Entry To Canada

[TM]

We are taking an Alaska cruise starting and ending in Vancouver in August.  Other than a passport, do we need to fill out or apply for any documents in advance?

[SCX22]

The ArriveCan app is now optional.

 

You will have to fill out a paper Canadian Customs Declaration form which will be provided by the ship.  You will also have to fill one out if arriving by air and the form will be provided on the airplane before you land.

 

As long as you have a U.S. passport, you that's the customs form is the only thing you'll need.  Can speak for passport holders of other countries.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, TM said:

We are taking an Alaska cruise starting and ending in Vancouver in August.  Other than a passport, do we need to fill out or apply for any documents in advance?

 

50 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

The ArriveCan app is now optional.

 

You will have to fill out a paper Canadian Customs Declaration form which will be provided by the ship.  You will also have to fill one out if arriving by air and the form will be provided on the airplane before you land.

 

As long as you have a U.S. passport, you that's the customs form is the only thing you'll need.  Can speak for passport holders of other countries.

Some of the above is rather out of date.  Canada has eliminate the paper document and declarations are done on terminals at the airport.  The paper document was not used for land ports of entry.  I am not sure if any airports would still be using the paper document any longer, but certainly not YVR.  

 

If a ship arrival at end of cruise still uses them, well, that's an exception case.

 

IMO, I would delete ArriveCAN app from your smartphone.  I did the minute it was no longer required.  Don't want the government having access to anything they don't need.

[Colorado Coasty]

When we arrived in Vancouver last month, the ship provided declaration forms that where collected by an agent in the terminal as we walked by. That was it.

[Coral]

I recently did a Vancouver RT 11 night cruise on the Crown Princess which included a stop in Victoria.

 

I did have the ArriveCan app but did not use it.

 

When I arrived in Canada - we were sent to terminals where we scanned the passport and it printed out something that we handed to someone. 

 

On the ship - a few days before the arrival into Victoria, we were given a paper customs or immigration form. It had to be turned in by a certain date. Turned into our room steward or into Guest Services. When we arrived in Victoria - nothing was done. We just walked off the ship like normal. 

 

When we arrived in Vancouver the next day - we had already cleared in Victoria so nothing had to be done in Vancouver.

 

We then went to the airport and dealt with US Customs. I hope this helps. Not sure if you are doing a 10 night or 11 night cruise. 

 

There is nothing you need to do in advance - just have your passport.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Coral

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Some of the above is rather out of date.  Canada has eliminate the paper document and declarations are done on terminals at the airport.  The paper document was not used for land ports of entry.  I am not sure if any airports would still be using the paper document any longer, but certainly not YVR.  

 

If a ship arrival at end of cruise still uses them, well, that's an exception case.

 

IMO, I would delete ArriveCAN app from your smartphone.  I did the minute it was no longer required.  Don't want the government having access to anything they don't need.

We did use the paper document on the ship for our arrival into Victoria (we turned it into Guest Services). The next day we exited Vancouver and did not have to do anything.

 

This was for an 11 night RT Vancouver cruise with the 2nd to last day of the cruise being Victoria and then next day disembarking in Vancouver. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by Coral

[Coral]

2 hours ago, SCX22 said:

You will also have to fill one out if arriving by air and the form will be provided on the airplane before you land.

This was not provided on my flight from the US. We got off the plane and were directed to passport scanning machines that asked us questions and printed out a document that we handed to someone.

[Nightowl11]

What questions do they ask on the scanner?  i saw a video awhile back that someone brought 2 laptops with him on his trip, one personal and one for work.  They made him pay fees/taxes/penalties  for the second one since they didn't believe that they were both for him.  They said that he was going to leave it, like it was a gift for someone.  What exactly do you have to declare?  Do you have to list all your electronics and jewelry over the $800 even though its personal and not gifts?

[Coral]

1 minute ago, Nightowl11 said:

What questions do they ask on the scanner?  i saw a video awhile back that someone brought 2 laptops with him on his trip, one personal and one for work.  They made him pay fees/taxes/penalties  for the second one since they didn't believe that they were both for him.  They said that he was going to leave it, like it was a gift for someone.  What exactly do you have to declare?  Do you have to list all your electronics and jewelry over the $800 even though its personal and not gifts?

When I did the scanner - I had just landed in Vancouver and had nothing to declare. I remember asking me what language and to verify that my information on the passport was accurate. I don't remember much more.

 

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/border-tech-frontiere/how-comment-eng.html 

 

When I was leaving from the cruise (so US Customs at Vancouver airport), I used the machines again in a line that was marked for Global Entry. The machine malfunctioned and told me to see an agent. The agent asked if the machine didn't work and commented that they had been temperamental lately. He then asked if I had anything to declare and I mentioned $50. That was it.

 

Sorry - I am not a high spender. I did have 1 laptop, 1 iPad, 2 iPhones and a kindle and was not questioned.

[suekel]

I stopped in Canada a few times last year.  Prince Rupert, New Brunswick and Halifax.  For all of them, we just walked in without showing anything to anyone.  ArriveCan was still in effect for Prince Rupert so we just filled that out on the app but no need anymore.  

[martincath]

18 hours ago, Nightowl11 said:

...Do you have to list all your electronics and jewelry over the $800 even though its personal and not gifts?

You don't HAVE to, but if you're bringing a bunch of really expensive stuff and want to avoid even the super-tiny chance of being dinged for duty payments you CAN declare that you have such things and intend to take them back out of Canada again (which you can claim back afterward - for foreigners, simply taking them back out of the country again is proof that they were not given away or sold within Canada; for Residents we need proof of prior ownership within Canada to avoid import duties so it's much more likely we would be hassled than a tourist).

