Canadians Cruising in US

[Chris Gordon]

My friends from Vancouver haven worked their way to Florida. There seems to be some confusion about reporting requirements. They have been told by CBP (Customs & Border Protection) variously that:

a) They must report in, by phone, every 72 hours while in the US
b) They must report in every time they move to a different anchorage
c) They needn't report at all after they've cleared in.

Does anyone here know what the rules really are? And, if a or b, what's the purpose? Thanks.

 

[dlochner]

I believe that they must report by phone every time they move, so that CBP (US Customs and Border Patrol) knows where they are. I seem to recall seeing that on the CBP website, but I can't locate it now.

The concern for boaters is that a boat could clear into the US, then sail to international waters make contact with a foreign boat and bring contraband back into the country. That can't be done by other forms of entry, i.e., rail, plane, or car.

Finally, your friend should expect to get different answers from different CBP agents. Internal communication does not seem to be a strong point. Last summer I crossed back in to the US with a NEXUS card and a Small Vessel Reporting number that I obtained online. When I called to check in the agent couldn't find my SVRS number and told me that I couldn't get one online, but my wife and I both had our SVRS numbers. I suspect the internal communications in CBP will, sadly, not improve until sometime after January 20, 2021.

Edit: Clarified that CBP is the US Customs and Border Patrol, not the Canadian Boarder Patrol.

 

[Ken Cross]

In our area (Specifically in the San Juan Islands) many places don't have cell coverage. I've been with Canadians and never seen any of them call in. We change locations often (daily or even less) since ports, anchorages, and such can be minutes apart. I'd suggest walking into an immigration office and ask about the differences . Certainly get it in writing.

Ken

 

[Hello Below]

In our area (Specifically in the San Juan Islands) many places don't have cell coverage. I've been with Canadians and never seen any of them call in. We change locations often (daily or even less) since ports, anchorages, and such can be minutes apart. I'd suggest walking into an immigration office and ask about the differences . Certainly get it in writing.

Ken

Ken, as long we Canadians stay in the Salish Sea/Puget Sound area we do not have to call in after initially clearing US customs. Other areas differ in call-in procedures.

 

[Richard19068]

the answer may be here:
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/pleasure-boats-private-flyers/pleasure-boat-overview

 

[DaveJ]

Here's my take on it.... vessels under 30' do not need a cruising permit, but they must sign in at every US port that they enter. Vessels over 30' need a cruising permit and only need to sign in at the first port of entry. The cruising permit can be found at decals@cbp.dhs.gov and may be found at the link above...I didn't try it but that is one of the sites to go to. I assume this applies for all border points between Canada/US.
Interestingly, a Catalina 30 is 29'11" and falls into the under 30' category.
I have cruised to many U.S ports on Lake Ontario, when I sign in on the video phone they ask for my cruising permit # and where I will be going. I don't have to contact any one else until the first port of call on the Canadian side. The U.S. website is a bear to deal with and every year you need a new password....of course they let you get most of the way through the application when they say the password is not valid and you have to start over! It's under $30 for the permit.

Cheers

 

[dlochner]

Here's my take on it.... vessels under 30' do not need a cruising permit, but they must sign in at every US port that they enter. Vessels over 30' need a cruising permit and only need to sign in at the first port of entry. The cruising permit can be found at decals@cbp.dhs.gov and may be found at the link above...I didn't try it but that is one of the sites to go to. I assume this applies for all border points between Canada/US.
Interestingly, a Catalina 30 is 29'11" and falls into the under 30' category.
I have cruised to many U.S ports on Lake Ontario, when I sign in on the video phone they ask for my cruising permit # and where I will be going. I don't have to contact any one else until the first port of call on the Canadian side. The U.S. website is a bear to deal with and every year you need a new password....of course they let you get most of the way through the application when they say the password is not valid and you have to start over! It's under $30 for the permit.

Cheers

The US Customs Decal is not a cruising permit, it is a user fee for crossing the border. User Fee, Transponder, and Decal Information | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

There is the I-68 program that allows Canadian boaters to enter the US and report by telephone Canadian Border Boat Landing (I-68) Program | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Then there is the NEXUS program that also allows reporting by telephone. NEXUS | U.S. Customs and Border Protection This is especially handy when used with the Small Vessel Reporting System, or so it seems (see my comment above) Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

If you live near the border, the NEXUS card is particularly useful not only for boating but also for crossing by land. At busy borders there is a NEXUS Lane that is faster than the regular lanes. It is part of the the Trusted Traveller Program, so it gets you TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Kiosk when entering the country by air. At $50 for 5 years its a bargain.

