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any one travel down to the states for a weekend

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  • 17-06-2014 11:07pm
    #1
    goingitalone
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭


    As the title jusy curious what's the process is going down to the states for a weekend etc is like . Time taking going across the boreder is and such ?


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    #2
    james182
    Registered Users Posts: 39 ✭james182


    Can take some time if there's traffic since people go across the border for cheap gas and groceries.


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    #3
    goingitalone
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭goingitalone


    james182 wrote: »
    Can take some time if there's traffic since people go across the border for cheap gas and groceries.

    nah i understand that . from what i read you pay 6 dollars or something at the boarder. done it yourself much james? id be planning to head for a couple of days so a bitta time at the waiting wouldnt bother me too much


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    #4
    circular flexing
    Registered Users Posts: 2,587 ✭✭✭circular flexing


    Not sure if the fee applies anymore (it did in 2010) but you do need an ESTA for land border crossings now.


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    #5
    goingitalone
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭goingitalone


    circular flexing wrote: »
    Not sure if the fee applies anymore (it did in 2010) but you do need an ESTA for land border crossings now.

    Everything I read said you don't need a esta for land crossings though it's only for flying or coming in by boat


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    #6
    circular flexing
    Registered Users Posts: 2,587 ✭✭✭circular flexing


    goingitalone wrote: »
    Everything I read said you don't need a esta for land crossings though it's only for flying or coming in by boat

    It's only a recent change I think...

    http://www.dhs.gov/crossing-us-borders#2

    EDIT: I was wrong

    https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1132/~/citizen-of-visa-waiver-country,-wants-to-drive-into-u.s.-from-canada-or-mexico,


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    #7
    CBCB2
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭CBCB2


    If you have an ESTA they won't take it off you for land crossings. Once you get to the border they'll ask you a few questions, where you're going? How long you're staying in the US? stuff like that.

    Then they take your passport and send it upstairs, once you've handed it to them in the booth you'll not see it again until you're interviewed upstairs. They then instruct you to park in a specific parking spot and give you a sheet of paper, it just has the car reg & number of people in it, written on it. You then have to go upstairs.

    There's usually guards around to direct you where to go. Once upstairs it depends how many people are upstairs how long it takes. I've crossed from Niagara Falls into Niagara Falls NY & from Fort Erie to Buffalo many times. Sometimes it takes 20mins but it's taken me up to 2 hours. It just depends how busy it is.

    Late at night a week day evening or a Friday night would be way better than a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

    You just wait upstairs and they call your name, you then go to a booth, they ask the same questions about why you're there, then they take fingerprints and take a picture of you.

    They staple your visa into your passport, it's valid for 90 days. You then have to go the payment booth and pay $6. They only take cash and credit card but they prefer cash, so if you have USD that's usually easier.

    On coming back to Canada they'll ask you do you intend on going back to the US in the next 90 days or do you want them to take the green card the US stapled in.

    If you do intend on going back you can ask to keep it and then next time you go to the US you don't have to do the upstairs thing as you already have the visa so it's much quicker. If you do that though you have to make sure to go back into immigration on the Canadian side before the 90 days are up and get them to take the green card out. Otherwise you could be in bother the next time you try to enter the US. If you live near the border it's pretty handy, it takes 2 mins to leave it back.

    If you're not sure if you'll be back or not or if you live far from the border I would just get them to take it, it's only $6 for a new one!

    Also when you're coming back into Canada they'll ask you did you buy anything and how much it's worth. I'm not sure what the rates are but I know it's much higher for being away more than 24 hours. Plus being away for more than 24 hours means you can bring alcohol back, on a one day trip you're not supposed to.

    They don't seem to mind bringing groceries back, but there's a limit on chicken & cheese, 4 packs I think. But you're not allowed eggs. I've never tried to take eggs but apparently they go mental if you even try!! So many Canadians have warned me about that!

    Be prepared to present your receipts on coming back into Canada too. Sometimes they ask sometimes they don't, but they expect you to have them.

    Oh and they'll not take anything off you if you're over the limit they'll just expect you to pay the duty on it, so 13% HST.

