POINTS OF ENTRY/HOW TO FIND US

CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION
Here are the requirements that will ensure you the smoothest possible passage into and out of our country. Since import and export laws change from time to time, we recommend you confirm any specific arrangements with the proper government agencies before setting out to help eliminate any inconveniences you might otherwise encounter.

Entry Into Canada/Windsor	Customs Allowances
From U.S. From Other Countries Frequent Travellers Criminal Inadmissibility Canadians Re-Entering Canada Points To Remember	US Bringing Gifts to Canada Returning U.S. Residents Returning Canadian Residents Returning Residents of Other Countries

Duty Free Shops, located on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge respectively, offer a wide variety of items, free of duty and taxes. Each facility also offers Currency Exchange. 

POINTS OF ENTRY / HOW TO FIND US
From elsewhere in Canada:
The southernmost City in Ontario, you can reach Windsor and environs via Hwy.401, which terminates here. Signage for Windsor's Downtown and Tunnel to U.S.A. is clearly marked off Hwy.401 as you near the City, as is signage for the Ambassador Bridge to U.S.A.

From the United States:
Entry to Windsor, Canada, is via either the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or Ambassador Bridge. The Tunnel is the only international subaqueous car tunnel in the world. It has a maximum roadway depth of 75 feet beneath the river surface, is nearly a mile long and is the fast downtown connection between the heart of the City of Windsor and Detroit, Michigan. Transit Windsor also operate a "Tunnel Bus" service which shuttles between Windsor's and Detroit's City Centres, providing quick and easy access.

You can also enter Canada from Sandusky, Ohio by ferry to Kingsville or Leamington via Pelee Island.

IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS - United States Citizens
Crossing has never been simpler!  www.CrossingMadeEasy.com 

As of January 23, 2007: If you are travelling to Canada by air, a valid passport  is necessary for return entry to the U.S. 
(See US State Department for requirements re air travel . )

A passport is presently NOT mandatory for travel by land (vehicle, train or boat) across the Canada/US border.   However, U.S. citizens entering Canada will be required to present proof of U.S. citizenship (i.e. current passport OR birth certificate along with a picture I.D.). Naturalized U.S. citizens should have their naturalization papers or wallet-size certificates. U.S. permanent residents require a valid U.S. Permanent Resident Card or the Resident Alien Card. (Resident aliens are required to carry their cards with them at all times.)

Travellers should also have the appropriate I.D. for all accompanying children.
For more information, contact the Canadian Embassy or Canadian Consulate closest to where you live. In Detroit, the Canadian Consulate may be reached by calling (313) 567-2085 or by visiting www.detroit.gc.ca 

For more information visit
travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1170.html  (*see under VISAS AND TRAVEL DOCUMENTS heading halfway down this page);
or www.cbsa.gc.ca/general/border/faq-e.html 
or call U.S. Immigration at (313) 963-4408 / (313) 568-6020, or Citizenship & Immigration Canada Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Aliens will require an Alien Registration Receipt Card upon returning from a visit to Canada. For this information, contact U.S. Immigration at (313) 963-4408 (bridge) or (313) 568-6020 (tunnel).

Visitors arriving in Canada by private aircraft or private boat may be extended the benefit of reporting to Canada Customs by telephone. Call the nearest CANPASS Processing Centre at 1-888-CANPASS (226-7277).

Frequent travellers may wish to take advantage of the NEXUS program, which enables participants to use dedicated lanes to cross the border more quickly between Canada and the United States. To apply, and for more information, visit the NEXUS web site at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca 

From countries other than the U.S, a valid passport is required in most cases. Citizens of certain countries may require both a valid passport and a valid Canadian Temporary Resident Visa. Contact the Canadian Embassy, Canadian High Commission, or Canadian Consulate in your country before departure to determine any passport and/or visa requirements that may apply. If you are in Canada, questions about entry into Canada may be directed to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 or visit CIC's Web site at www.cic.gc.ca  

CRIMINAL INADMISSIBILITY

Foreign nationals who have criminal convictions in Canada or abroad, should determine if they are inadmissible before travelling to Canada. Foreign nationals should also be aware that entry to Canada may be denied to persons who have committed any act that is considered to be an offense under Canadian laws, such as driving while under the influence of alcohol. To find out more about Canadian laws, please visit the Government of Canada's Department of Justice web site at http://canada.justice.gc.ca  

However, U.S. citizens who have criminal convictions may be allowed to enter Canada, if they:

>have been confirmed "deemed rehabilitated" by a Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) officer at a Port of Entry;
>are eligible and have applied for rehabilitation, and have had their application approved;
>have obtained a Temporary Resident Permit; or
>have received a pardon, if the offence was committed in Canada.