A note about boat size and the Custom Decal. Many older 30 ft boats are nominally 30 feet, in reality the LOD is about 29'11". The state registration will likely round that number to 30 ft. Since the boat is not a full 30 ft it is not required to have a decal. Customs and Border Patrol agents may not understand this. One agent threatened to measure my Sabre 30 to prove that it was 30 feet long. Ultimately he didn't, probably because it was too much work. But he did ask, why a company would call a boat a 30 foot boat when it wasn't 30 feet. The answer lies in an old rating rule, I believe the CCA rule. Boats 30 feet and over took a penalty, by keeping the boat under 30 feet the penalty didn't apply and there was no substantial difference between a 29'11" boat and a 30'0" boat.

 

[DayDreamer41]

I don't have a whole lot of experience with traveling outside of the US via boat, but from my research the easiest way to do this for both Canadians and Americans is to acquire a NEXUS card (trusted traveler) with this card as long as all persons aboard have a NEXUS card one must only call in and provide the CBP with the NEXUS numbers of all aboard. As for reporting on a constant basis, it is my understanding that one must report upon entering the US or Canada at which point you will be issued a report number, the report number would be used to mitigate any issues should a CBP officer question the legitimacy of the visitors legal standing to be in the country (either US of CAN). The only time one would have to call in again would be if the person(s) exited the US and upon return would have again call in. At least that is how I understand the reporting requirements.

 

[SFS]

I've not been able to find it, but in the past year there has been a thread here or on CF about various foreign yachts encountering a WIDE variety of interpretations by CBP stations up and down the Atlantic coast regarding how often a foreign vessel has to report in. The thread was quite detailed, and IIRC, the takeaway was "when you report in, get the name or badge number of the person you talk to, and memorialize that information, along with the date, time, and phone number used for the call, and the specifics of what you were told, in your ship's log."

I was not surprised to find that cruisers were actually getting yelled at on the phone for reporting in "too frequently", when in fact they were just following the written rules. Given the current state of governmental affairs in the US, I'd lean towards covering your butt at all times. What dlochner said above is likely to be the case (though the year will be 2025).

 

[dlochner]

Earlier today I spent some time poking around the CBP website looking for answers that bothered me so.....

One of the answers I found is that Department of Homeland Security has divide the country into different sectors. It may be that different sectors have different reporting requirements based on the relative risk for each section. Certainly the Buffalo sector has different concerns than the sector covering southern Florida. This may account for the confusing responses when Canadians work their way down the ICW.

 

[Hagar]

At a Rendezvous in Roche Harbor (Washington) the senior CPB agent came and gave us a very useful presentation. There were a few take-aways:

• Recreational boating crossings represent only a small portion of CBP's work. A few years ago the local office set out to find out what other offices (the Big Boys, in their view) were doing. What they found is that Puget Sound represented a large percentage of the crossings. They were the Big Boys even though they worked out of a little wooden shed on the dock.
• The regulations don't change too often but the interpretation and enforcement varies widely. In many cases each office works a bit differently and each officer has their own view. As a group they strive for consistency and try to avoid appearing arbitrary.
• The local officers are given quite a bit of responsibility and latitude in interpretation and enforcement. Whether you get approved or not us up to each officer.
• He said their philosophy was to give each situation a sniff test. If everything looks good they will sign off. If they sense any attempt at deception then they will look for reasons to complicate your life. His advice, "Don't try to hide anything. Be honest".
• "When in doubt, call it in".

I would think the last item would be fairly easy. We have found cellular dead spots in the Salish Sea but they are getting smaller and fewer all the time. Stuart Island is mostly out of reach. If you planned to go there, call it in before losing the signal. If plans changed and the subject comes up tell them why and when. Keeping a regular log would probably help a lot. (We don't...)

 

[Chris Gordon]

Thanks for all this [confusing] information. It sounds like there's not enough direction coming down from above. I still can't see any reasonable purpose for having cruisers phoning in regularly during their time in the US. There are a great many Canadian boats, mostly from Toronto and Montreal, traveling up and down the ICW in the spring and fall. I suspect that many ignore that requirement.

 

[py26129]

We cross from Canada to US waters on the Great Lakes every summer.
We usually check in to the US at an approved video phone and then are free to go where we want without checking in every time we move. If we are stopped by Border Patrol we are required to produce a "checkin number" which is issued at check in time. Once we go back into Canadian waters we are required to clear back into Canada using a land line.

 

[jssailem]

I was with @Hagar and the guidance was very helpful. I would recommend the idea of having a local CBP agent out to your yacht club to make a presentation for the sailors in your area. They are as much interested in making the public aware of the regulations as we are interested in avoiding the hassles.

