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| April 2005 |
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Border Problems
Richard, Thought I'd pass on a note about going thru customs. Steve Dauzenroth I had an unpleasant surprise this weekend, 21-23 Jan. I had taken the boat to Victoria and returned on late Sunday evening. I tried calling 800 562-5943, only to find that this service is discontinued. The message told me that I had to remain on board until 0800 on Monday and call the local office. Bat Guano! I called the regular number for Blaine, where the 800 number was based. They would not let me clear there, since I was not landing there. Blaine told me the 800 number was still good. The guide (not Waggoner) that I have on board has a bad number for Seattle Customs. I called the Coast Guard on VHF and got another number, at which a live person gave me the main Seattle number, which was closed outside of working hours. When we arrived at the dock at Shilshole, one of my crew retrieved a white pages phone book from his car. (There are none available at any of the pay phones). After a couple of unanswered calls, I got passenger services at SeaTac. This person knew that the 800 number was dead, asked me for my PIN number, crew names and DOB, and cleared me in. I asked for, but did not get a clearance number. This morning, 24 Jan, I called the main number at Customs and was referred to another number, supposedly in charge of small boat entry, who know nothing about cancelling the 800 number. They then transferred me to another number, who also knew nothing but did check and to their great surprise, confirmed that the 800 service is dead. They did say that the number I finally cleared through, 206-553-7960, is a good number, has the data base for private boats, and is open 24/7. But this number is good for the Seattle area only!! I asked about entering in Port Townsend, which does not have a 24 hour entry, and was told that Port Angeles was covering for Port Townsend. I was given the number for Port Angeles, which is the same as in Waggoner. Port Angeles told me that they do not cover Port Townsend, and further that Pt. Angeles is only staffed until 4 PM on weekends until May, when the hours are extended. I called Pt. Townsend and got a recorded message from the Customs agent which referred me to the 800 number. The agent did provide a home phone number. None of the Customs people I dealt with has been difficult to deal with, merely uninformed, which make the system look a bit stupid. I would hope that better people in Homeland Security deal with the terrorist threat, but I doubt it. I called Stacia Green at Waggoner. She was completely unaware of the situation. Their 2005 guide has the 800 number, as well as the working hour only number for Seattle. The other numbers in Waggoner are probably correct. The Blaine number, as above, answered and would have checked me in if I was landing at Blaine, but not at any other port. Waggoner has some connections at Blaine and promised that they will dig into this. They are rather less than amused, since they have all these brand new books out with bad info. I have not seen any mention of the change in 48 N, Nor'westing or Northwest Yachting. Given the lack of dissemination within Customs, I am not surprised the user public has not heard, either. Canada is still good, apparently. We landed about 6 PM on Friday and were cleared quickly and pleasantly. Too bad we can't contract them to do the job. Regards, Steve Hulsizer We received this bulletin from David Kutz of the Recreational Boaters Association of Washington (www.rbaw.org) regarding the latest they've heard from Customs. It features an article from Bob Hale, publisher of the Waggoner Cruising Guide, who presents information he received from a meeting with a Custom official in Bellingham. Dramatic Changes Coming for U.S. Customs Small Boat Reporting On March 8, 2005 RBAW held it's annual meeting in Bellingham with the Council of B.C. Yacht Clubs. At this meeting we had the opportunity of hearing first hand from an official from the U.S. Customs Small Boat Report Reporting Office. He apologized for the bad news as he announced DRAMATIC changes are forthcoming for boaters entering the USA. In the past we have had the privilege of using a very convenient regional P.I.N. number system that lets boaters clear by telephone. Up until now, post 9/11 security efforts had put boaters on a lower priority scale. This is changing! U.S. Customs in Washington D.C. has decided they need to step up its enforcement of small boat reporting and soon will be requiring advance passenger information" (i.e. pre-clearance authorization). Below is an article written by RBAW member Bob Hale and publisher of the popular Waggoner Cruising Guide. They have given us permission to share their interpretation of the upcoming procedures. We agree with Bob on the points he makes. The below article is from his excellent website: http://www.waggonerguide.com U.S. Customs Updates: The Latest Information to Help Speed your Trip Upcoming 2005/2006 U.S. Customs/Immigration Procedures by Bob Hale March 8, 2005. Last Saturday I attended a meeting at which a U.S. Customs agent from the small boat reporting office in Bellingham explained changes that will occur sometime between now and 2006. Basically, we boaters who cross the border from Canada to the U.S. will be required to have completed either I-68 or Nexus pre-clearance, or we will have to clear customs in person at a designated port of entry. Those requirements aren't in force yet, but they are coming. For I-68 pre-clearance, we will have to visit a U.S. immigration office, complete paperwork, provide passport-style photos, and pay an annual fee. For Nexus pre-clearance we will have to submit an application in advance, then schedule an appointment at the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine for an interview. In other words, the PIN system that has worked so well will recognize only those with pre-clearance. According to the customs agent, we can expect the change to be effective by January, 2006 at the latest, and possibly sooner. Worst case. Let me start with what I think is the worst-case scenario. If we