DOUANES

Entering Canada by Pleasure Craft

The master of a recreational boat is the person in charge. As master of the recreational boat, he or she is required to go to a designated telephone reporting marine site and call the telephone reporting centre at 1-888-226-7277. No one except the master may leave the boat until authorization is given by the CBSA.

Note
To find designated telephone reporting marine sites in your area, call 1-888-226-7277.

The master is required to follow these steps:

• give the full name, date of birth and citizenship for every person on the boat;
• give the destination, purpose of trip and length of stay in Canada for each passenger who is a nonresident of Canada;
• give the length of absence for each passenger who is a returning resident of Canada;
• give the passport and visa information of passengers, if applicable;
• make sure all passengers have photo identification and proof of citizenship documents;
• declare all goods being imported, including firearms and weapons;
• report all currency and monetary instruments of a value equal to or greater than CAN$10,000;
• for returning resident of Canada, declare all repairs or modifications made to goods, including the boat, while outside Canada; and
• give true and complete information.

As proof of presentation, the border services officer will give the maste a report number for their records. The master must give this number to a border services officer upon request.

Entering the United States by Pleasure Craft

Entering the United States from Canada on a recreational boat has definitely become easier in the last few years.

Every boat must call the USCustoms and Border Protection agency to report their arrival. Boaters who have not been pre-screened by the US and Canadian governments must then report at a port-of-entry for an inspection. Boaters who have obtained Form I-68 or NEXUS permits do not have to appear for an in-person inspection.

How to enter the US if you don’t have a Nexus or I-68 form

When entering the United States the boat master must call Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at1-888-523-2628 (1-888-523-BOAT). The call to the CBP must be made at least 30 minutes and up to four hours before arriving in the United States.The boatmaster must provide:

• an estimated time of arrival (ETA);
• the name and location of the landing site of arrival;
• the registration number and/or the name of the boat;
• the full name, date of birth, and country of citizenship and/or permanent residence status for all NEXUS members on-board;
• the destination, purpose of trip and length of stay in the US for each passenger; and
• passport and visa details of passengers when applicable or required.

The boat master must also

• ensure all passengers have photo identification and proof of citizenship, permanent residence status and/or other immigration status documents when applicable or required;
• declare all goods being imported, including currency information.

Boaters will then be directed to the nearest Port of Entry to satisfy the face-to-face requirement.
Erie, PA (814) 833-1355
Cleveland, OH (216) 267-3600
Ashtabula, OH (440) 998-3073
Toledo, OH (419) 259-6424
Sandusky, OH (419) 625-0022

How to enter the US with a Nexus card

NEXUS allows boaters to enter the United States from Canada by simply telephoning in their arrival to CBP at 1-888-523-2628 (1-888-523-BOAT). Boaters must supply all the information stated above in sections 1, 2 and 3 over the phone.
NEXUS program is a joint Canada-US initiative that offers facilitated customs and immigration clearance for recreational low-risk boaters entering either country. If you are transporting persons that are not NEXUS members, the boat must arrive at a “physical report site” (See section 4 above).

Application forms and a listing of regional CPCs are available on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) website (www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus). For NEXUS toll-free information (US and Canada) call 1-866-NEXUS 26 (1-866-639-8726). NEXUS is valid for five years.

How to enter the US with Form I–68

The Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (I-68) allows boaters to enter the United States from Canada by reporting their arrival to CBP by telephone at 1-888-523-2628 (1-888-523-BOAT).Boaters must supply all the information stated above in sections 1, 2 and 3 by phone.

To obtain Form 1-68, boaters must undergo an initial inspection (including an interview), a check in the Interagency Border Inspection System and other law enforcement databases, and pay the fee. Form I-68 is only valid for one year.

More Information

For information on issuing locations and other details call:
Detroit, MI Service Port (313) 442-0368
Buffalo, NY Service Port (716) 843-8300
Cleveland, OH Service Port (440) 891-3800

Canada
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) website
www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus

United States
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/pleasure_boats