DUI and Canada - never seen this

[kennicott]

This happened a few years back, so could be stiffer or more lax today. My close friend, a commercial fisherman here in Alaska, was driving up and in the back of his truck he had a big new GM diesel for his seine boat. The diesel could have been used for anything, power plant, truck engine, etc. When he crossed into Canada they asked him about the engine. He said it was for his boat. Big mistake.

 

Turned out on the Pacific Coast US Immigrations was giving the Canadian fishermen grief over a territorial fishing rights dispute or something or other. The Canadians were retaliating and responding in kind with any sort of trumped up reason. Commercial fishing was the key word. What a mess. Can't recall how he finally got the engine home, but needless to say he didn't drive it across the border. Probably went back and shipped it by water.

 

Never know when Murphy's law is going to bite you. Particularly when it comes to border security, anywhere.

 

I will say this, I have never had a problem with airport security, customs or immigrations anywhere, except Singapore and that was my fault as I threw away my exit slip, or whatever they call it, by mistake. And I have the most common last name in North America and one of the most common first names. Knock on wood. Cops here in Anchorage have been to my home so many times with a warrant for my arrest I lost count years ago.

[RoxnDox]

Just to let you know Jim, it works both ways - Canadians with criminal records have a tough time getting into the USofA; pass that long to your brother.

 

Yep, very true. But that's only a half-dozen of you, eh? <grin>

 

Jim

[W5KAP]

Having served in the USAF for 22 years and holding a Top Secret SCI clearance, I was fingerprinted more times than I care to remember. You haven't lived until you have a polygraph every year. But I digress. My point is I have never been questioned at all at customs. I don;t think simply by being finger printed, the Canucks will give the once over. Now their Customs folks have zero sense of humor for sure. So don't even try to have "fun" with them. It's been trained out of them

 

Cheers, Kenn

[Ontario cruise duo]

Cavecreekguy: I've worked in 4 different law offices in the past 34 years and have NEVER heard of a lawyer who would charge $750.00 to write a "letter" for you to carry with respect to your issue. I might add that this seems like pure "highway robbery". What I can say is this, when they ask you questions, give them short specific answers, not a long drawn out answer or story. We've found that this works best! Best of luck to you, but I also don't think you will have a problem at Customs!

 

Finger Prints: I take umbridge with your comment about our Canadian Custom Guys having a "zero sense of humor". For what it's worth, we travel between Windsor and Detroit often, and the same could be said about the US Custom officers. I think when you are Canadian travelling into the US and vice versa, they have a different approach to those entering foreign lands. You could say, "they're just doing their jobs".

[cavecreekguy]

So after all my freaking out, here's what happened.

 

Canada border guy: What is the purpose of your visit?

 

Me: To take a cruise to Alaska.

 

Canada border guy: Stamp stamp. Have a nice visit.

[Coral]

So after all my freaking out, here's what happened.

 

Canada border guy: What is the purpose of your visit?

 

Me: To take a cruise to Alaska.

 

Canada border guy: Stamp stamp. Have a nice visit.

 

Hope you enjoyed your Alaskan cruise! Thanks for the update.

[Matty Ice]

So after all my freaking out, here's what happened.

 

Canada border guy: What is the purpose of your visit?

 

Me: To take a cruise to Alaska.

 

Canada border guy: Stamp stamp. Have a nice visit.

 

 

Thanks for the update!

[Putterdude]

I am very happy to learn that things went well for you....indeed they should have under the circumstances you described.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Putterdude

[laughing husky]

Try going in by a dog sled.....:) You even have to have passports then....This would be on the Yukon Quest...Hand your passport over in Fairbanks....They check....:)

[greatam]

Having served in the USAF for 22 years and holding a Top Secret SCI clearance, I was fingerprinted more times than I care to remember. You haven't lived until you have a polygraph every year. But I digress. My point is I have never been questioned at all at customs. I don;t think simply by being finger printed, the Canucks will give the once over. Now their Customs folks have zero sense of humor for sure. So don't even try to have "fun" with them. It's been trained out of them

 

Cheers, Kenn

 

You are done lucky.

 

I hold Top Secret but not SCI clearance. I can't even pawn my guns and retrieve them without a MAJOR hassle (safest place to leave them is a pawn shop if I am out of the country for an extended time and no one is at my house). Why in the hell should I wait 72 hours to retrieve handguns just because I have fingerprints on file with a lot of government agencies including ATF and NCIC?? There is never an response or a rejection but I still have to wait the 48-72 hours required by ATF.

 

I now REFUSE to transit through Canada due to the hassle (EVERY time, a hassle due to all the fingerprints on file at different agencies). I REFUSE to get Global Entry or any of the other crap TSA/CBP/ICE is throwing around. If I am good enough to sit in with fairly high level Colonels and low level Generals in meetings in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait moving food and sustainment goods for the US Military, why should I have to go through MORE fingerprinting and checks just to re-enter the USA without a passport check?

