Crossing the border from Seattle to Vancouver for our Alaska cruise

[Alisa0934]

It has been a long time since I have crossed the border from Seattle to Vancouver. Is the wait really long on a Saturday? Do they go through all your things? How strict are they about the alcohol policy? I really don't want to buy alcohol in Vancouver because it is soooooo expensive. Thanks!!!

 

[bcwife76]

What time would you be crossing into Canada on the Saturday? At the moment the waits are minimal but still, around 5pm or so you can expect it to be a bit busier. They don't go through your belongings unless you give them a reason to pull you over and search you. So just answer their questions honestly and there is no reason for them to pull you over.
I can't answer the alcohol question; as a Canadian crossing into Canada I know how much I'm allowed to bring back etc, but as an American visiting Canada I don't know.

 

[xlxo]

3am is not an issue.... 9pm on long weekend... need to pace your bathroom breaks for potential hours without a restroom (bring an empty bottle?). Weekends can be bad between 5pm and 10pm. Here's a site to give you an idea on what to expected...
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/ATIS/historical.aspx

I usually check this site in Bellingham. If it looks nasty, I look for a Bellingham restaurant to chill a few hours before attempting the border.
http://www.wsdot.com/traffic/border/

 

[Ovloubet]

We just crossed over for the 1st time ever yesterday (Saturday) - we crossed at about 3pm. We waited about 10-15 min. That's it. I expected it to take longer. It was my husband, our 9 y.o. son, & me. We are sticklers for rules so we only bought 2 bottles of wine per adult (@ the Trader Joe's in Bellingham) because that's what my husband read was the allowance for US citizens entering Canada. They didn't check anything at the border...I'm not sure if this is common when you travel with a young child, but that's how it was for us.

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

If you go super late at night the line will be short. Otherwise plan on a pretty significant line. We've crossed the boarder quite a lot and our waits have been anywhere from 45 minutes to 4.5 hours.

They generally won't search your stuff unless you look suspicious or nervous or give them a reason to doubt you.

That being said NEVER lie to them. If you have something you aren't supposed to and you tell them, usually they just let you go with a warning to not do it again. If they catch you in a lie you can face some serious fines or be turned around. I wouldn't chance it on something as small as alcohol.

Check the rules about how much you can bring over and if you need to pay any taxes or fees for bringing it with you. Often they won't even bother with the taxes and fees if you declare everything and the tax/fee you would pay is small. We've crossed many times with taxable goods (which we declared) just to be waived through and not charged a fee.

Good luck and I hope you have a great trip!

EDIT: Oh! Another tip! If it is super crowded at the Peace Arch entry point, you can go to the Pacific Highway Crossing instead. We've had luck crossing at the Pacific Highway Crossing with short lines even when the Peace Arch is really backed up.

 

[xlxo]

In general once you are past the long queues, inspections by car is quick as there is so many vehicles to process. However, they do random detailed spot checks.... that can be long. I've been through a few of those... Just remember they are doing their jobs and don't take it personal.... especially when they ask for your firearms.

Check out these vids on ideas on what security are sensitive to. The good news is there is no death penalty for border mistakes. Just smile to the cameras.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEgs-wtoTRANkOcl_wmG9qw/search?query=canada

 

[NEGeekymama]

We fly from the states to Canada to visit our family there. Y

You can bring:

Two bottles of wine, OR

40oz of liquor, OR

A 24 pack of beer

Anything beyond that will be subject to duty.

Always, always, always declare if they ask you.

In my experience, road crossings going from the U.S. to Canada were more laid back than the other way around.

 

[AquaDame]

We cross fairly frequently (we have family in Vancouver and I loooove going on trips to Victoria or Vancouver!) and the longest I have waited has been 45 minutes - 9pm crossing on a Friday night. The WORST was a two hour wait through the Peace Arch over Labor Day weekend when I was a kid. That was nuts... usually its 15-30 minutes and we have hit it all over the board - including early afternoon on a Saturday when we sailed Alaska last year. As someone said, you can look up the current wait times online before you cross. Won't save you from hopping in line on the way back but we typically start getting service again once we are nearer the border and start checking emails/finishing our last double double and polishing off the remnants of our TimBits.

There is always a chance they will choose you for inspection, regardless of you setting off any red flags or not. Usually they won't, and sometimes all they do is open your trunk and peek inside - not a full blown inspection.

We honestly didn't think alcohol prices were that much higher than they are at home, but to make it easier to swallow (haha) we chose things we can't get at home. Not as special now that we'll be getting Havana Club on our shelves here now, but at the time my goodness it was such a treat! On the way home we told them we had a few bottles of rum and some beer (we didn't get into specifics) and were waved through. I'm pretty sure we were under anyway, but they didn't check. When we came back from the Southern Caribbean however we were over by a nice bit ("Six it be! Six bottles o' rum!") and even though we told them exactly what we had they didn't charge us the fee they should have (my husband thought it was something lame like $1.20). I think its pretty lax based on those two experiences, but YMMV. We are certainly not the big fish they are looking for with our measly personal consumption...

 

[MUN]

It has been a long time since I have crossed the border from Seattle to Vancouver. Is the wait really long on a Saturday? Do they go through all your things? How strict are they about the alcohol policy? I really don't want to buy alcohol in Vancouver because it is soooooo expensive. Thanks!!!

When we did it last year, the wait was minimal. No, they didn't go through all of our things, but I suppose they have the right to do that.

 

[MUN]

We honestly didn't think alcohol prices were that much higher than they are at home, but to make it easier to swallow (haha) we chose things we can't get at home. Not as special now that we'll be getting Havana Club on our shelves here now, but at the time my goodness it was such a treat!

I agree, I thought it tasted better because it was the forbidden fruit. I'm not sure I will buy it when it will legally available in the US.

 

[Lcluney]

How about taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver and going thru customs there?

 

[SuperDry]

We honestly didn't think alcohol prices were that much higher than they are at home, but to make it easier to swallow (haha) we chose things we can't get at home. Not as special now that we'll be getting Havana Club on our shelves here now, but at the time my goodness it was such a treat!

You brought Cuban rum purchased in Canada back into the US? If that was prior to last Dec, that was a BIG no-no, even if it was under the duty-free limit.

 

[MUN]

You brought Cuban rum purchased in Canada back into the US? If that was prior to last Dec, that was a BIG no-no, even if it was under the duty-free limit.

Whoops, me too. Sorry, I forgot Cuba was our enemy last year.

 

[AquaDame]

You brought Cuban rum purchased in Canada back into the US? If that was prior to last Dec, that was a BIG no-no, even if it was under the duty-free limit.

The Cuban didn't make it to Skagway, the poor bottle. For the greater good. We also found English Harbour and a few others as well that are OK in the US but couldn't be found in my particular state... at least at the time.

Edited to add for anyone going this year who is reading this, in December 2014 they changed the rules and you may now import Cuban tobacco and liquor into the US valued up to $100 combined. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/yo...n-cigars-rum-legally-2014-12-17?reflink=zacks