Immigration & Customs Question - Canada to U.S.

[roothy123]

We will be flying from Vancouver to Dallas, connecting to another flight, and landing in Washington DC. When do we go through Immigration and Customs? American Airlines booked us with a pretty short connection time in Dallas, and my husband is wondering if we'll have to do anything other than get off the plane in Dallas and get on another one! Thanks.

[weathermom]

you will clear US customs in Vancouver.. you just get off the plane like a domestic arrival in Dallas.

[Ephraim]

At most Canadian airports, there is a separate section for US travellers. You pre-clear in Canada and then the flight is considered domestic. In fact, a flight is cancelled and you have to leave that terminal, you have to clear Canadian customs again because you are considered to be in the US once you pass US customs.

 

It's quicker to do customs control in Canada than to make all Canadian flights go through customs in the US. But ensure you leave enough time, you will have to queue to go through US customs then put your luggage though (you must take your luggage through customs yourself.)

[roothy123]

Thanks. Guess we'll be ok, as long as we aren't delayed getting to Vancouver. We're actually traveling from Seattle to Vancouver in the morning and flying out in the afternoon. I'm debating between Quick Coach (their first bus) and renting a car in Seattle and driving it to Vancouver - again would be very early morning. Has anyone had experience in getting from Seattle to Vancouver using Quick Coach? I'm wondering if the border crossing for Quick Coach is pretty quick or if they hold you there for a while since there are (I assume) a lot of passengers to clear instead of just a carload of passengers.

[Urban trekker]

Go with the bus - it has a separate lane to go through and while you are dealing with 40 or 50 people it will move along fairly fast - have used the service on a couple of occasions. They factor in border waits in their schedule. You will have to take your luggage through the lineup with you - the driver will unload your luggage but you must accompany it through the lineup.

 

With a car it can be a breeze or a heartache - you never know who is in the var in front of you and never know when an the agent will decide to go over every car from top to bottom.

 

Hopes this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[LeftcoastBC]

Thanks. Guess we'll be ok, as long as we aren't delayed getting to Vancouver. We're actually traveling from Seattle to Vancouver in the morning and flying out in the afternoon. I'm debating between Quick Coach (their first bus) and renting a car in Seattle and driving it to Vancouver - again would be very early morning. Has anyone had experience in getting from Seattle to Vancouver using Quick Coach? I'm wondering if the border crossing for Quick Coach is pretty quick or if they hold you there for a while since there are (I assume) a lot of passengers to clear instead of just a carload of passengers.

 

Car rental would be fine. Early Morning at the border North bound is minimal wait almost everyday. Early in prior to 8 AM

[JerseyGirl1]

Last Saturday we disembarked from the Sapphire Princess and took the Quick Coach 9:40 express bus

 

The Quickcoach staff and driver were very helpful and friendly. That said, due to increased security at the border it has taken buses up to six hours to get through inspection in recent weeks, not including travel time.

 

Our 9:40 bus rolled into the Seattle airport at 3pm and we had even been "waved through" at the border so we didn't have to get off the bus for inspection. My two cents? If you have to get to Seattle, Quickcoach is great just allow plenty of time....

[roothy123]

Well, it sounds like I may or may not make it to Vancouver on Quick Coach in time for my flight, and I may or may not make my connection in Dallas....ugh to both. Maybe I'll just rent a car and drive across the border at night.....

[Langley Cruisers]

Please know that you can't rent a car and just drive it into Canada and drop it off without a hefty drop off fee. I used to work for a car rental agency and the fee back then was quite hefty, up to $150.00 to leave the car across the border. You see, each city is franchised and owns their own fleet of cars; when one of their cars is driven to another city and dropped there, it sits there until it is rented back again. It can sit in a "foreign" city for several days or even weeks, with no revenue. It might be OK from city to city, but international drops can be costly.

 

One time, my daughter missed her connecting bus due to a situation at the border with one of the passengers on her bus. Delays can happen in rental cars and in buses.

 

Is there any way at all you could change your flight from Vancouver - Dallas to Seattle - Dallas?

[LeftcoastBC]

Please know that you can't rent a car and just drive it into Canada and drop it off without a hefty drop off fee. I used to work for a car rental agency and the fee back then was quite hefty, up to $150.00 to leave the car across the border. You see, each city is franchised and owns their own fleet of cars; when one of their cars is driven to another city and dropped there, it sits there until it is rented back again.

 

This is not a problem any more for most of the name companies between Seattle and Vancouver at all. There are very reasonable rates.

[Langley Cruisers]

^ ^ Well, a quick search of the possibilities and I found a half-day car rental, drop off charge, taxes, extras included, would still come to well over $150.00. It's an expensive option, for sure. Just mentioned it as a heads-up... some might think it was cheap, and it certainly isn't that, IMO. :)

[roothy123]

Yes, I noticed around the same price when I did a limited search. It was around $150 I think. However, for my case, when you add the cost of two Quick Coach seats, and possibly a cab ride from the hotel to the airport and where I need to pick up QC, it comes out to at least a hundred dollars, so that expensive car rental isn't as bad as it seemed initially. I think I'll just make a tentative car reservation today and then ask my husband whether he'd prefer to cancel the res and make one with QC or just get the car and drive!