If I choose to drive home, what can I expect at the border?

That is good question and no real set answer. Sometimes, there is no wait and other times, you can wait for hours – literally. It all depends on any number of criteria, including:

• The line up on the U.S. side.

• The line up on the Canadian side.

• Whether your paperwork is totally complete.

• How many Customs Agents are working.

• The mood of the Customs Agents.

• The time of day.

• The day of the week.

• Any other variable that may have some adverse affects, such as the weather, power outages, etc.

Be very cautious when coming through the border crossing. Unfortunately, most border crossings are not marked clearly for driving the vehicle from the U.S. side to the U.S. Customs Office. Many people miss this exit and end up going through the Canadian side, where they are verbally berated for trying to illegally export a vehicle from the U.S. and are forced to turn around and go back to have the U.S. paperwork completed. The only way back is to go through U.S. Customs, so you enter another line, only to wait until you talk to the U.S. Customs Officer, where you go through the same thing again, being verbally punished for failing to export a vehicle properly.

Then you park somewhere, go into the U.S. Customs Office with your paperwork. If everything was done properly ahead of time, then eventually, they will inspect your vehicle, rubber stamp the title and off you go, back into line to re-enter Canada. Usual time on the U.S. side will be between thirty minutes and three hours, depending on the number of people ahead of you.

When you arrive back on the Canadian side of customs, you will have to again present your Passport, etc. and declare all goods you are bringing into the country. If you have any liquor or tobacco products with you, declare all volumes totally accurately, because if you mess up, even by one bottle of beer, they can seize your vehicle. Do not carry any fruit or raw beef products back into Canada, because this may also be seized, depending on what the flavor of our governments is at the time, relating to “mad cow disease.” Make sure that you also keep and present all receipts for anything that you purchased while in the U.S.

Be very careful about taking valuable items such as jewellery, watches, furs, cameras, computers, etc. from Canada to the U.S. and back into Canada. If you cannot substantiate that you owned these items before leaving home, they may assume that you also purchased them in the U.S. and may confiscate them.

You may also find that your vehicle may be taken into an inspection station and searched by “narcotics-trained” dogs. If the agents have any additional suspicions, which may be accentuated by your age (younger is more difficult) or If you have long hair, tattoos, piercings, tattered clothing, etc., they may also dismantle parts of the vehicle to look for hidden items and then leave you to put the vehicle back together yourself. However, appearances are not all that Agents look for and become suspicious of. If you stammer or stutter, look nervous, sweat easy, if you don’t know answers to questions in an immediate and confident manner, if you appear stressed or tired, these are all contra-indicators that may affect an easy crossing of the border.