Broder Crossing Necessities
On a recent road trip up to some Canadian National Parks, I was presented with the challenge of crossing the border after the pandemic, with dogs. The regulations were changing weekly. Then getting any questions answered was almost impossible. With all things considered, I overprepared and hoped for the best. I’m happy to report that my dogs and I made it into Canada and back into the United States without a hitch. Here’s what I did to make this process as smooth as possible.
Paperwork for Canadian Border Crossing with Dogs
The first thing I did to prepare was call our vet. I made sure my dogs would be up to date on all of their vaccines though our trip. We were out on the road for several weeks, so I wanted to ensure that they were covered until we returned home. I talked to the front desk, explained we were going on a road trip and asked to have their vaccine records emailed over. They were happy to send them over straight away. I printed off a copy for in the car, one for the camper and another set for my backpack. Overkill? Absolutely. However, I knew I was cover just in case. The main vaccine that was required was an up-to-date rabies vaccine. I kept one in easy reaching distance to have when we crossed the border.
ArriveCan App
At one point in my trip, my boyfriend, Austin, flew out to spend some time in Canada with me. He couldn’t get off of work as long as I could but was able to get out to Canada for part of the trip. When booking his flight, he was instructed to download the ArriveCan app. It was explained as a tool the ensure easier and more efficient border crossing. I also downloaded the app. When you first use the app, you are prompted to choose if you are crossing by air, land or water. I had to choose my Canadian border crossing port. Most of the information had to be filled out within 72 hours. Some of that information was about your health, any possible exposure to COVID and vaccine status.
Canadian Border Crossing by Air
When flying in and out of Canada, Austin was required to show his app designed QR code. It was a quick process to fill out the information and seemed to make his day a bit smoother. At the time, the US was also requiring that anyone entering the US had a negative COVID test. He was able to get his done at the airport for around $60.00 US dollars. Currently, the US is not requiring a negative test but we all know the requirements are always changing.
Canadian Border Crossing by Land
I crossed the Canadian and US border by land in my car while towing my camper. I had the app all filled out with the final QR code ready to go to cross into Canada. Turn out, I did not need the app to get into or out of Canada. It is a free app so it only cost me a few minutes of time to fill out. I crossed into Canada by way of North Dakota and came back into the US through Montana. Neither port required much on my end.
Paperwork for Canadian Border Crossing for Humans
When I was booking my trip, the requirements for border crossing were always changing. I came prepared with my passport, vaccine card and all of my reservation details. Traveling with a camper, made it pretty easy to have a plan in place if I was exposed to COVID-19 or contracted it. I drove through Portal, North Dakota into North Portal, Saskatchewan.
The border crossing patrol looks like a drive though bank area. We pulled up to a drive through window and I presented my passport. The border crossing officer asked me a few questions. Enquiring about why I was visiting or if I had any weapons. Typical custom type questions. I asked if she needed to see my vaccine records and was basically told they were not checking. The answer to if they wanted to see my dog’s vaccine records was the same. I should note, this was my experience border crossing, but it could be different in at other ports.
Border Crossing into the US
Crossing back into the US seemed to be just as easy. I handed over my passport and once again asked if they needed my vaccine card. The border patrol officer explained, as a US citizen, I was getting in regardless, so no. The officer asked for my license plate and if I had any nuts, fruit, alcohol or weapons that I was transporting back. My car was not searched, and records were not checked. Having said that, I was traveling solo with my dogs and probably did not give off suspicious vibes.
