Tips for crossing the line
An update on passport regulations and some hints on duty-free shopping
Passport please: As of June 1, passports are needed to enter the U.S. by land, sea or air.-photo illustration by Kris Lindblad
By now, Canadians are used to showing their passport when they travel by air, including into the United States. As of June 1 of this year, passports will also be mandatory when entering the U.S. by land or by sea. And because the June 1 deadline coincides with the start of the summer holiday season, travellers are advised to allow sufficient time to process their passport applications.
“Back in 2007, when travellers began needing a passport to fly into the U.S., the long and lengthy lineups made front page news,” said BCAA Travel director Dale Urquhart. “We are reminding customers that it takes time to locate or obtain the necessary documentation to apply for a passport.”
According to Passport Canada, passport applications take two weeks if processed in person or four weeks if processed by mail, not including mailing time. More information on obtaining a passport can be found at www.pptc.gc.ca.
The new requirement to present a passport to U.S. Customs border agents is the second and final stage of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the U.S. plan aimed at tightening border security. Until now, Canadians have only needed a driver’s licence and proof of citizenship to enter or re-enter the United States by land and sea.
Other WHTI-compliant documents for entering the U.S. by land after June 1 include the NEXUS card, FAST card or an Enhanced Driver’s Licence (EDL) or Enhanced Identification Card (EIC) from a province or territory where a U.S.-approved EDL/EIC program has been implemented. However, Canadians entering the U.S. by land but leaving by air must still have a passport.
Debra Kotulak, manager of the Tobacco Plains Duty Free Shop in Grasmere, British Columbia, also warned that some border crossings may not yet have the required equipment in place to read enhanced driver’s licences.
Kotulak further advised parents to be sure to have with them birth certificates for younger children that don’t have passports.
Duty-free shopping advice
As for cross-border shopping, Kotulak said the biggest thing she’d like to let Canadian travellers know is they can stop and shop in Canada (at a Canadian duty-free store), take their products into the U.S. and bring them back exempt of duty or tax provided they are in the U.S. for at least 48 hours.
“Canadians think they have to buy the stuff in the U.S., but that’s not so,” she said.
In dollar amounts, Kotulak said that allowable per-person exemptions for Canadians are as follows: $50 after 24 hours; $400 after 48 hours; $750 after seven days.
After 48 hours, a limited amount of duty-free alcohol and tobacco products may be brought back into Canada. For alcohol, only one of the following is allowed: 1.5 litres of wine; l.14 litres (40 ounces) of liquor; 24 cans or bottles (355 millilitres) of beer or ale. For tobacco, all of the following are allowed: 200 cigarettes; 50 cigars; 200 grams of tobacco; 200 tobacco sticks.