Still much confusion and disinformation over these customs and border protection topics. Part of the confusion are the different requirements for different actions from two different governments involved. Lets get that straight first, and as far as the I-68 form - this is language from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website on the
Canadian Border Boat Landing (I-68) Program:
There is no requirement that boaters obtain Form I-68. However, boaters who choose not to obtain Form I-68 must report, in person, for inspection by a CBP Officer at a port-of-entry each time they enter the United States. See below from Pleasure Boat Reporting Requirements for how CBP defines that you have entered the United States by boat in the way that requires that you report to CBP for inspection.
What Everyone Must Know:- There are Canadian government requirements for when you leave U.S. waters and cross into Canadian waters.
- There are United States government requirements for when you leave Canadian waters and cross into U.S. waters.
- There are Canadian government requirements if you land on Canadian soil from U.S. land or water.
- There are United States government requirements if you land on U.S. soil from Canadian land (or water under certain circumstances).
The first three are the ones most of us will be impacted by most often on the Lake St. Clair system unless you are someone who never leaves U.S. waters after launching from the U.S. In that case, none of this applies to you of course.
DISCLAIMER: Nothing I post can guarantee what will happen in your specific situation. I contact official numbers and pull information from official websites. They are subject to change, interpretation and exceptions that can't all be covered here. Everyone who boats on or crosses international borders is responsible to know each country's border requirements.Rather than try to cover every single possibility, I'm going to address the most common situation we find ourselves contending with when fishing the Lake St. Clair system (SCRLSCDR - St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River) - particularly launching from somewhere in the U.S. and boating across the International border without actually landing in Canada. I touch on a little more but requirements WILL be different than below if you launch from Canada and come to the U.S., or you are not a U.S. citizen.
Approximate Definitions:Entering (or Arriving in) Canada for our purposes on the SCRLSCDR system lately means crossing the International border by any means from the U.S. onto Canada water whether you actually 'land in Canada' or not.
Landing in Canada generally means, but is not limited to - stepping onto Canadian soil, tying to or boarding a Canadian-registered boat or having someone board your boat from a Canadian-registered boat, possibly anchoring or planting poles (Power-Pole, Talon) into Canadian bottomland under the SCRLSCDR system, tying to a Canadian dock or marina, taking on any property or persons from a Canadian/foreign boat into your boat.
Entering (or Arriving in) the U.S. for our purposes on the SCRLSCDR system means crossing the International border from Canadian water onto U.S. water.
Note: There are different requirements for Landing in Canada by water than by air or by land, particularly if you are towing a boat. You will need to review U.S. Customs and Border Protection information and Canadian Border Services Agency information to make sure you are compliant.
General Note:All of the special programs that assist with border crossings from the U.S. to Canada, or Canada to the U.S. for boating require that everyone on board has the same pre-approved program membership for the program exception to be valid. That goes for the
CANPASS program (Canadian program), the
Canadian Border Boat Landing (I-68) Program (U.S. program) or
NEXUS (joint U.S. - Canada program). For draw tournaments and pro-am / boater-co-angler tournaments this won't really work in most cases.
Please read the following three sections closely as they apply to all of us - unless EVERYONE on your boat that particular trip is a registered, card-carrying member of the CANPASS or NEXUS programs whereupon you can call in early by following the program guidelines (I-68 only applies to returning to the U.S. not entering/arriving or landing in Canada):Entering or Arriving in CanadaIf you are a U.S. citizen and you leave a U.S. port/boat launch by boat to fish on the SCRLSCDR system, if you Enter Canada by water by crossing the International border and you do not plan on landing on Canadian soil you must immediately stop and contact the Canadian Telephone Reporting Centre at 1-888-CANPASS (226-7277). You only have to call once per day as long as you do NOT take on additional persons or any goods. You will need your MC number, the names, citizenship and DOB of everyone on board (Canadian format yyyy/mm/dd). You will be asked a series of questions. After recording the information provided, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer at the TRC will determine whether further verification or examination is required. If no examination is necessary, the CBSA officer will provide a report number to the owner/operator. Write that number down and keep it with you all day. You do not have to report again that day unless you take on someone else or reportable goods onto your boat. If you land on U.S. soil and go back into Canadian water that day you must report in. Most people report that this process gets easier and faster each time you do it. See the
Reporting Requirements for Private Boaters Fact Sheet for the latest accurate official information from Canada. Make sure you read:
Never leave home without acceptable identification and
Identification documents required, and take additional work in this area very serious if you intend to take anyone under 18 into Canadian water - see
Bringing children into Canada.
