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(From March, 2025), The experience of crossing the border into our Canadian neighbor was as smooth as buttermilk. All you need to have are your passports and that's pretty much it. The officer was friendly but all business so we didnt' try to inject humor or jovial conversations. In and out like the burger spot. There's a couple cool buildings and trees here that makes for great photo opportunities. Next time, I'll have my phone ready for that IG post!
Just doing their job [Surrey, BC Canada] Sometimes they're nice, sometimes they're not so nice. They are not there to be your friend but to protect their country. Two days in a row we came in to Canada coming from Blaine WA. Each visit was just a day trip. The first time we drove in we presented our passports and asked us if we drove straight (we had California plates)... I can't remember the other questions but the last question startled me... "do you have guns?" After the hubby said "no" he asked to open the trunk for inspection even opening the compartment underneath the floorboard. Nothing. Then he let us through... off to Whistler. The following day on our second entry to Canada the border patrol was nicer. We were heading to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Coming back to the U.S. only two lanes were open... we waited an hour in line just to get through. Review #3154 updated
I will file a formal complaint against BANKAR. He was racially discriminatory towards me and my friend yesterday, July 12, 2018. We are great citizens of the US going to Canada for one day and BANKAR harassed my friend insisting he had drugs on him. He cleared my friend and then 5 minutes later asked him to come back for inspection (breaking from protocol). My friend replied he didn't have anything on him over and over and BANKAR kept insisting as if he already made up his mind about my friend. My friend kept telling BANKAR he can open the bags and check for himself, however BANKAR proceeded to keep displaying intimidation tactics. My friend does not drink or smoke. Not a sip or puff. I was scared the situation could escalate (like other situations have in history). The other officers didn't seem to support BANKAR's harassment. BANKAR went on to intimidate my friend regarding his life trying to find anything to frame him on. BANKAR needs to be reassessed for discrimination. Not everyone operates in the box BANKAR puts people in based on the color of their skin. I was distraught listening to how differently BANKAR treated my friend as opposed to others that came before my friend. Just because you are an officer does not mean that you are above anyone else & it does not mean that you can blatantly disrespect anyone. The CBSA's motto is to treat people with professionalism, integrity and respect. Bankar did not accomplish any of this. He was not simply doing his job, he was doing extra. Extra things that were not asked of him to do and not taught in his training to do. If you face any type of mistreatment like this, it is important you exercise your right to free speech. That you report mistreatment so things don't get overlooked or to protect future travelers. Always get the name of the person. Look for the badge or get a card. You can also ask for the supervisor on the spot instead of leaving the border to report later.
Just as I suspected, the Canada Border entry via Hwy 99 was extremely easy and friendly. I have not driven across a border since I was a child and even then I was a passenger. We came up to the beautiful, nicely landscaped, clean entry point with only a few lanes open, but not many cars. We had our passports ready to go per signage everywhere and drove up to the border agent. He was very pleasant and asked some basic questions and had us on our way. It was a nice introduction to the country of some of the nicest people I've encountered. Be aware upon entering that you go from miles to kilometers. So watch your speed and enjoy the views!
My first time driving myself across a land crossing and it was super easy and very fast. On this Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving, it took SEVEN minutes from the "Customs and Immigration - 1 mile" to the "Welcome to British Columbia" sign. Fantastic! The border guard was polite, asking me a few questions about where I'm headed and where I'm staying. There was no secondary or additional search today. She was quite nice about it. [Review 20860 overall - 37 in British Columbia - 1844 of 2023.]
Crossing the Canadian border by car was a horrible experience. We arrived there and they only one lane open and 2 cars waiting in front of us. I could barely handle the stress of such horific traffic. We knew trying to cross the border driving a rental car with California license plates could cause an international incident. The border guard asked where we were going? I said, "Canada" She failed the humor test !!
Aloha, CBSA seems to be the largest, most direct and most used route from Washington State to Vancouver off of route 5. Have your paperwork, i.e. passport for everyone in the auto, in order to insure an quick and safe drive. Like any boarder crossing, you'll get asked the typical questions of why, how long, etc. Although the line can be long at certain times of the day, it does move quickly. Mid-day it took us about 35 minutes to get through, coming back to the US, it was much quicker, like 15 minutes. Definitely worth the trek to Vancouver to play tourist there for a few days. Crossing guards are kinda TSA like, not too friendly but not rude either, just doing their job, nice. Enjoy!
