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CanPass... I-68...? We just want to go cruising. by Jo Bailey and Carl Nyberg |
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Well, times have changed and crossing the border is not quite as easy as it used to be, or is it? Whether going to Canada or returning, it's nothing that can't be managed, once you know the rules and regulations. However, just
finding that information poses the biggest problem. In looking into what it takes to cross between the U.S. and Canada, we learned more than we ever wanted to know about CANPASS and the U.S. Canadian Border Boat Landing Program (Form I-68), and much more, using websites, internet searches, cruising guides and finally telephone calls. We must say there is a charming and helpful Customs officer in Friday Harbor who was delighted when we called. "We want people to know what they need to know about Customs," he said, and gave us a lot of information. This is in contrast to one call to Customs in Seattle which netted only a gruff, "We don't do small boats here."
Our conclusion: U.S. Customs needs a good information line where recreational mariners can learn all that is necessary about Customs without having to spend several days trying to find answers. Entering Canada When entering Canada you must report to a designated reporting site. Call toll-free at 1-888-226-7277, or contact Customs by VHF radio and you'll be told where to report. Canadian Customs has now become Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. The first thing you need to prove is your citizenship. Birth certificates or passports are recommended for all family members, including children. When bringing in a child other than your own, it is necessary to have a notarized statement from the parent(s) authorizing you to take the child into Canada. Proof is necessary that the person signing the authorization has custody of the child. In the case of divorced parents, this could be in the form of a divorce decree granting custody. A passport is best, but in lieu of that a birth certificate and a photo id. such a driver's license may work. One Canadian Customs officer said, "without a passport you may have major problems." There is no fee for clearing Customs. Whether or not your boat is subject to inspection, you must have with you:
There are restrictions on what you can take into Canada. You can carry food enough for your planned stay in Canada, but no apples, potatoes, fresh corn and no pitted fruits, like apricots, peaches, plums, quince or nectarines. Dog and cat owners must have a certificate from a licensed veterinarian identifying the pet and certifying it's been vaccinated against rabies during the previous three (3) years. You can take in not more than 1.14 liters of hard liquor, or 1.5 liters of wine, or 24 12-ounce bottles of beer per person of legal drinking age, which is 19 years old in Canada. You can have not more than one carton of cigarettes and 2 cans of tobacco and 50 cigars per person 19 or older. For firearms restrictions call Canada Customs, 1-800-461-9999. How about a CANPASS permit? Is there an advantage to it? CANPASS permits were suspended following September 11, 2001, but were reinstated in April of this year. The permits have been extended six (6) months from the date of expiration on the permit. Cost of a CANPASS is $25, Canadian. A Canadian Customs officer told us, "We don't recommend CANPASS, there's no benefit to it, all boats must go to a 'designated' port-of-entry when entering Canada whether they have a CANPASS permit or not, and they will not be cleared by phone." While CANPASS permit holders are not completely "cleared" by phone as in recent years, having a CANPASS and notifying ahead of arrival will expedite clearance because the boater will already have security approval. To help CANPASS holders, in addition to the other designated ports-of-entry, five sites have been specially designated for CANPASS permit holders only, thus speeding the wait for check-in. The five sites are: Royal Victoria YC in Cadboro Bay, Royal Victoria YC in Tsehum Harbour, Horton Bay Public Float, Mayne Island, Miner's Bay Public Float, Mayne Island, and Townsite Marina in downtown Nanaimo. If you do have a CANPASS permit you must call 1-888-CANPASS up to four hours before arriving in Canada.  They will tell you your designated Port of Entry. You can not proceed to non-approved sites on the West Coast.