 

Good old government crap.

 

I wish the OP well. It is truly the luck of the draw. Hope you get a wise old timer and not someone who just started working border patrol in the last few months. The new ones are looking to make a name for themselves and harass people. The older ones know better.

[Mrsinsyder]

The replies here are confusing to me... We didn't even see any Canadian officials when we got off in Victoria... So I'm not sure who is checking?

[Aquahound]

Having served in the USAF for 22 years and holding a Top Secret SCI clearance, I was fingerprinted more times than I care to remember. You haven't lived until you have a polygraph every year. But I digress. My point is I have never been questioned at all at customs. I don;t think simply by being finger printed, the Canucks will give the once over. Now their Customs folks have zero sense of humor for sure. So don't even try to have "fun" with them. It's been trained out of them

 

None of that fingerprinting matters. Info taken for background checks is not entered into the NCIC system. Related to criminal activity, what's pertinent are prints taken following a criminal conviction.

 

By the way...those of you with TS and TS/SCI...you should know better than to advertise that on social media. Just sayin.

 

O.k. I am not proud. But I received a DUI conviction in 2002. It was a wake up call for me. I have never had even a sip of alcohol if I am going to be behind the wheel since.

 

I booked my flight and Alaska cruise without a thought this might be an issue. Now my buddy is texting me telling me "oh you can't enter Canada if you've had a DUI. Even George Bush had to get a special permit".

 

I've never seen any posts on Cruise Critic about this. So initially I thought he was crazy. Then I looked it up, and there can be an issue.

 

Have you had a DUI and taken a cruise out of Vancouver? What do I need to do?

 

There's been some good info in this thread. It is true that you cannot enter Canada with a DUI conviction. That's because DUI is a felony in Canada so they look at you as a convicted felon.

 

The U.S. and Canada share NCIC so criminal histories are easily exchanged between the 2 countries.

 

I see you made it across the border with no problems. Count your blessings because that means you got lucky.

[greatam]

None of that fingerprinting matters. Info taken for background checks is not entered into the NCIC system. Related to criminal activity, what's pertinent are prints taken following a criminal conviction.

 

By the way...those of you with TS and TS/SCI...you should know better than to advertise that on social media. Just sayin.

 

 

.

 

NOT just sayin'. About 90% of the contractors working overseas in the War Zones for either State or DOD or a military contractor now are REQUIRED to have at least Secret if not TS.

 

For what reason, I have no idea for a lot of jobs. Electricians, plumbers, HVAC, maintenance, etc. etc. are now mostly required to have at least Secret. The government is just trying to weed out those who worked overseas during the WORST of the War and by REQUIRING clearance, a lot of those who were very instrumental in setting up the Green Zone, bases all over Iraq and Afghanistan and working in Kuwait to support Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom are not even applying because you may get a contract but it may be 6-10 months before you can be cleared and go to work. They are also no longer allowing DOE L or Q clearances which are needed to work at a US nuclear plant and require the same screening as Secret. The government is just eliminating people in a lot of positions who have the experience (including OCONUS) to be productive and actually know what is going on but don't want the hassle of all the paperwork PLUS they can hire the youngsters a lot cheaper than those of us who were there for a long time.

 

I am a logistics planner with contracts to oversee movement of food and sustainment items. Per DFAR rules, most of that food/product comes from the USA or allied countries who have been pre approved to sell to the US Military. Why I had to go through all the extra screening is beyond me? I certainly am not sitting in on high level war planning talks or drone contingencies. Nor do I know anything more than about moving food and sustainment items. Even if you kidnapped me and tortured me, about the best I could tell is a container carrying cereal arrives in Kuwait or Bagram at XXX time. Seems kind of ridiculous to me to put me through all those background checks to move food which my company does on a daily basis all over the US without any checks at all. It is no different in the War Zones other than sometimes the convoys don't make it on time.

[Kova15]

I have a question for my parents, so I apologize for being a little vague here... as I dont know the details.

Apparently when my dad was younger, Im assuming over 27 years ago... as thats how old I am.... he got into trouble. My mother called it a "small incident" not sure what that means... Im assuming some sort of jail time.

They want to take an Alaskan cruise, and my Dad is worried about going into Canada. Will he have issues if his cruise disembarks in Canada and they have a shuttle service and their flights scheduled for the day off?

 

Apparently 2 years ago when they were doing a land vacation they got stuck by the border patrole and my dad spent 2 hours in a room and it was "very stressful"

 

I found a few Iteneraries that go from are closed loop from Seattle, but I would rather see them doing something else....

 

thanks!

[mapleleaves]

 

Apparently 2 years ago when they were doing a land vacation they got stuck by the border patrole and my dad spent 2 hours in a room and it was "very stressful"

 

I found a few Iteneraries that go from are closed loop from Seattle, but I would rather see them doing something else....