Some thoughts on our visit to Canada: Good: Very clean - You do not see trash anywhere, the roads are free from trash and bins on the roads have locking lids to keep trash in and bears out. You do not see graffiti or stickers on signs, people seem to really care about the environment here. Roads are well though out with overpasses for wildlife, their freeways are unlike the US in that someone thought about traffic and made a plan. Recycling is a priority here too, there are separate bins for recyclable material everywhere. Friendly people - Everyone here was super friendly to our family. People could look at us an immediately know we were not Canadians and asked us questions. I saw a plethora of smiles and had many great conversations with locals, everyone wanted to know where we were from. They also wanted to know why we decided to come? We did not see many other US plates here on our trip. There was a real warmth and inquisitvness to the locals, also the people here are genuinly beautiful looking people. Freedom - The roads here are very remote and speed limits are set to 100 km/hour. I saw only one Canadian highway patrol in an area where people were heavily concentrated during our entire trip. Other than that the roads are wide open to use good judgement. We saw eighteen wheelers doing ninty miles and hour in the straightaways in what felt like an autobahn. We made really good time and felt safe on the roads, when there were only two lanes people pulled over to let us pass. All this made us feel very free visiting this incredible county Bad: Prices - A small box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes here costs $6.50 Canadian dollars which is insane as the same box at Walmart in Encinitas is $2.00 which even factoring for a stronger dollar is too much. The people here really should have access to more affordable food. I imagine this causes quite a bit if hunger for lower income families. It is not just food either, services also cost more here. Canada really needs Walmart to come in here and blow some of these other retailers out of the water like Safeway. They are not helping the people of Canada by keeping prices so high. Poor Cellular Infrastructure - Three quarters of the time there is no cellular service. If you do have reception it is 3G and they charge an arm and a leg for data. This reduces the quality of life for people trying to stay connected to the outside world. Not many people have iPhones and in general people have no idea what an app even is. I asked our a server a question about the Yelp page and she had no idea what Yelp was. Many people looked as though they had not seen an iPad in public before. Some company should step up and roll out a large 4G network here and get people in remote areas connected. Verizon this is your opportunity. Alcohol Purchases - I encountered alcohol restrictions like you can buy at 6:00 pm but not 6:01 pm even though the store is open. I understand the government is trying to regulate intake but if I want to buy a six pack of beer sell it to me regardless of time. Not fond of government passing on morality to me. Burgers - Everything is cooked to well done here, they will not allow a medium or medium-rare burger. This cooks all the flavor out of the burgers so if you like them with flavor you won't be experiencing them here. Probably not a big deal to many but when on vacation one would like to splurge on some favorite foods. Final thoughts: I would like to come back and spend more time here, the mountains, lakes, and rivers are heavenly. There is so much to do here that even a week is not enough time. I will be back in the years to come.
Finally had a chance to try out this border crossing. This is a huge improvement over the old one. Most of the lanes were open, which is badly needed to help mitigate the daily rush.