There are only three places where you must have a CANPASS permit to enter; Miners Bay and Horton Bay on Mayne Island and Townsite Marina in Nanaimo. No one seemed to know why you can't enter without the pass. Designated Reporting Sites for Clearing Customs in British Columbia are:
The following Customs offices at five previous ports of entry have been closed:
U.S. Customs First, we'll just go through clearing Customs as you return back to the states and then we'll tackle the confusing U.S. I-68 permit, called the "Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit." All private boats not using a PIN personal identification number) returning to the U.S. are required to clear at a port-of-entry, such as Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor in the San Juans, or Anacortes, Bellingham, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Point Roberts, Everett, Seattle and Tacoma. While officers go aboard "as many boats as possible," it's still possible to clear customs by phone if the boat has been inspected earlier and the skipper has a PIN (personal identification number). A PIN will be assigned to vessel operators on their first U.S. customs clearance. With a PIN you can report your arrival any time from one hour before leaving Canada to the time when you land in the U.S., or while underway by calling toll-free 1-800-562-5943 to clear by phone. The PIN telephone reporting system is in use 24 hours a day. The following information is required:
U.S. I-68 "Canadian Border Boat Landing Program" The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Form I-68 program allows certain applicants entering the U.S. by small pleasure boats to be inspected and issued a single boating permit for the entire boating season. This permit enables them to enter the U.S. from Canada for recreational purposes without the need to report to INS (U.S. Immigration Department) for further inspection. In other words, once you have an I-68 permit you can enter from time to time throughout the season without inspection. Handy if you're fishing or just like to cruise into B.C. more than once a year. U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and Canadian citizens or landed immigrants of Canada are eligible to apply for Form I-68. There is not a requirement that boaters obtain form I-68. The rules state that those who do not need an I-68 Boat Landing permit are those who enter the U.S. by reporting to a staffed Port-of-Entry each time they return. Conversely, those who need a valid permit are every boater who enters the U.S. without reporting directly to a staffed port-of-entry. I-68 costs $16 per person or $32 for a family, and each family member 14 years old or more must have a separate form. Photos similar to passport photos are required, as are fingerprints of the applicants. Although you can look at the multi-page forms on the internet you must pick them up at a U.S. port-of-entry, and fill them out in person in the customs office. Phil and Gwen Cole have clarified some of the confusion in their Northwest Boat Travel website (www.nwboat.com). "In an April 17, 2002 bulletin from the U.S. Immigration an Naturalization Service, it states "under the Form I-68 program, applicants for admission into the United States by small pleasure boats are inspected and issued a single boating permit for the entire boating season. This permit enables them to enter the United States from Canada for recreational purposes without the need to report to INS for further inspection. United States citizens or lawful permanent residents and Canadian citizens or landed immigrants of Canada ae eligible to apply for Form I-68. For those who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanet residents of the United States, Form I-68 authorizes admission within the immediate shore area of the U.S. for no more than 72 hours at a time." "This program has been in effect for several years. Again this year we were told by INS officials that the I-68 program is indeed in effect and that all boaters 14 years of age and older must have individual I-68 forms on board. These forms are obtained by appearing in person, along with appropriate papers, to an INS office. (In January 2002, a new form was published and applicants now must use this form and also supply personal photos and fingerprints.) By appearing in person, the initial qualification is met in regard to obtaining permission for re=entries Ôfrom time to time' without the need to check into the INS office each time. You are taking the gamble that if you don't have the forms and are boarded by the border patrol, you may be treated as an alien. The INS states that "Those 14 years of age and older, who plan to check in by using a PIN when re-entering the U.S. must each have a completed I-68 form on board. Those without I-68 Forms must check in at an INS staffed boater's port of entry. As of April 25, 2002, the only port where Customs Officers are cross designated as INS Officers is Friday Harbor. Thus I-68 forms are not necessary for those who check into Friday Harbor. "In reality, U.S. Customs agents are NOT cross-trained and empowered by INS to act as Immigration Officers, so that none of the boater's Ports-of-Entry require the form." They further state that the "unofficial word" from boaters and Immigration officials speaking "off the record" is that INS lacks the funding and manpower to enforce I-68 rules. The Coles write, "We cannot, in good conscience advise you to ignore these rules, but we also cannot fail to pass this information along. Our best suggestion, to be safe, is to either obtain valid, new (2002), I-68 forms or to enter the U.S. at a boater's Port-of-Entry that has Customs officers who are cross-trained and designated to act as Immigration officers." Also, be sure to have birth certificates or passports for everyone on board. One Customs officer we spoke to said, "I don't think I-68 is a concern." Another said she hadn't even heard of it. For more information on I-68 visit the Cole's website at www.nwboat.com, or the INS website. Other Useful Websites and Phone Numbers Recreational Boaters of Washington email: newsletter@rbaw.org U.S. Customs office in Friday Harbor: (360) 378-2080 U.S. Customs reporting number: 1-800-562-5943 INS website. Canadian Customs and CANPASS: 1-888-226-7277 or 1-888-CANPASS. (We want to thank Phil & Gwen Cole of Northwest Boat Travel and their website which was particularly helpful, as was RBAW, Recreational Boaters of Washington, plus various Customs officers on both sides of the border who assisted in getting us information.) |