Failure to report may result in detention, seizure or forfeiture of the vessel and/or monetary penalties. The minimum fine for failing to report to the CBSA upon entry to Canada is CAN$1,000. This has happened to at least two boaters that I'm aware of though they were on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
Organizing a local boating event?Are you organizing a local boating event or fishing derby and wonder how reporting requirements may impact your participants? Contact the TRC as soon as possible at 1-888-226-7277 to discuss clearance procedures for your participants. Ask for the TRC superintendent who can assist you and your participants in complying with reporting regulations, so you can enjoy your time on the water this summer. So, tournament directors may be able to help out by proactively contacting Canada before their event.
Landing in CanadaIf you are a U.S. citizen and you intend to land on Canadian soil or you end up landing for some reason (see definition above - this includes Walpole Island territories), you are required to report to a CBSA designated marine reporting site. Upon arrival at a CBSA designated marine reporting site, call the Telephone Reporting Centre (TRC) at 1-888-226-7277 from the phone provided to obtain clearance. You will want to know ahead of time which marinas are part of the designated reporting program, or where an official Canadian crossing location exists. This is subject to change so I won't try to list them. I believe Belle River Marina may still be a reporting station as of last year, and there are border stations at the major bridges, across from Algonac Ferry, Marine City Ferry and I believe Amherstburg. To get a list of the designated telephone reporting marine sites, call 1-888-226-7277 before you arrive in Canada.
Entering (or Arriving in) the United StatesFrom
Pleasure Boat Reporting Requirements: Pursuant to 19 CFR 4.2, operators of small pleasure vessels, arriving in the United States from a foreign port or place to include any vessel which has visited a hovering vessel or received merchandise outside the territorial sea, are required to report their arrival to CBP immediately (see 19 U.S.C. 1433).
Also from
Pleasure Boat Reporting Requirements:
Any small pleasure vessel leaving a United States port into international or foreign waters, without a call at a foreign port, does not satisfy the foreign departure requirement. Therefore, certain fishing vessels, cruises to nowhere, or any vessel that leaves from a United States port and returns without calling a foreign port or place, has not departed the United States.For our purposes, if you are a U.S. citizen who leaves a U.S port/boat launch on the SCRLSCDR system, fishes by boat without meeting the above requirements, you do NOT have to report back to the U.S. CBP upon your return to the U.S. that day. This will cover the majority of us for U.S. reporting requirements who run our boats across the International border just to fish without Landing in Canada or taking on merchandise or persons from foreign boats.
If you are a U.S. citizen and you trailer your boat by land into Canada, or you do go ashore in Canada at times, the
I-68 (Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit) program will assist you with generally quicker crossings because it is designed for boaters who land in Canada and return to the U.S. The I-68 also works for certain defined non-U.S. citizens under limited circumstances. It is good for one year at a time. You apply in person for background check - $16 fee or $32 for multiple family members.
I-68 is a U.S. CBP program for reporting to the U.S. not Canada. It does not change your reporting requirements for entering or landing in Canada.I have also had Canadian (CBSA) officers ask me if I have an I-68 when I have trailered by boat into Canada in the past because part of the issue is the Canadians want to know that you do not plan on selling your boat to a Canadian citizen/resident without doing it properly. When you get the I-68 permit you are stating that you know if you are bringing merchandise into the U.S. you know you MUST report it to U.S. Customs. I got the impression the Canadians expected that you also knew you had to report any merchandise you bring into to Canada such as a boat for sale. I haven't trailered over to Canada in a number of years so I don't know if anything has changed there though they do check your vehicle and boat trailer license plates.
For
acceptable ID as I've said before, you want to either 1. carry your U.S. passport with you at all times, or 2. an enhanced drivers license from Washington, Michigan, New York or Vermont; or a government issued photo ID and official certified copy of your birth certificate to prove citizenship. I prefer the 2nd options because I'm less likely to lose or soak my Michigan enhanced drivers license, and I have cheaply ordered several extra certified copies of my birth certificate from my county clerk as a backup even though the Michigan enhanced drivers license has a U.S. citizenship verification. I can put one in a baggie and keep it with me. It has to be a stamped copy, not a copy you made on a copy machine. A valid NEXUS card will also work for proving your identity if you have one of those. $50 good for 5 years I believe.
