When we reached the US border post, there was nobody there! We yelled out "is anybody here?". Nobody responded. We waited around for a while and ultimately just continued on our bikes into Vermont.

Once crossing from Washington to BC in a van with 3 strangers (a ride share arrangement), the Canadian officials decided to interrogate me. I was taken to a small room and asked lots of questions very politely, but for a very long time. I was the only person in the van who didn't have anything to hide, but they never asked me about the other passengers. One of the other passengers was living illegally in Canada, for example. Finally, they let me rejoin the others, who were sweating bullets, and we continued on to Vancouver.

Another time arriving with bikes on the ferry from Victoria, BC to Port Angeles, Washington, I was with a european friend who didn't speak much english. Although we were standing there with our bikes & panniers, the US immigration official rather strangely told me to make sure my friend understood that it was illegal for him to hitchhike in the US. First of all, there is no such federal law that I'm aware of. Secondly, we were obviously traveling by bicycle.

Yet another time, I was in northern Vermont with a car and decided to have dinner in a wonderful Quebec restaurant I had eaten in a couple of years earlier while on my bike. The restaurant was only a few miles from the border. The Canadian border official found it very strange that I wanted to cross into Canada just to have dinner. He asked me lots of questions and wanted to see all of the paperwork for the vehicle before he let me enter Canada.

Once I was flying from the US to Europe via Toronto. At that time, there was no transit lounge at Pearson Airport (I don't know if that has since changed). Anyway, I had a long layover in Toronto. My passport was stamped upon arrival in Canada and "transit passenger" was hand-written. Then I found myself in the public area of the airport, free to go wherever I wanted. So I phoned a friend of mine who lived near the airport, he came and picked me up and we had a beer or two back at his place before he drove me back to the airport for my connecting flight.

The majority of times, however, I've had no problem entering Canada or returning to the US. If you want to make a western Canadian border official uncomfortable (probably not a good idea), address the official in French.