Is there any doubt, karma right? LOL For a major road tripper, I used to go truck border all the way until 2014 as Peace Arch seemed to open up more lanes here. Plus better views too :) But another reason too is there is less people trying to pretend they either have Nexus and try to cut back in like at the truck crossing....in fact, you can't here as they have better lane dividers. My secret? Just choose the most direct lane instead of choosing the furthest one because IMHO, then you are not spread diagonally and waiting for the car in front of you to finish turning into a lane. Trust me, I shop too much to know LOL. Yes, coming here means you miss out on the duty free to get ahead but that's another day to discuss :)
the bright spot in my Saturday morning travels was arriving at the border crossing four hours into a two hour drive. everything neat and orderly as all of us motorists queue up and wait our turn like civilized human tryings. so here's the plan: stay in your lane and advance to the checkpoint when It safe to do so, provide proof of identity, answer a few questions truthfully because those clever Canadiens have ways of verifying your story (really, I'm just going to get some lunch, take some pics, check in at a couple places and be back here medium-soon) and voila! one and done and off through Canada to parts west... read more
Crossing the border between Seattle and Vancouver... Driving over to British Columbia, Canada wasn't that bad! We presented our passports, answered a few questions, and went on our way! Some of the questions included: Do you have a gun? Are you bringing any fruits and vegetables? What are you leaving in Canada? How long will you be in Canada? Where are you going? We passed through on a Saturday morning around 11am. It was an uneventful experience! read more
(From March, 2025), The experience of crossing the border into our Canadian neighbor was as smooth as buttermilk. All you need to have are your passports and that's pretty much it. The officer was friendly but all business so we didnt' try to inject humor or jovial conversations. In and out like the burger spot. There's a couple cool buildings and trees here that makes for great photo opportunities. Next time, I'll have my phone ready for that IG post! read more
Just doing their job [Surrey, BC Canada] Sometimes they're nice, sometimes they're not so nice. They are not there to be your friend but to protect their country. Two days in a row we came in to Canada coming from Blaine WA. Each visit was just a day trip. The first time we drove in we presented our passports and asked us if we drove straight (we had California plates)... I can't remember the other questions but the last question startled me... "do you have guns?" After the hubby said "no" he asked to open the trunk for inspection even opening the compartment underneath the floorboard. Nothing. Then he let us through... off to Whistler. The following day on our second entry to Canada the border patrol was nicer. We were heading to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Coming back to the U.S. only two lanes were open... we waited an hour in line just to get through. Review #3154 updated read more
I will file a formal complaint against BANKAR. He was racially discriminatory towards me and my friend yesterday, July 12, 2018. We are great citizens of the US going to Canada for one day and BANKAR harassed my friend insisting he had drugs on him. He cleared my friend and then 5 minutes later asked him to come back for inspection (breaking from protocol). My friend replied he didn't have anything on him over and over and BANKAR kept insisting as if he already made up his mind about my friend. My friend kept telling BANKAR he can open the bags and check for himself, however BANKAR proceeded to keep displaying intimidation tactics. My friend does not drink or smoke. Not a sip or puff. I was scared the situation could escalate (like other situations have in history). The other officers didn't seem to support BANKAR's harassment. BANKAR went on to intimidate my friend regarding his life trying to find anything to frame him on. BANKAR needs to be reassessed for discrimination. Not everyone operates in the box BANKAR puts people in based on the color of their skin. I was distraught listening to how differently BANKAR treated my friend as opposed to others that came before my friend. Just because you are an officer does not mean that you are above anyone else & it does not mean that you can blatantly disrespect anyone. The CBSA's motto is to treat people with professionalism, integrity and respect. Bankar did not accomplish any of this. He was not simply doing his job, he was doing extra. Extra things that were not asked of him to do and not taught in his training to do. If you face any type of mistreatment like this, it is important you exercise your right to free speech. That you report mistreatment so things don't get overlooked or to protect future travelers. Always get the name of the person. Look for the badge or get a card. You can also ask for the supervisor on the spot instead of leaving the border to report later. read more
Just as I suspected, the Canada Border entry via Hwy 99 was extremely easy and friendly. I have not driven across a border since I was a child and even then I was a passenger. We came up to the beautiful, nicely landscaped, clean entry point with only a few lanes open, but not many cars. We had our passports ready to go per signage everywhere and drove up to the border agent. He was very pleasant and asked some basic questions and had us on our way. It was a nice introduction to the country of some of the nicest people I've encountered. Be aware upon entering that you go from miles to kilometers. So watch your speed and enjoy the views! read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
2 months ago
My first time driving myself across a land crossing and it was super easy and very fast. On this Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving, it took SEVEN minutes from the "Customs and Immigration - 1 mile" to the "Welcome to British Columbia" sign. Fantastic! The border guard was polite, asking me a few questions about where I'm headed and where I'm staying. There was no secondary or additional search today. She was quite nice about it. [Review 20860 overall - 37 in British Columbia - 1844 of 2023.] read more