 

 

 

 

He may or may not have the same experience as he did 2 yrs ago. Often times it depends on the border agent. The agent might let him pass, or might put him thru the same stress, or might deny him admission period.

 

If he wants to "overcome a criminal conviction" there is info on the Canada Border Crossing web site.

http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ivc-rnc-eng.html#a3

 

Otherwise he's definitely taking the chance of being denied admission. That would be an expensive risk when you consider the costs involved in that trip.

[inotdown]

There's a thread regarding this in the the Ports of Call: Canada (Alaska/Pacific Coastal) section where I learned quite a lot. An additional Google search regarding entering Canada with a DUI brought up a ton of stuff. There are a lot of user experiences and scenarios that are brought up but one thing was for certain: If you have a DUI and attempt to enter Canada you are taking a risk.

 

I got a DUI back in 2010. Huge mistake on my part but I was lucky I didnt hurt myself, someone else, or damage any property. I paid the consequences that the courts gave to me. That said, I have read that there are things that I could do to prove my "rehabilitation" but that would cost me $$$. IMO and for my situation it isn't worth the trouble.

 

I know that the OP traveled awhile ago and was able to get through but it took some lurking and research to find out that having a DUI is an issue regardless and could pose potential headaches and issues.

 

That said I will be staying on the ship when my ship enters Victoria. Its a small price to pay for the mistake that I made.

Edited June 15, 2015 by inotdown

[Putterdude]

Here is a bit of an update that I posted this morning on the above mentioned thread:

 

I have been aware for sometime that there is no legislation that requires a cruise ship to provide a passenger manifest to Canadian Customs (CPB), it was only done on a volunteer basis and only about 35% of the time. Which is why DUI and other offences were only detected occasionally. However, I did some reading on this topic yesterday and found that while there is still no manifest legislation, in 2013 CBP established a protocol that said to the cruise lines either voluntarily provide a manifest or we will clear every passenger one by one in Victoria and other first Canadian ports of call and that process could occur on the ship or at the port. Well, you can only imagine what the delays would be like in Victoria....so it seems the cruise lines are now "voluntarily" providing manifests some 96 hrs before arrival in Victoria affording lots of time for CBP to do their reviews and this is why we have seen an increase in the number of reports of people being told that they must remain on the ship....or if they have outstanding arrest warrants being detained and turned over to local police, likely for deportation to the US or whatever country the are wanted in.

 

With this comes the caveat that a CBP officer has total discretion when it come to who he or she admits.

[cruiseryyc]

Kova - it would be beneficial in your research to find out exactly what the small incident was as that could make a difference on what information you are looking for. For instance, a DUI 27 years ago would be treated quite different from a more serious crime (not implying a DUI isn't serious; just different protocols could be in place for different crimes).

[Putterdude]

I was just out in the garden when it occurred to me that in the post above I referred to CBP, it should read CBSA....CBP being US and CBSA being Canada. Sorry for any confusion that I may have caused.

[gertieginsc]

I have a friend who travels to Canada each year for a vacation trip. He had a DUI many years ago and knew he was taking a chance each time. He finally hired a lawyer and with a great deal of time and money has made his peace with Canada. This was worth it to him so he did not have to worry.

 

That said, my family member who traveled with him just decided to quit going. Now we are cruising from Seward to Vancouver and I must admit I am a little worried. This DUI was over 30 years ago.

 

We will see what happens.....

 

Gertieginsc

[Putterdude]

That said, my family member who traveled with him just decided to quit going. Now we are cruising from Seward to Vancouver and I must admit I am a little worried. This DUI was over 30 years ago.

 

We will see what happens.....

 

Gertieginsc

 

A 30 years old DUI is not likely going to be an issue, after 10 years you will be deemed to have been rehabilitated. If it does come up, answer any questions honestly and if it continues to be a problem with the CBSA officer ask if you could speak with his or her supervisor. The absolute worse situation that could occur would be that you would be told to head directly to the border or YVR with a document to turn in to the CBSA office upon departure from Canada.

[gertieginsc]

A 30 years old DUI is not likely going to be an issue, after 10 years you will be deemed to have been rehabilitated. If it does come up, answer any questions honestly and if it continues to be a problem with the CBSA officer ask if you could speak with his or her supervisor. The absolute worse situation that could occur would be that you would be told to head directly to the border or YVR with a document to turn in to the CBSA office upon departure from Canada.

 

Thanks Putterdude

[dcdisney]

It seems to be very hit or miss. I have a relative who has 2 DUIs and served a year in jail for the 2nd one less than 10 years ago. Against my advice he went to Canada for a wedding (flew) and they didn't hassle him for 1 second. Another relative has every clearance known to man and has never been hassled either but now I'm guessing he'll hit the jackpot on that in Vancouver and miss his flight ;)