Border Crossing FAQ (including DUI Q/A)

[steamman]

You will need a notery (sp) letter from your wife also saying she knows that he is up there with you. Took my son up last year and he has a passport and had the letter too. The 1st thing that the agent asked for was the letter for my son and then the passports from me and my dad.

[SimilarIsland]

Thanks Steamman. Kinda funny - he's bigger than I am and would probably be able to kidnap me easier than I could kidnap him.

[steamman]

You are wlecome. I am in the same boat, but my son is only 13 and he is just as tall as I am. Hope you have a great time up there.

[cygnus]

I know that this has been beaten to death, but we have a group of 6 going into Canada through Fort Frances and one of us has a 7 year old DUI. Yeah I know, he might not be let through but I have read in multiple places on the web and on this site that people were allowed to apply for a Temporary Permit at the time of denied entry, paid $200 and were allowed to enter. Can anyone confirm this or is it the decision of the border guards at the time of refusal?

[Hemlock]

cygnus,

If the dui comes up at the time of crossing (which it may not), then he should be in a position to apply for the "rehabilitation" permit.

My understanding is, as long as it is older than 5 years, he can apply, pay, and be granted entry.

[cygnus]

Thank you for the info Hemlock. That seems like a fair compromise that Canadian customs would offer a "on site" permit to keep countless fishing and hunting trips from being ruined. I would sure hate to drop off my buddy at the International Falls airport and tell him to grab a ticket home Although, from reading other posts it seems that some guys got denied entry under similar circumstances, and did not enter Canada. Maybe they just refused to pay for the permit? Or maybe it wasn't offered? Heck, I couldn't imagine not coughing up the $200 just to keep the trip from scratched, but I suppose some guys maybe just can't afford it.

[bwtrout]

As you have probably read before, Canada considers a DUI a felony. If your friend attempts to get through without mentioning this during the initial standard questions and it comes up then they already were dishonest with the border patrol and probably will not be offered the option. They can deal with this ahead of time with Canadian Customs, and save the rest of the group a hassle.

[superbee]

Just remember, it is 5 years from the date your sentencing and restitution is completed. It is not from the date of conviction. Thatis the biggest misunderstanding.

[cygnus]

It has been 7 years since the conviction date. He paid a fine and had a suspended license for 6 months so he should be in the 'more then 5 years category'.

I've entered Canada 3 times now with a group and have never been asked about any convictions or crimes so I guess that is what we are hoping for. If he is asked if he was ever convicted of a DUI, then he will answer yes. If he is asked if he was convicted of a crime, he is going to say no because he was not convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor, at least not in the USA. It isn't the job of every American to know the difference between Canadian and US law and the interpretations. I'm sure it sounds like we are trying to get away with something but is it not a truthful answer? I did some research for him to see about applying ahead of time for the permit and it's a mountain of paperwork. I will definitely let him know about this and let him make the decision.

[crash061885]

What is the likely hood that a petty misdemeanor for fleeing on foot going to prevent me from entering Canada?

[Hemlock]

I think you'll be ok. I'm just offering a personal opinion, not professional. The reason DUI's are a pain is because they are deemed a felony in Canada. I don't beleive fleeing a police officer is a felony.

Felon's are inadmissable to Canada.

[JIvers]

I checked out this thread to confirm that I don't need a passport to re-enter the US from Canada until June 1. (I'm too cheap to buy the $50 land-crossing card until I have to. ) Having confirmed that, here is my recent experience with crossing the border:

I do a lot of work in Detroit, MI, and some of it takes me across to Windsor, Ontario. I have two DUI convictions, both from more than ten years ago. (Youthful stupidity, combined with the fact that penalties were a lot laxer back when I got my first.) I have crossed in to Canada three times in the last year with no hassles at all. I have found the US Customs and Border Patrol agents to be a bigger pain by far when I re-enter the US from Windsor.

The Canadian border officials look at my Driver's License, ask me if I am driving my own vehicle (yes), if I am a native-born US citizen (yes), what I am doing in Canada (work at the University of Windsor), and how long I will be staying (four hours). Then they say go ahead. They have never asked about any criminal convictions, nor have they run a background check.

Of course, on these crossings I am alone and my truck is empty of everything except essentials like jumper cables, specifically so I am less likely to get the second or third degree. (I leave all my non-essential stuff at my hotel in Michigan.) A group of people with a lot of gear staying in Canada for a week or more is probably going to get more attention than I do.

If the Canadian border patrol should ask about past convictions next week when I cross I will tell them the truth; if they deny me entry I'll turn around and go back to work in Detroit for the rest of the day.

[crash061885]

So I called the boarder today 3 different times, 2 times I was transferred to Immigration, the other talking to someone at the boarder. I got two different stories, both times immigration official said I wouldn’t be allowed to go to Canada. The time I talked to someone at the border and told him my story and what happened he said I should be ok, and just to bring my court papers to prove what I was convicted of.

I don’t know which who I should believe, I don’t want to drive 5 hours to get turned away and sent back.

Just never knew this petty misdemeanor would come back and bite me this hard.

[Hemlock]

That is frustrating!!! I hate when the same office can give two different (very different) answers.

[youngie22]

Need alittle info... Might be driving some one elses car across; Will we need anything special? Just valid proof of insurance? Don;t need any uneeded hassles! Thanx guys; leaving Monday for Nipigon

[Xplorer]

Just as an FYI, when I asked the border guard the last time we were driving up (Fort Frances entry) he stated that the timeclock doesn't start until the end of any probation period that was attached to the DUI conviction.