Crossing the Canadian border by car was a horrible experience. We arrived there and they only one lane open and 2 cars waiting in front of us. I could barely handle the stress of such horific traffic. We knew trying to cross the border driving a rental car with California license plates could cause an international incident. The border guard asked where we were going? I said, "Canada" She failed the humor test !! read more
Aloha, CBSA seems to be the largest, most direct and most used route from Washington State to Vancouver off of route 5. Have your paperwork, i.e. passport for everyone in the auto, in order to insure an quick and safe drive. Like any boarder crossing, you'll get asked the typical questions of why, how long, etc. Although the line can be long at certain times of the day, it does move quickly. Mid-day it took us about 35 minutes to get through, coming back to the US, it was much quicker, like 15 minutes. Definitely worth the trek to Vancouver to play tourist there for a few days. Crossing guards are kinda TSA like, not too friendly but not rude either, just doing their job, nice. Enjoy! read more
Some thoughts on our visit to Canada: Good: Very clean - You do not see trash anywhere, the roads are free from trash and bins on the roads have locking lids to keep trash in and bears out. You do not see graffiti or stickers on signs, people seem to really care about the environment here. Roads are well though out with overpasses for wildlife, their freeways are unlike the US in that someone thought about traffic and made a plan. Recycling is a priority here too, there are separate bins for recyclable material everywhere. Friendly people - Everyone here was super friendly to our family. People could look at us an immediately know we were not Canadians and asked us questions. I saw a plethora of smiles and had many great conversations with locals, everyone wanted to know where we were from. They also wanted to know why we decided to come? We did not see many other US plates here on our trip. There was a real warmth and inquisitvness to the locals, also the people here are genuinly beautiful looking people. Freedom - The roads here are very remote and speed limits are set to 100 km/hour. I saw only one Canadian highway patrol in an area where people were heavily concentrated during our entire trip. Other than that the roads are wide open to use good judgement. We saw eighteen wheelers doing ninty miles and hour in the straightaways in what felt like an autobahn. We made really good time and felt safe on the roads, when there were only two lanes people pulled over to let us pass. All this made us feel very free visiting this incredible county Bad: Prices - A small box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes here costs $6.50 Canadian dollars which is insane as the same box at Walmart in Encinitas is $2.00 which even factoring for a stronger dollar is too much. The people here really should have access to more affordable food. I imagine this causes quite a bit if hunger for lower income families. It is not just food either, services also cost more here. Canada really needs Walmart to come in here and blow some of these other retailers out of the water like Safeway. They are not helping the people of Canada by keeping prices so high. Poor Cellular Infrastructure - Three quarters of the time there is no cellular service. If you do have reception it is 3G and they charge an arm and a leg for data. This reduces the quality of life for people trying to stay connected to the outside world. Not many people have iPhones and in general people have no idea what an app even is. I asked our a server a question about the Yelp page and she had no idea what Yelp was. Many people looked as though they had not seen an iPad in public before. Some company should step up and roll out a large 4G network here and get people in remote areas connected. Verizon this is your opportunity. Alcohol Purchases - I encountered alcohol restrictions like you can buy at 6:00 pm but not 6:01 pm even though the store is open. I understand the government is trying to regulate intake but if I want to buy a six pack of beer sell it to me regardless of time. Not fond of government passing on morality to me. Burgers - Everything is cooked to well done here, they will not allow a medium or medium-rare burger. This cooks all the flavor out of the burgers so if you like them with flavor you won't be experiencing them here. Probably not a big deal to many but when on vacation one would like to splurge on some favorite foods. Final thoughts: I would like to come back and spend more time here, the mountains, lakes, and rivers are heavenly. There is so much to do here that even a week is not enough time. I will be back in the years to come. read more
4 years ago
12 years ago
Is there any doubt, karma right? LOL For a major road tripper, I used to go truck border all the way until 2014 as Peace Arch seemed to open up more lanes here. Plus better views too :) But another reason too is there is less people trying to pretend they either have Nexus and try to cut back in like at the truck crossing....in fact, you can't here as they have better lane dividers. My secret? Just choose the most direct lane instead of choosing the furthest one because IMHO, then you are not spread diagonally and waiting for the car in front of you to finish turning into a lane. Trust me, I shop too much to know LOL. Yes, coming here means you miss out on the duty free to get ahead but that's another day to discuss :) read more
11 years ago
The usual waiting which wasn't very long but always irritating none the less. The border guard was very nice and she was very good at her job. She asked all the appropriate questions and asked for all receipts. No problems, good experience. read more
8 years ago
13 years ago
10 years ago
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