RV travel to Canada

explorenorth wrote:

garyhaupt wrote:
Believe me, people don't get hassled just because the agent is having a bad day.

Yeah, they do. You've just been lucky so far, Gary.

Okay...fair enough. Let me re-phrase...I have never been hassled because an agent had a bad day. I have had some pretty intense searches, too...and I have food taken..damned garlic and onions...but, it's just part of what happens.


Gary Haupt

garyhaupt wrote:
Believe me, people don't get hassled just because the agent is having a bad day.

Yeah, they do. You've just been lucky so far, Gary.

Crossing should not be looked at as a hassle - these folks have a job to do - they aren't the ones that make the rules - the rules are there for a reason - they just enforce them.

You can expect them to be interested in passports, residency, place of birth, alcohol volumes, tobacco volumes, perishable foods, pet vaccinations, firearms, where you are going and how long you will be in the country. You may also be asked about crossing with firewood and live bait (both a no-go).

Presuming you have your stuff in order and are not trying to hide anything then most crossings will be uneventful - any "search" (last one years ago) we've gone through has been polite and mostly just a walk through - it's true that you may run into the occasional agent who seems a little overzealous - there is nothing you can do to prepare for that except bite your tongue and stay polite.


Jay

Always amazes me that we feel so inconvenienced by entering a foreign country and having to comply with the laws. The surprising thing is most of us also have strong opinions on allowing bad foreigners in to our countries that erode and conflict with our free lifestyle. How do you expect to accomplish both without borders and people to patrol them. Most people unless they have the right accreditation are by law non-resident aliens which means you have limited if any rights and are a guest in the country. Yet everyday at most borders and customs check points they find illegal activities. Suck it up, be polite and like others said know before you go. I will take a land border inspection any day over an airport where they are a lot more intrusive and irritating.

We have crossed the border a number of times and have never been searched. Just asked the usual questions and told to go on. We have never had anything taken from us either such as fruit or meat. I wouldn't worry about it. Just be polite and answer their questions honestly.

Depending on where you cross and when, I'd be worried about the time spent in line. Allow some time for it, it it's quick, pull over and take a nap. Still shouldn't take over 30 minutes.

Bill

40 years of crossing, probably 15 times in the RV's. One time the inspector came on board. Looked in the fridge. "Have a nice day". Sometimes they act gruff -- so what, they're doing their job.

It's just not worth worrying about.

This border crossing stuff gets people so tangled and worried. Of the hundreds of thousands of crossing every month, few have issues and most of those are because they contravened a Canadian or American law. Believe me, people don't get hassled just because the agent is having a bad day. There was a reason. Now, it is entirely possible that in fact, nothing is wrong, and it doesn't take long to get cleared.

Do your homework, call the border services of the country you are going into and ask questions. If you are going to carry a weapon, call and ask if what you carry is permitted. If you have a criminal record, call and see if you are good to enter or not. Foods and booze are always issues for people. Go to websites and "go learn". And...don't rely on anecdotal information from anyone. Ask the right people.


Gary Haupt

Harvard's advice is good, but what it amounts to is be polite and attentive. Living near the border, we cross frequently, sometimes just to go to the US for dinner, or a bit of shopping. Nine times out of 10: you hand them your passports, they ask Citizenship?, where you heading?, pass back your passports, have a nice day. I have found it is more common for additional questions going into the US: usually a few additional questions like, are you carrying any food, what do you do for a living, when was the last time you crossed, who is the owner of the car, how long will you be in the US, are you going to be doing any work into the US, have you ever been arrested etc. In the last 5 years we have crossed hundreds of times and (knock on wood) only been to secondary inspection once after a big shopping spree to pay duty on the Canadian side, and once for the car to be x-rayed on the US side.

Amazing the hassles of crossing the border legally.