A lawyer friend said that 1-2 years probation is typical for a first time DUI in MN, so that it is more like 6-7 years from date of conviction to get to the "temporary entry permit" point, and 11-12 years to be "rehabilitated". I didnt ask him about a second DUI's probation timeframe, so not sure about that.

[cygnus]

Just called the canadian border at Ft. Frances about my friend who was planning on coming up with us in June. I asked about his 8 year old DUI and they said ABSOLUTELY NOT. No chance for a temporary permit or anything. I have noticed on my new passport a barcode, which im sure is designed for quick and easy scanning of people. I wonder if they are planning on scanning every single person that crosses the border? If thats the case, the previous DUI'ers that have entered in the past because they made it through without a background check are out of luck, including my friend. I think it's time for us to keep him home Probably my last trip to Canada, it's too much stress.

[tb7108]

cygnus.....8 years should be plenty of time passed to apply for the rehabillitated permit. If there is only one DUI and it was a 4th degree misdameanor.

I have hunting Waterfowl in Saskatchewan for the last 20 years. Our party will go on 2 trips every year.

Last year was our last year.....The border is a problem. You could call and ask quetions one day and those answers would be different the next time you called, and when you get to the border its always somthing new with the guns,dogs,food,kids I would imadgine its no different for our Canadian friends coming to the US. I dont mind laws as long as there consistant and are backed up by supporting documents. The gun laws are another long topic...we all have PALS and for the most part the border agents dont have a clue, the CO's in the field dont even care about them or for that matter couldnt identify a mallard from a pintail prior to Oct when they have some color. Enough ranting I will be spending my money in the US. Lets not forget about the bird flu 2 years ago that filled dumpsters at the border with birds that were wasted, like migratory birds would not have flown accross the border anyway.

[cygnus]

I agree, the fact that you cannot get a straight answer from anyone at the Canadian Consulate, or at the Border crossings is discouraging to say the least. Politics and bureaucracy at it's best. How hard would it be to just have a straight forward policy that states as long as your DUI is 5 years old or more, and is the only conviction, pay a $300 fee to Canada for a one week pass and all would be good. The Canucks would have so much extra money they wouldn't know what to do with it! They could even strap a GPS tracking unit around his/her neck if they are that worried about these non violent felons running around the queensland.

As for our trip we have decided to go for it. The one member in our party who has the 8 year old DUI is coming with. I will post on this board in 3 weeks after I return with some real answers. I have read every single forum that google could muster and there seems to be a lot more stories about people who have known or heard about someone being denied entry then stories from actual people. I'm sure the victims are out there, but maybe there aren't as many as we are lead to believe.

Sorry to hear you aren't going back to Canada TB, but I understand your frustration with the border crossings. Common sense is completely out the window these days and the people in power are so drunk with it, that they could care less who's getting hurt in the process. And this goes for both sides of the border, before I get flamed for pointing fingers at one side or the other.

[JIvers]

I crossed from Detroit to Windsor and came back yesterday with no issues either way. I don't have a passport, and the US Customs agent asked me to produce a second piece of photo ID to back up my DL and birth certificate. I had a second photo ID with me, and that was good enough.

It may be that past convictions the Canadian government deems objectionable will be easier to access starting Monday when all US citizens need to bring a passport with them in to Canada...but only if the Canadian officials take the time to swipe them. They could check all driver's licenses of people entering Canada now if they really wanted to thoroughly check everyone out.

I am not certain on this next part, so someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Canadian government will still hold a driver's license, ideally with a birth certificate to back it up if they ask, to be good enough for US citizens entering Canada. If so, you may not need to produce a passport to enter Canada if you are a US citizen. Again, this may be wrong, so please don't take this interpretation as gospel. I know it is the US government that will, as of Monday, require all US citizens re-entering the US from Canada to produce a passport.

[SimilarIsland]

FYI - We just crossed back into US on Weds (6/10). One guy lost his wallet and they let him back in with only a Birth Certificate. They actually got through faster than we did. The border guard laughed and told him to "get out of here".

[cygnus]

How was your crossing from the US into Canada? Nice story about your buddy Good thing he had his birth certificate!

[prov1900]

We crossed into Canada last week and it was easy as can be. We showed passports just because. Our other guys, who were in a different line, were requested to show passports coming into Canada. That surprised me a little. Border agents were very friendly and courteous. We had overages on our beer, i.e. extra cases. We parked next to the booth, went in and told them how much we had. Very easy to pay the tax on it (not that I am encouraging anyone to not spend $$ in Canada). We were just in a hurry and didn't want to make the extra half hour/hour trip to the beer store. We made up for saved beer money in the F.F. grocery store.

[cygnus]

What is the duty fee on a case of beer? The beer store up in sioux narrows charges about $42 a case. I can buy them at the local grocery store for $14. Is it cheaper to pay the duty?

[SimilarIsland]

How was your crossing from the US into Canada? Nice story about your buddy Good thing he had his birth certificate!

Very quick and easy. We had a guy with a questionable DUI, so we put him in my truck since it's been over several times. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems that the two times I've been searched have been in vehicles that were making their first crossing.

Note: We paid $18/case for Blue at the Duty Free and then it was something like $9.46/case duty on one extra case.