don't have either I-68 or Nexus pre-clearance, you and I, no matter who we are or how many times we have entered the U.S. from Canada by boat, will be required -- I do mean, required -- to clear U.S. customs, in person. This can be done at Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor (if Roche Harbor is open) in the San Juan Islands, or at one of the other ports of entry in the Northwest. No whining, no excuses. Either we clear in person, or we get a $5000 fine for not reporting in properly -- period. Only Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor have designated customs docks for small craft. The other ports of entry will have to be contacted in advance to arrange for a customs agent to meet you at a dock of their choosing, at a time of their choosing. That's the worst case, and it's a whole lot less convenient than the PIN system now in place. Actually, clearing at Friday Harbor (possibly at Roche Harbor) doesn't sound so bad, except on a busy summer day with boats stacked up waiting to clear, and the officer leaves at the end of his shift because overtime isn't authorized. We don't know what will happen then. ThatÔs the really worst case. Since we don't know when the new system will be put into place, when returning from Canada by boat, allow an extra day if necessary to clear U.S. customs. A whole day. I-68. The U.S. Immigration Service's dreaded I-68 pre-clearance form will be introduced in the Northwest. To get I-68 pre-clearance, each of us will have to visit a U.S. Immigration office, answer a lot of questions, give them two passport-style pictures, and pay an annual fee -- just to enter the U.S. from Canada by boat. This applies to our visiting Canadian friends and present, law-abiding U.S. citizens and residents. With I-68 pre-clearance, however, we will be able to clear by telephone. Nexus. An alternative to I-68 is a Nexus pre-clearance. Nexus requires a more rigorous background check, and an interview at the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine. As I understand it, we will need documentation of everything that has happened to us since birth, including birth certificate, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, re-marriage certificate -- you get the idea. We will be asked a bunch of questions, pay a fee, and wait for everything to be verified. Eventually, the Nexus card will be issued. At this moment, I am told the delay between application and issuance is four months. The advantages: As with I-68 pre-clearance, with Nexus we will be able to clear by phone. Nexus pre-clearance also allows us to use the Nexus lanes when we cross the border by car -- when the lanes are open. The disadvantage, for both Nexus and I-68: Even if both husband and wife have their cards, if a guest on board doesn't have Nexus or I-68 pre-clearance, the boat is treated as if nobody has pre-clearance, and will be required to report in for physical inspection. To begin the Nexus process, go to www.getnexus.com for the application. You still will have to be interviewed. What to do today. At this moment (March 8, 2005) and until further notice, the existing PIN system is still in force. If you are entering the U.S. from Canada, do as you did last year. According to the customs officer, however, the I-68/Nexus changes are coming, perhaps later in 2005 and for sure in 2006. The I-68/Nexus pre-clearance requirements would be in place now, except that it's a little late in the year to implement them and train personnel. Local immigration offices don't even have I-68 forms to fill out. How to clear by phone today. First, if you don't already have your PIN (Personal Identification Number), you must clear in person at a port of entry (probably Friday Harbor). That's how it's been all along. If you already have your PIN, before leaving Canada, call the U.S. Customs toll-free telephone 1-800-562-5943, and try to clear by telephone. Collect all your information prior to making that call. This includes boat name and registration number; Canada Customs clearance number; passport numbers for all persons on board; names, birthdates and addresses of all persons on board; vessel processing fee number (if your boat is 30 feet long or longer). Make the call from a land line or from a cell phone in a strong and stable signal area. Don't make the call when you're motoring along at cruise speed, because if for any reason you get cut off and have to call in again, they must start at the top of the list and ask all those questions a second time. Make sure all spellings are correct or at least consistent. Don't spell a name Ann one time, Anne a second time and Annie a third. Each spelling requires an entire new file, with all the attendant questions. Second, plan your entry to the U.S. to allow time to clear customs at Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor (if open), or one of the other ports of entry if you are required to do so. My view. If we are entering just once -- such as a charter -- plan to clear at Friday Harbor and be done with it. In fact, if we are entering just once or twice a year, we may prefer to enter at Friday Harbor and not go through the bother and expense of getting I-68 or Nexus pre-clearance. If we are going back and forth repeatedly, it will be worth the bother and expense to get pre-clearance. Once again I-68 raises it's ugly head, or as Bob says, The U.S. Immigration Service's dreaded I-68 pre-clearance form." We had a go-round with this thing a few years ago. It was announced that it was needed to cross the border and, good law-abiding boaters that we are -- we all tried to get one, or at least find out more about it. Trouble was when we talked with the local customs then, they hadn't heard about it and didn't have the forms. Many people kept on trying and finally got their forms, but most of us said the heck with it and just checked in through Customs as usual at the dock. The worst case scenario" is basically what we who haven't been clearing by phone have been doing all along. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It looks like a matter of frequency on whether it's worth it to you to get the I-68 or Nexus clearance.
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