Please visit CIC's web site for more information: www.cic.gc.ca 
(Note: the information in these two paragraphs should not be considered legislation, since this is not a legal document. For exact legal requirements, please consult the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations, available on CIC's web site).

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Many foods and plants, animals, fish and their products, are restricted or prohibited entry into Canada. An import permit is required to bring firewood across the border. Canadian law requires that you declare all such items. The Import Service Centre - part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency - is happy to answer your questions regarding such products, 7 days-a-week. They can be reached at 1-800-835-4486.

Non-residents entering Canada with any type of weapons such as guns, knives, mace, etc., must declare them to Customs and will be given an opportunity to export or abandon them to the Crown. In the event weapons are not declared, they will be seized, forfeited, and criminal charges may be laid. Failure to declare a weapon could possibly make a person inadmissible to Canada and may lead to removal and future prohibitions from entering Canada. Police radar detectors are illegal in Ontario and seat belt use is mandatory.

A certificate of rabies vaccination, issued within the preceding three years, must accompany any pets over three months of age brought into Canada. Seeing Eye dogs are exempt from this requirement.

CANADIANS RE-ENTERING CANADA
Canadian citizens re-entering the country Citizens re-entering the country will be required to present proof of citizenship (i.e. passport or birth certificate along with picture I.D., Certificate of Canadian Citizenship - regular size, along with picture I.D and pocket size -, certificate of Indian Status issued by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, or Canadian emergency passport).

Permanent Residents boarding a commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train and bus) bound for Canada require the wallet-sized, plastic, Permanent Resident Card (PR Card). (This card replaces the IMM 1000 Record of Landing as the status document needed by Canadian permanent residents to board a commercial carrier bound for Canada.) 

Permanent residents not in possession of a PR Card may be required to visit a Canadian embassy or Consulate to obtain a limited-use travel document prior to being allowed to board a commercial carrier. Further information is available by calling the Citizenship and Immigration Canada' s (CIC) Permanent Resident Card call centre at 1-800-255-4541 or visit CIC's Web site at www.cic.gc.ca  

U. S. Residents Bringing Gifts. There is no limit to the number of gifts that may be brought into Canada. However, any individual gift valued at more than $60 Cdn. will incur applicable duties and taxes, as will any gift consisting of tobacco or alcohol products or certain advertising material. (Duty and taxes levied would apply only to the amount in excess of $60 Cdn.)

U.S. residents entering the United States who have been away for more than 48 hours may bring back $800 U.S. worth of goods per person, duty free. One litre of alcohol and one carton of tobacco products are included in this exemption.

For U.S. residents returning after an absence of less than 48 hours, the allowance is $200 U.S. per person. Alcohol and tobacco products are not included in this exemption. For further information, contact any U.S. Customs & Border Protection office (Detroit 313-442-0377) or visit www.cbp.gov  

Canadians returning to Canada from the U.S.,

After each absence of 24 hours or more:
You can claim up to CAN$50 worth of goods without paying any duties. This is your personal exemption. You must have the goods with you when you arrive and you cannot include tobacco products or alcoholic beverages in this exemption. If the goods you bring in are worth more than CAN$50 in total, you cannot claim this exemption. Instead you have to pay full duties on all goods you bring in.

After each absence of 48 hours or more:
You can claim up to CAN$400 worth of goods without paying any duties. You must have the goods with you when you arrive. Although you can include some tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, a partial exemption may apply to cigarettes, tobacco products or manufactured tobacco. 

After each absence of 7 days or more:
You can claim up to CAN$750 worth of goods without paying any duties. Although you can include some tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, a partial exemption may apply to cigarettes, tobacco products or manufactured tobacco. See the section called "Alcohol and tobacco" for more details. With the exception of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, you do not need to have the goods with you when you arrive.

For more information, call Canada Border Services Agency at any time, seven days a week: 

Within Canada - 1-800-461-9999 (English) or 1-800-959-2036 (French);
Outside Canada - (506) 636-5064 (English) or (506) 636-5067 (French)

... or visit their web site at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca 

Canadians entering the United States may take one litre of liquor (must be 21 years of age) and one carton of cigarettes (must be 19 years of age) free of duty.

Citizens of other countries returning to their country of origin should check with that country's Customs officials prior to traveling to Canada, to determine allowances. If already in Canada, contact a Canadian travel agency for assistance or any Duty Free Store.