Entering the USA from Canada by car

[Great Dane]

Hello

I know about the ESTA requirements but they onlky apply if arriving to the USA by ship or air. My british wife is entering the USA by car from Canada. Will she be issued with a I-94 at the border?

Please help me

Tnak you

Michael

[Deva Link]

Great Dane said:

Hello

I know about the ESTA requirements but they onlky apply if arriving to the USA by ship or air. My british wife is entering the USA by car from Canada. Will she be issued with a I-94 at the border?

Please help me

Tnak you

Michael

Short answer: Yes.

My experience:
We did it at Niagara Falls a few years ago - just wanted to pop across for a couple of hours and it was a right palava. I assumed it would just be done at the booth as we drove through but the guy kept our passports and we had to go into a big waiting room to be called for an interview - they interviewed everyone, we weren't singled out. Took about 1.5hrs. I tried to say forget it, we'll just go back but they wouldn't let us. Has to pay $10 or so each too, but we had just got a sales tax rebate on the Canada side.

[miln0039]

It must be 4 years since I did the crossing by car, from Manitoba to North Dakota. It was a weekday mid morning and they were pretty quiet. You'll pull up at the barrier (where if you're a US citizen you can be dealt with in the car) - however, as a Brit you'll be pulled into the office/an inspection bay.

It didn't take more than 20 minutes to check documents, fill in the forms and be issued with the relevant stamps. They ran a few more background checks than they would at the airport and asked a few more probing questions but at this post the guys were pretty relaxed (except the guy on the barrier who was a bit mean!). Do expect to have the car turned over whilst you sit in room next door though, so if you don't want any trouble I'd suggest entering without Russian cigarettes and lots of beer..(this was another source of awkwardness/amusement).

All in all, I didn't find it too challenging - but it may depend on which crossing you use. I'd avoid Detroit-Windsor as a point of entry though...BIG QUEUES.

[YRRunner]

Depending on where you cross the border, depends on how loose or otherwise they will be. They WILL issue her an i-94 and WILL want to see that she has a dated return airline ticket and enough funds to support her length of stay. The US are acutely aware of Brits using Canadian borders as a way of getting to the US with the intention of "overstaying" their visa'a. How long is she planning to stay? They are a little more lax if she's in a Canadian rental car, although its been known for these cars to get dumped once across the border in Washington state, or more likely California.

[Deva Link]

YRRunner said:

The US are acutely aware of Brits using Canadian borders as a way of getting to the US with the intention of "overstaying" their visa'a.

During the crossing we made, a Canadian girl was in tears as they knew she had overstayed on a previous occasion. The answers she was giving were all over the place, and I thought there was no way they were going to let her in, but they did!

[YRRunner]

Deva Link said:

YRRunner said:

The US are acutely aware of Brits using Canadian borders as a way of getting to the US with the intention of "overstaying" their visa'a.

During the crossing we made, a Canadian girl was in tears as they knew she had overstayed on a previous occasion. The answers she was giving were all over the place, and I thought there was no way they were going to let her in, but they did!

The US INS are not quite as fussed about Canadians as they are about the British. They regularly cross eachothers borders just to go shopping in Bellingham or Vancouver. If you overstay by days or even a couple of weeks - no real hassle. But if it's months, or you are on record as having previously overstayed in the US, then its "hello Blighty" on the next available seat (for which you will be billed later). What's worse is, they'll physically put you on the plane before taking the handcuffs off! It happened to a girlfriend of mine. Highly embarrassing I'm sure. Once deported you can kiss any future visits to the US goodbye, unless you wanna go via Tijuana or similar Mexican town and pay for a "coyote", who will probably want to rape you along the way!

Anyhow, we're getting away from the point here as we don't know the OP's circumstances.

[Thunderace]

We've crossed from BC-Washington State and back a few times in hire cars. It can depend on which crossing point and the time of day. It's taken as little as 5 minutes of form filling on a backroads crossing or the delights of sitting in a 3 hour queue a couple of years ago. The car may be searched, finger prints are scanned, can't remember the exact cost - it's about $10-20 dollars to enter the US, no charge back into Canada. No-one's ever asked us for proof of onward travel but I guess it could happen

Crossing the border

[sawman]

as others have said, she will need to buy the little green docket at the border, it usually means going into the border control office and speaking to a burly man with a gun and giving him a visa card

[Great Dane]

My wife is meeting up with her sister in Canada at relations (the sister is British living in the USA legit with a green card) before they return to Cincinnati a couple of days later in my ssister-in-laws' us car My wife flies back to the UK ten days later ...

Thanks for your help much appreciated

Michael

[sawman]

probably worth keeping her return flight ticket handy, and she will need to give address at which she is staying in the US.