Canada

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by dcphil_98

I agree with Gary. Going through the border has been a big hassle. Yes, we are from Texas and get a complete search every time--some times over two hours delay. We avoid Canad as much as possible but it is little hard to get to Alaska or the Maritimes without going through Canada.

Am I missing something? Last time I checked, the Martimes were still part of Canada.

[Ann n Gene]

We are from Oklahoma and have had great experiences going into Canada and coming back. They seem a little more serious and stern on the U.S. Side and yes we have had them come in the coach ( 3 one time and they took an orange from us) to search but we're professional and quick. We just returned from our latest visit to Canada last week and had a great time, very short stop both ways this time. Over the years we have decided to use the busier crossings as they seem to randomly check fewer vehicles. Just always be very truthful, polite and promptly answer all questions. Know your tag numbers before you get there and do not make jokes or ask questions. These border guards are very serious about protecting the public and are trained to find the bad guys. They do a very hard job and almost always do it well and efficiently. All JMHO


2016 Cornerstone 45B on order
Formerly 2011 & 2013 Anthems
2014 Lincoln MKT towed

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by Ann n Gene

Know your tag numbers before you get there and do not make jokes or ask questions. These border guards are very serious about protecting the public and are trained to find the bad guys. They do a very hard job and almost always do it well and efficiently. All JMHO


2016 Cornerstone 45B on order
Formerly 2011 & 2013 Anthems
2014 Lincoln MKT towed

Funny you mentioned knowing your tag number. It's true, they ask you for it as they are sitting their looking at a monitor from their camera with your tag shown. I guess bad guys don't know their tag numbers I'm sure it's a method of profiling. It would be pretty intriguing to really know all the things they know about you when you pull up.

[sirpurrcival]

Most posters have the bases covered here. As for stripping your coach bare of all possible contraband items before crossing the border. Generally that is unnecessary. In most cases, spirits that are clearly intended for personal consumption are generally left alone even if they don't quite fit the limits. Having 20 bottles of scotch for personal consumption for a 2 week trip however is going to invite trouble. Most of the time, the items that get people into trouble for are those where people are frankly trying to be thrifty. There is very little that can't be had in Canada which includes most food items, smokes and spirits. It may cost a little more but trying to push the envelope at customs to save $50.00 in groceries is just plain silly. Use the eggs, eat the fruit and buy some more when you cross the border. As for the liquor, same issue, keep some reasonable amounts on board but just hold your nose a bit at the price of that bottle of Jack and buy yourself one if you find yourself running low on this side of the line rather than trying to sneak in that extra bottle or two because it is less expensive down south.
The biggest stumbling block is the firearms/personal security type stuff. That one is a non starter. It is either onside (legal) or not. There is no middle ground on that or room for negotiation. I can see how dealing with that can be problem for those who carry but the solutions are there for the exercising. It just comes down on how willing you are to leave em at home. And sadly, those that come from regions that are better known for gun ownership are likely to get extra scrutiny. Sometimes there are unintended effects from being loud and proud about such things.

[Bigcheebs]

We just recently crossed the border into Canada on our way to the Okanogan Valley. 3x all the comments on firearms. I was very careful to leave mine with friends in the states. However, the Canadian customs agents found an empty gun case and a cleaning kit for my pistol. They're very polite but insisted on a more extensive search because of these two items. I gave them the phone numbers of my friends that were holding my guns, but they searched for 45 minutes before they were able to reach my friends for confirmation. DON'T bring anything associated with firearms is my recommendation.

[hikndog]

What about toad restrictions/requirements?

[OWV]

Now that we have been in and out of Canada we thought we would post an update with our experiences. First, thank you to everyone who contributed their advice. It was very helpful. We crossed the border at Calais, ME. Going into Canada was an absolute breeze. We pulled up to the agent and handed her our passports and the dogs shot records. She asked us what the license plate was on the coach; not sure if she did that to test us or because the toad was blocking it. She asked where we were going and how long we would be staying and then asked if we had any guns or knives. There may have been one or 2 other questions, but we were on our way in what seemed like only a couple of minutes. The agent did want both of us to answer the questions. Returning to the states was a different experience. The agent asked the obvious questions, how long had we been gone, where did we travel to, and if we had purchased anything of significant value. Then the agent asked if we had any fruits, vegetables or plants on-board. The operative word was any. We made the mistake of answering the question did we buy any fruits and vegetables in Canada that we were bringing back to the states. After we answered, the agent said, "I don't believe you and said he was coming aboard to check". He confiscated lemons, even though we had purchased them in the states, tomatoes and an avocado, which we had also purchased in the states. According to the agent it didn't matter that we had purchased these items in the states; once they cross into Canada they are assumed to be from Canada when you return to the states. I really think that what the agent wanted was to come aboard and look around. He even said he wanted to look in the back to make sure we were not smuggling a person into the states. The price, I guess, for having such a nice coach. Where as Canadian customs took all of just a couple of minutes, US customs took us almost 15 minutes. BTW, the US agent asked us to turn off the engine while he was talking to us.

Regards,

[derba]

I am a dual citizen that lives in the States and travels to Canada often. There is no big deal at all. Passport in hand and answer questions directly, truthfully and without hesitation. If you want an easy crossing, have no guns.

Otherwise, meats and fruits in general are no nos... leftovers from BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and fruits has always been the case when traveling internationally. That's anywhere on the planet. Canada is no special case here.

Knowing your license plate number is good, but I forget it half the time.

Typically, I spend about 3 minutes at the actual window.

That's whether I am solo, or have seven passengers and a dog.

It's not a big deal.

As was written, the US Crossing (return to the US) is where most of the attitude and possible edginess is experienced. But even with that being said, out of maybe 1000 crossings, I've had maybe 10 unpleasant crossings. And with all of those, maybe got checked out in secondary screening twice. Once was purely out of the crappy attitude and unclear questions from the agent who didn't like my attitude... questions like : 'where are you from?' What does that mean!? Where am I from this morning, where am I from during this trip, where am I from, as in, living for the last 10 years, or when was I born? Both inspections over my lifetime were on the US side.

Smile, be normal and know your alcohol and tabacco limits and stay within them and you're good.

[Ann n Gene]

I agree that the U.S. Side is tougher and some of them work with a chip on their shoulder and show some attitude. Not sure why government employees can not do their job without attitude but some have problems. That being said they are definitely in the minority and we usually breeze right through. Even the bad attitude ones will get you on out fairly quickly if you just stay cool answer questions and do not mirror their attitude, so no big deal, take it in stride and move on. Just my experience and JMHO 🚌😎


2016 Cornerstone 45B on order
Formerly 2011 & 2013 Anthems
2014 Lincoln MKT towed