 

The kiosk options though are for 'normal' travel as a visitor - for 'temporary importation declarations' you'd need to speak to CBSA directly, and frankly if you do start listing your watches, rings, laptops, cameras, designer handbags etc. they will probably just cut you off and ask whether you intend to give them away or sell them, then tell you to b*gger off when you say "no" because the paperwork is a bear! Serial numbers, dates and prices of purchase, where it was made and bought - you're supposed to supply the info, but they need to verify it so it comes down to a cost/benefit analysis of "Does this make us income from duty that is worth the time and hassle of the forms?" and since by definition a temporary import never makes money because at best they gain Duty but have to refund it again... I've yet to meet any CBSA person who can be bothered!

 

Relevant-but-lengthy personal examples follow - you certainly don't need to read them but they may put your mind further at rest about how low-risk CBSA deem foreigners flying to to take a cruise then go home again are in terms of Customs issues...

 

Re: border rules, declarations, etc. we've declared permanent and temporary importation of loads of stuff on multiple occasions - having immigrated here, and owning properties both sides of the border, sometimes things we bought for our Portland pad get brought up to Vancouver or vice versa for temporary stays as well as permanent relocation. On top of all the standard customs declaration issues we have NEXUS which means if we ever fail to declare anything we could lose that incredibly-valuable time-saving status, so my already-keen Pedant Sense kicks into the highest possible gear in such situations... the first time we brought stuff over the border post-NEXUS I researched thoroughly, found the correct forms, filled them out completely (down to country of manufacture as well as purchase of every item so that NAFTA rules were correctly accounted for too!) and the border agent just about pooped their pants. He stared at the forms a few seconds, asked me what the heck this was all about, I said "Your website indicated this was the right way to cross all the i's and dot the t's about bringing our stuff across the border to be fully compliant with all the rules" and he just looked at my "Total Duty Payable" entry ($0; everything over the $800 limit was NAFTA-exempt) and waved us on as I watched him tear the form up in my rear-view!!! Since then, we have given only verbal declarations that have become simplified to the point of now just saying "Nothing we do not intend to bring back over the border with us on our return" when asked "Anything to declare?" (unless we are actually importing something permanently of course!) and then waiting to see if we are asked any other questions - I still make sure I can easily supply the needed info if asked, but "Only answer what you are asked without volunteering anything extra" is the golden rule of all interactions at borders.

 

Re: your 'Mister Two Laptops' story, I would guess that he was snarky to the CBSA person who decided on some petty revenge... every corporate-issued laptop I've ever seen has some kind of identifying tag so the company can keep track of their stuff. My wife has traveled with her work laptop and a personal one for over 20 years to many countries and has been asked "why two?" many times - simply pointing to the label with <Company>ItemID/barcode and saying "I'm on call as needed for work" has never failed to be accepted anywhere - although US CBP almost always follow up with "Are any of your clients American?" to ensure we don't also need some sort of working visa on the immigration front!

Edited June 9, 2023 by martincath

[RV Queen]

We have an Alaskan RT cruise from San Fran with a stop in Victoria. Will we have to do something before or after Victoria?  

[martincath]

21 minutes ago, RV Queen said:

We have an Alaskan RT cruise from San Fran with a stop in Victoria. Will we have to do something before or after Victoria?  

Customs declaration form beforehand - might be in the cabin on embarkation, might be handed out during the cruise, but they'll confirm a deadline for dropping off your completed forms (usually just at the main customer service desk, but your line may have their own procedures). This info, along with the IDs of all onboard from the manifest, gets transmitted to CBSA just after the ship leaves the last US port before Victoria, so usually the deadline for declaration forms is no later than the night before that port stop.

 

Assuming nobody in your party declares anything expensive you intend to leave in Canada and nobody has a criminal record, you probably won't hear anything else and you can walk off the ship when it docks, possibly without even seeing any CBSA officials standing around. Folks who do need interviewed for either a Customs (My Stuff Is Problematic) or Immigration (I Am Problematic) reason will most likely find their names called over the tannoy to report to X location onboard just after docking - CBSA will send an agent or several aboard to chat with these folks before they can disembark.

 

Depending how those interviews go you may be welcomed to Canada and can join your fellow pax in disembarking, told to stay onboard if you've been naughty in the past so are not welcome to visit Canada (and your ship card flagged to sound alarms when scanned at the gangplank if you try to sneak off), asked to pay some Duty if you are planning to give away/sell stuff to Canadians (probably politely escorted off to the pier office for that), or worst-case if you have an open warrant for a crime perhaps cuffed up and jailed while extradition is arranged to wherever it is that wants you! Note that US authorities share access to their criminal databases with us and vice versa - plenty of Americans find out the hard way every year that we treat DUIs a heckuvalot more seriously than our cousins south of the border do!

 

If you ever cruised with a Victoria stop in the past, and wondered what the heck the delay between docking and the first pax being allowed off was, it probably means at least one of your fellow pax was a criminal (by local standards) and CBSA wanted the chance to deal with them without any risk of them sneaking off using someone else's card... nobody allowed off means no chance of anyone sneaking ashore! If the same name(s) get repeatedly called on the tannoy during that delay, then that someone likely knows they've been naughty but foolishly thinks that just staying aboard means Canada won't care... nope! If we know you've been naughty, at the very least we want to shame you to your face for it - which is good, because in many cases of relatively minor offences from long ago your interview might see you 'Deemed Rehabilitated' and now you'll be able to cross the border in future without having to pay the money and wait a long time for a 'pardon' for those past indiscretions!