Canadian Border

Just a footnote on the carrying birth certificate topic :

Other than children under 16 years of age that are US or Canada citizens, possessing a birth certificate with the required sufficient document for an adult is really unnecessary for the fact of the matter is the required sufficient document in possession already determines both the satisfied "proof of citizenship" and "proof of identity".

Furthermore, when reading to see if any new changes in the WHTI have developed a few weeks ago, the one big recent change I noticed now was adult citizens of Canada are now required to carry a passport or equivalent document to enter the US, as before that mandate, only a adult citizen of Canada could enter the United States without possessing a passport or equivalent but still had to show proof of citizenship (birth certificate) and proof of identity (typical ID).

Only one time I carried my birth certificate to enter Canada (in 2006), as it was mandated in that era to provide proof of citizenship and proof of identity as they were calling for the 2008 deadline for land and sea crossings to obtain the now passport or equivalent documents to enter the US, however the US officials extended those requirements for June 1, 2009.

I usually travel highway 97, that's Oroville / Osoyoos ( US / CA ) going south, usually Hi, why ya going, how long? over 10 grand? have a good day.

coming back home ( north ) I am often asked about gun/ammo purchases, fruits, vegetables, meats and Milk and Dairy products, do a lot of shopping just across the line, never had a problem with US cheese, but I also don't bring 10 packs at a time over same with butter, however I have been sitting in line and watched them haul gallon milk jugs ( and quarts) out of cars and RV's back to back.

it also seems to depend on who is on gate duty,once in line at the crossing, DONT change lanes, I watched one guy wave 20 cars thrue, the other lane full search open doors, full interview, watched a guy leave the lane and move to the fast moving one, and into Inspections he went.

as others have said, take off your hat, sunglasses answer questions with basic yes no direct answers, passports ready to hand over, then keep hands where they can see them, be yourself and usually no problems.

v10superduty wrote:

super_camper wrote:



Lastly, while crossing at Queenston we were pulled aside and had our hitch system inspected (as did many others towing). This took about 30 minutes in total to wait and have the 1 minute inspection done. We were told several fatal accidents in NYS prompted the inspection.

super camper...
was this search going south or back into Canada?
Did they have highway transport types doing check or were the border agents doing their own inspection?
NEVER heard of this before, when did this happen?
I am not personally worried about it, just real curious.

The inspection was done while entering the US from Canada, I don't recall what year but it was definitely prior to 2007 when we got our MH. We went through the usual stuff with the border agent and at the end he asked us to pull to the side behind some other vehicles. We waited in line for a while before someone came up and inspected our setup, we were in a minivan towing a popup at the time.

The guy was wearing a uniform but I have no idea what agency he represented. He didn't ask any questions about weight or anything like that, he asked me to turn on the 4-way flashers, did a walk-around, checked out the hitch and sent us on our way.

We got through the online application process. It is a laundry list of attachments that are required, scans, pictures, and on and on. We received an email that the application was approved and now we had to send the passport via courier to the Embassy in Mexico City for final approval and visa application to the passport. Included was a pre-paid return waybill. We are hoping 10 working days. I will say, that although a hairy process, they are prompt on sending updates to your email box.

Still a little concerned about crossing with our Mexican plated vehicles as I am sure we might stand out, maybe not and there is nothing that we do that would put us at risk either.

We are making a list of on board food products, but we are leaving behind meats, veggies, fruits, etc. leaving the refrigerator bare but for condiments.

We are really looking forward to know your great country of Canada as all Canadian rvers in Mexico have been great people to meet. I will update once we get the passport back with the visa.

This has been a good thread and we are glad to know most incidents are minor and people are waved through with a smile.

dieharder wrote:
To do that kind of inspection ,they would have had to have some kind of specialist come in. It's hard to believe that a border officer would have the training to know how to properly inspect a towing system.

Would they call in the rv.net weight police?

I think you will find that the border folks are trained to look for something that looks UNSAFE and then they will call the locals to do the enforcement end of the issue. UNSAFE meaning, oblivious overloading issues, parts unhooked or flopping, squat or bald tires, or other items that visual inspection might pick up on.

Lakeside

To do that kind of inspection ,they would have had to have some kind of specialist come in. It's hard to believe that a border officer would have the training to know how to properly inspect a towing system.

v10superduty wrote:

super_camper wrote:



Lastly, while crossing at Queenston we were pulled aside and had our hitch system inspected (as did many others towing). This took about 30 minutes in total to wait and have the 1 minute inspection done. We were told several fatal accidents in NYS prompted the inspection.

super camper...
was this search going south or back into Canada?
Did they have highway transport types doing check or were the border agents doing their own inspection?
NEVER heard of this before, when did this happen?
I am not personally worried about it, just real curious.

I also would be interested in who did the inspection. We essentially live on both sides of the border from early May through October and have done so for many years. We cross sometimes 2-3 times per week and I have towed both trailers (rv's & race hauler) and with our coach; I have never seen the border agents on either side do any checks on equipment. Apart from one major accident involving a transport semi at a state police highway blockade many years ago, I haven't heard of any fatal accidents in our up-state NY region involving trailers or motorhomes.

I know for a fact that the agents on the Canadian side do not perform roadworthy checks of any kind as they are federal employees and transportation safety is provincially regulated.

super_camper wrote:



Lastly, while crossing at Queenston we were pulled aside and had our hitch system inspected (as did many others towing). This took about 30 minutes in total to wait and have the 1 minute inspection done. We were told several fatal accidents in NYS prompted the inspection.

super camper...
was this search going south or back into Canada?
Did they have highway transport types doing check or were the border agents doing their own inspection?
NEVER heard of this before, when did this happen?
I am not personally worried about it, just real curious.

Sue Jolly wrote:
We are planning a trip to Alaska in our 40-foot RV, with a tow vehicle, driving from Washington through Canada. What can we expect at the Canadian border? Is it a hassle to cross? Would like to hear other's experiences, good and bad, to assist us with our trip. And any tips others found helpful.

Thank you

Sue

Lots of answers to this question but beyond the common sense responses many of the specifics are somewhat dated. In addition to everything offered so far I would recommend that you make yourself aware of what's going on before crossing. This means read the news and hit the respective government sites before crossing.

Here are 3 examples we have personally run into over many years and many many crossings.

While crossing at Windsor we were asked about beef following a mad cow issue in Alberta and responded by saying we had none, only packaged meat and no beef. Later he asked if we had hot dogs and we said yes. We handed them over and it turns out they contained some beef, this resulted in them boarding and inspecting further. They ended up taking our hot dogs and a lot of our time.

We now cross with NO fruit or veggies as a result of this trip. At one Windsor crossing we were quizzed thoroughly about fruit and its origin (we had a list of everything). Our list included 2 nectarines from Chile, just having this fruit on-board resulted in an agriculture search of the RV while we were taken inside their facility and interviewed. No big deal but took an additional 2+ hours.

Lastly, while crossing at Queenston we were pulled aside and had our hitch system inspected (as did many others towing). This took about 30 minutes in total to wait and have the 1 minute inspection done. We were told several fatal accidents in NYS prompted the inspection.