I ventured into Canadian water for the first time last year. I found the following info also helpful.

1. When calling the CBSA at the port of entry, Have a cell phone. At least in British Columbia, they have removed the phones from some of their docks. They are using video monitoring so sit on your boat or at the table that is some times provided and smile.
2. Ask permission to enter their county, was good guidance I received from an expat now living in Canada.
3. Answer the question asked.
4. Even if you don’t have your passport you may get their permission. On one visit my crew (a longtime best friend) had his wife’s passport. I should have inspected it when I let him board. Imagine the shock when I opened the passport to read the info to the CBSA officer and saw his wife’s picture. I told the officer what had occurred and said, I guess were not going to visit her country this time. She asked for an enhanced drivers license and we received her blessing to enjoy Canada. Getting back to the US was another story.
5. Coming back, if you have the US Global Traveler ID contact CBP and request a BR number. ( got my number from the CBP while sailing in teh San Juan Channel towards the border) You will register with the CBP data base. You must include your crew members passport data. Then returning is just a phone call away. No port stop. If you have any crew not in the data base for your boat then you must stop at a Port of Entry and submit their data to the CBP agent onsite.
6. Those boats returning from the Salish Sea Canadian waters, can check in at Port Townsend. Call ahead 24 hours or more and set an appointment. The CBP officer will meet you in the port. Pretty convenient option when heading back from the Gulf Islands or Victoria.

Enjoy the visits. Buy local. Declare.

 

[chrischesley]

One other technical nuance for the Salish Sea and Nexus holders. While calling in is usually all that is necessary, they 'may' still require you to go to a Port of Entry for more formalities. I suspect this might happen if you had anything to declare or your answers were such that they wanted to 'see' you. This is true of both US and Canadian citizens going either way.

 

[jssailem]

Good point @chrischesley ... Things like Baskets of Fruit, A Side of Beef, Chicken, or a fire arm are right up there on the list.
Hearing news reports about the Tariff wars that appear to be starting there may be a “just because” attitude that trickles down and affects our boating enjoyment.
You guys come on over the border, but stop here for a bit while we consider the issues.

 

[Chris Gordon]

I'm getting the impression that there may be one set of rules for those near the border who cross over for a short period then return, and other rules for those passing through to get to Mexico or the Bahamas. Might that be right?

 

[jssailem]

@Chris Gordon you might check the rules, but I know on the NW coast you can sail from the US up through Canadian waters and never check in with CBSA. You just have to. Stay at sea. And be ready to be boarded. As long as you do not anchor inshore or step ashore you are a boat in transit.
Not sure about coming south. Mexico I understand has a need for a “Sailing Permit” to transit in their waters. So they get you to come ashore. And they are particular on the boat ownership. If your boat has had a permit issued before you need to be sure the former permit owner has returned the permit to the Authorities. Otherwise you have to go back and visit with a Mexican Counsulate out side of the country to get the old permit released so the new one can be issued.
At least that is what I have heard from a couple who left Portland and have been sailing in the Baha for the past year.

 

[Hayden Watson]

...

1. Those boats returning from the Salish Sea Canadian waters, can check in at Port Townsend. Call ahead 24 hours or more and set an appointment. The CBP officer will meet you in the port. Pretty convenient option when heading back from the Gulf Islands or Victoria.

Enjoy the visits. Buy local. Declare.

Returning from Canada in the Salish Sea you can check in at Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Point Roberts, Anacortes and Port Angles. I did not see a POE listed in Port Townsend. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/pleasure-boats-private-flyers/pleasure-boat-locations/psound-ne-wa

 

[Hello Below]

I did not see a POE listed in Port Townsend. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/pleasure-boats-private-flyers/pleasure-boat-locations/psound-ne-wa

Port Townsend is not a Port of Entry. However, as in Bellingham but not so much, it is left to the local agents whether you can clear customs there or not. If you call Port Townsend CBP in advance (4 to 6 hours) and they are available, they may agree to accommodating you. Be on time, remain aboard (except tying up) at the customs dock and be friendly. I have had good luck in PT but not in Bellingham. So an overnight trip to Point Roberts and then Bellingham if that is a destination stop over. I was once told by PT CBP that by law they have to come to your boat even if it is 2 in the morning. . . . however I got the feeling that one would not want to do that unless it was an emergency. I avoid Friday Harbor CBP like the plague. I have witnessed, heard about and personally had too many not so nice experiences there. The other PNW POEs are very professional yet super friendly. IMHO