    Hope that helps!


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    #8
    jamo2oo9
    Registered Users Posts: 5,780 ✭✭✭jamo2oo9


    Christ, that's an awfully long process and it wasn't like that when we crossed the border 3 years ago. Crossed at Niagara Falls into Canada for two night, drove back down to Syracuse and then back up towards Montreal crossing the border again. Took us no more than 10mins including queuing up for traffic except in Niagara Falls into Canada it took us 2hrs with the traffic. Asked us where are we going, what are we doing and where are we from etc. Didn't have to pay any fee at the border so I'm not sure why the poster above had to?


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    #9
    goingitalone
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭goingitalone


    jamo2oo9 wrote: »
    Christ, that's an awfully long process and it wasn't like that when we crossed the border 3 years ago. Crossed at Niagara Falls into Canada for two night, drove back down to Syracuse and then back up towards Montreal crossing the border again. Took us no more than 10mins including queuing up for traffic except in Niagara Falls into Canada it took us 2hrs with the traffic. Asked us where are we going, what are we doing and where are we from etc. Didn't have to pay any fee at the border so I'm not sure why the poster above had to?

    yeah ive asked on a fb group people that did it recently said you have to pay 6 dollars at the border.


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    #10
    CBCB2
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭CBCB2


    It's an admin fee. Same was as to buy an ESTA online before flying is $14. It's to pay for Homeland Security.

    Everytime I've crossed from 2012 to now there's been a fee (I most recently crossed 2 weeks ago, it's always the same process).

    They only take USD too, they won't accept any other currency.


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    #11
    CBCB2
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭CBCB2


    jamo2oo9 wrote: »
    Christ, that's an awfully long process and it wasn't like that when we crossed the border 3 years ago. Crossed at Niagara Falls into Canada for two night, drove back down to Syracuse and then back up towards Montreal crossing the border again. Took us no more than 10mins including queuing up for traffic except in Niagara Falls into Canada it took us 2hrs with the traffic. Asked us where are we going, what are we doing and where are we from etc. Didn't have to pay any fee at the border so I'm not sure why the poster above had to?


    Do you happen to have a Canadian passport or US passport? That's the way it is for my bf as he's Canadian. They don't have to pay a fee or go upstairs. It's non-US or non-Canadian passport holders who have to go through all that and pay the fee.


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    #12
    jamo2oo9
    Registered Users Posts: 5,780 ✭✭✭jamo2oo9


    CBCB2 wrote: »
    Do you happen to have a Canadian passport or US passport? That's the way it is for my bf as he's Canadian. They don't have to pay a fee or go upstairs. It's non-US or non-Canadian passport holders who have to go through all that and pay the fee.

    No, we're all Irish. We were travelling with my uncle who's a US citizen but was driving a different car to us. All we did was go to the toll booth-like, hand over the passports of everyone in the car, answered any questions they had and we were off back into US


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    #13
    CBCB2
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭CBCB2


    jamo2oo9 wrote: »
    No, we're all Irish. We were travelling with my uncle who's a US citizen but was driving a different car to us. All we did was go to the toll booth-like, hand over the passports of everyone in the car, answered any questions they had and we were off back into US

    Oh ok. Maybe the fee only came in after that or something. Who knows!


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    #14
    circular flexing
    Registered Users Posts: 2,587 ✭✭✭circular flexing


    jamo2oo9 wrote: »
    No, we're all Irish. We were travelling with my uncle who's a US citizen but was driving a different car to us. All we did was go to the toll booth-like, hand over the passports of everyone in the car, answered any questions they had and we were off back into US

    So if you travelled from US to Canada and back to US again, then on exiting the US and entering Canada, you would have a US entry stamp already. I think you are allowed to re-enter the US from Canada on the same stamp.

    https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/194/~/visa-waiver-program---eligible-countries
    While in the U.S., you may go to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean and Adjacent Islands and re-enter the U.S. using the I-94 admission notation you were issued on your VWP passport when you first arrived in the U.S., although the time you spend there is included in the 90 days allotted for your visit.


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