If you’re planning a road trip to the USA, getting delayed or even denied entry at the Canada-US border can put a real damper on your experience. Here are five tips for a safe, hassle-free border crossing.
- Make sure you have the right travel documents to enter the USA. That means all travelers must have a valid passport, even children. If you have a NEXUS card it makes the wait at the border even shorter.
- Plan ahead, and that means consider crossing at the least busy point of entry in your area. Also, the time you arrive at the border can have a big impact on your wait time. Avoid crossing at peak times including weekends and evenings.
- For continuous updates on border crossings, consider using the Government of Canada Travel Smart app. https://travel.gc.ca/mobile.
- Plan on taking your pet along for the trip? Remember they must be at least 3 months of age or older with a valid signed and dated certificate from a veterinarian verifying vaccinations against rabies.
- When coming back home to Canada, make sure you declare all your purchases and have the receipts available. After being away for 24 hours, you can bring back tax and duty free goods valued at CAN$200. After 48 hours, you can bring back CAN$800 worth of goods.