Any Canadians - Have you done a Canadian cruise out of New York?

[FigmentSpark]

I was looking at the fall cruises to Nova Scotia, et al, out of New York. I've only been to that part of Canada once and it was for work, so it might be nice to cruise and tour the area. My question, however, is regarding customs. As a Canadian citizen, each time I would exit the ship, I'd be going into Canada and each time I re-enter the ship, leaving Canada. How is this handled from a customs perspective? Presumably, I'm not declaring goods as if I was re-entering my country and staying, or do I?

Any Canadians done this cruise - can you explain? Thanks.

 

[Belle2002]

I am Canadian, and although I haven't done this particular cruise, I have done similar cruises. I did a Canada/New England Cruise a couple of years ago on Holland America - we cruised from Montreal to Boston. When we reached our first US port of call everyone on the ship had to go through immigration. This was all done on the ship. When you arrive at your first cross border port, customs officers come on board the ship and then everyone goes through immigration. It's pretty seamless.
I did the same when I did an Eastern Caribbean cruise. When we reached the US Virgin Islands, the entire ship had to go through immigration, again, totally seamless and very easy as it's all done on the ship before anyone is allowed to disembark.

 

[msmama]

I'm not Canadian but I did the Canadian cruise from NY. Like PP said, it's seemless and done behind the scenes. That said I know there were people who were notified that they needed to meet with officials/ had to be screened extra before leaving the ship so in guessing if there were issues you'd be notified. And I'm fairly certain they knew this the evening before (because that's when I heard about it).

Rennet Disney has all your info in advance so while you've technically cleared immigration it's not like you really go though customs (like at an airport or border crossing) each time.

 

[MaleficentRN]

I wouldn't stress it. It's basically a couple of guys that glance at your passport when you get on and off.

 

[FigmentSpark]

But when I come back from that trip and have to tell the customs guy how long I've been out of the country, I can't say 7 days (and get the full $800 claim), as I would be entering the country each time. And if I bought souvenirs in a Canadian port, I guess I wouldn't have to claim it anyway.

Maybe this works the reverse for Americans doing an Alaskan trip? You leave the country, but come back to your country when you get off in a port, then leave again to return to Vancouver.

Yes, I am stressing the little things... I do that.

 

[keaster]

Not to get too off topic...but I never considered booking one of the DCL canadian cruises. Because I figured, why pay a higher price for a vacation in the exchange rate when I could just fly to the Maritimes and do my own vacation in Canadian funds?

And yes, I wouldn't stress about the whole customs thing too much

 

[Belle2002]

I wouldn't worry at all about the whole customs thing. When you enter Canada on the ship it is strictly an immigration procedure. No declaration form or customs portion to this. As for your time away - even though you are sailing to Canada, you are on a US vessel and in international waters, so it should all count as out of country travel. If you are flying in and out of the US, I wouldn't worry about anything.

 

[Markonefive]

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/declare-eng.html#_s8b3. Couldn't find an answer. So why not contact one of my fellow federal Canadian public servants and ask them?
"... we encourage you to contact the CBSA by email at contact@cbsa.gc.ca or through the Border Information Service line at 1-800-461-9999."

One of your options, by the way, is take whatever Canadian souvenir you buy, stop at a convenient post office outlet, and mail it to yourself at your Canadian home address, duty free and worry free . . .

 

[FigmentSpark]

Hopefully, I wouldn't have to claim my Canadian souvenirs, but if I wanted a day or two of shopping in New York, the amount of time I'm out of the country becomes important to what I'm allowed to claim. Anyway, thanks for the link. I've sent off an email.

 

[gilsan]

Hopefully, I wouldn't have to claim my Canadian souvenirs, but if I wanted a day or two of shopping in New York, the amount of time I'm out of the country becomes important to what I'm allowed to claim. Anyway, thanks for the link. I've sent off an email.

You only need to be out of Canada for 48hours to claim $800. http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/declare-eng.html#_s8b2

 

[FigmentSpark]

Oh! Good point! I was thinking it was 7 days.

 

[FigmentSpark]

So for any who are interested... here is the answer from Canada Customs:

If at any time during your trip to the United States (U.S.) you re-enter Canada, you will no longer be considered absent from Canada and you will be entitled only to the exemption based on the time you actually spent abroad. Please see the publication I Declare for additional information on exemption periods:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/declare-eng.html#_s8

Once you exit Canada to continue your trip in the U.S., a new absence period will start and you may then be eligible for another exemption based on that absence.

Please note that in order to avail yourself of the first applicable exemption, any purchases you plan on bringing into Canada under this exemption must accompany you upon your re-entry to Canada. You then have the option of shipping those goods back to your home in Canada or bringing them back to the U.S. temporarily in order to continue your trip.

If you are planning on taking the declared goods back to the U.S., please ensure that you obtain written proof of your declaration for those goods from the border services officer (BSO). This is necessary in order for you to be able to re-import these goods back into Canada duty and tax free. The BSO may document your goods on Form BSF192, Personal Exemption CBSA Declaration, or Form B15 or BSF715, Casual Goods Accounting Document, indicating the applicable exemption. Both documents will have to list your declared goods in detail for adequate identification upon your subsequent return into Canada. To assist the BSO in identifying the declared items, it is advisable that you prepare a detailed list of all the goods imported under the first exemption that you intend to bring back into Canada at the end of your trip.

At that time, those goods would be considered to be Canadian goods returning and no duty and taxes will apply. Once the first set of goods is declared and documented, you may also obtain Form Y38 or BSF407, Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation, for items that have serial numbers or other identifying marks. Please note that the BSO may also choose to mark some of your declared items with a sticker or a stamp for identification purposes.

Please note that alcoholic beverages and tobacco products cannot be listed on either Form BSF192 or Form Y38/BSF407. If you are importing alcoholic beverages and/or tobacco products that were declared in a previous entry to Canada, you will need to satisfy the BSO that these goods were once accounted for. To avoid paying additional duty and taxes on a subsequent entry into Canada, travellers are recommended to carry proof of importation of these goods depending on the circumstance, such as a receipt or a Form B15 or BSF715, the Casual Goods Accounting Document, which is issued when duties or taxes are paid on a personal importation.
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Are there similar rules for Americans on Alaskan cruises?

 

[Markonefive]

As a Canadian federal civil servant, I am never surprised at how complicated bureaucracies and lawyers can make the simplest thing. The amount of paperwork you are going to have to do for say $50 of various souvenirs for "re-entering" Canada is ridiculous and has no value added as far as the minuscule amount of duties that would be paid or for ensuring border security. Well, you may want to check on-line for Form Y38, BSF407, B15 and BSF715 before you go just so you can see what they look like. On the plus side, I'm glad you received a prompt response and an answer.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Thanks. It occurred to me that if I was doing 48 hours before the cruise and then again after the cruise, I would have 2 chances to claim the $800, as long as I was willing to go through customs with my purchases at my first Canadian port.