Crossing the Border

How a land crossing works

The US-Canada border has more than 100 land crossings, from eight-lane highway plazas to one-officer booths on gravel roads. At every one, the routine is the same: you pull up to the Canadian booth (primary inspection), hand over documents for everyone in the car, answer a few questions, and either drive on or get sent to secondary inspection for a closer look. Most primary inspections take one to three minutes; the wait in line is what varies.

There's no exit check. Nobody from the US stamps you out when you head north, and Canada doesn't check you out when you leave. The two countries share entry records, so each knows when you crossed. You deal only with the country you're entering: the CBSA going into Canada, CBP coming home.

For which documents you need, what you can bring, and what officers ask, read entering Canada first. This page covers the crossing itself.

West Coast: Washington to British Columbia

Farther east, Washington, Idaho and Montana crossings serve the Okanagan, Kootenays and the Rockies, including Roosville on US 93 for a Glacier-to-Kootenay route. Chief Mountain between Glacier and Waterton Lakes is seasonal and summer-only. See the Rockies and road trips.

Detroit–Windsor and the Michigan crossings

Three crossings link Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, and since July 2026 one of them is brand new. From Windsor, Toronto is about 230 miles (370 km), roughly four hours on Highway 401.

Farther north, the Blue Water Bridge joins Port Huron and Sarnia (I-94 and I-69 to Highway 402), and drivers from Flint, Lansing or Chicago often find it a calmer route to Toronto or Lake Huron. At the far end of I-75, the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge (toll) links the two Saults and the Trans-Canada along Lake Superior's north shore; see Ontario.

Buffalo and Niagara

Four bridges cross the Niagara River. All charge tolls of a few dollars for cars; the Peace Bridge Authority and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission post current rates. For the falls themselves, see Niagara.

Farther east, the Thousand Islands Bridge carries I-81 to Highway 401 near Kingston, and bridges at Ogdensburg–Prescott and Massena–Cornwall serve Ottawa and the St. Lawrence. See Ottawa and Ontario.

Quebec and New England

Other New England options include Houlton–Woodstock at the end of I-95, the gateway to the Trans-Canada through New Brunswick, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt bridge from Lubec to Campobello Island. Out west, Sweetgrass–Coutts (I-15 to Alberta) and Pembina–Emerson (I-29 to Manitoba, about 70 miles or 110 km from Winnipeg) are the main prairie crossings. Alaska-Yukon crossings, including the Klondike Highway out of Skagway, keep limited or seasonal hours; see the North.

NEXUS lanes

NEXUS members get dedicated lanes at about 20 land crossings into Canada and 16 into the US, plus eGates at the Peace Bridge and the Ambassador Bridge for Canada-bound drivers. On a summer Saturday at Peace Arch, the NEXUS lane can save an hour or more. Membership costs US$120 for five years, and children under 18 are free. How to apply is on the entry page.

• Everyone in the vehicle needs a card. That includes kids and grandparents. One non-member in the car means you use the regular lanes, or risk losing your membership.
• Declare everything. Members are held to a stricter standard. An undeclared bottle of wine can cost you NEXUS for years.
• Check lane hours. Some NEXUS lanes close in the evening or open only at peak times.
• Bring the card itself. A photo on your phone won't work.

What to have ready

• Passports, passport cards, EDLs or NEXUS cards for everyone, collected in the driver's hand.
• For children: their documents, and a signed consent letter if a parent isn't in the car. See entry.
• Vehicle registration, or the rental agreement. If you're borrowing someone's car, a signed letter from the owner.
• Proof of insurance (next section).
• The address of your first night's stay.
• Receipts for anything new you're bringing to leave in Canada, and for things you bought in Canada on the way home.
• Pet vaccination records and, for the trip home, the US dog paperwork; see pets.
• A car cleared of cannabis, CBD products, pepper spray and weapons.

Rental cars across the border

Most major US rental companies let you drive their cars into Canada, but policies vary by company, location and vehicle class, and franchised locations sometimes have their own rules. Before you book:

1. Confirm in writing that the specific location allows Canada travel. Premium, cargo and some large passenger vans are the classes most often excluded.
2. Ask the counter for the Canadian non-resident insurance card, which most companies supply for cross-border rentals, and keep the rental agreement in the car.
3. Check mileage limits, since some cross-border rentals cap them.
4. Price one-way trips carefully. Picking up in Seattle and dropping off in Vancouver, or the reverse, usually brings a large cross-border drop fee, and some companies don't allow it at all. A round trip from the US side, or a separate Canadian rental, is usually cheaper.
5. Check toll handling. Highway 407 ETR north of Toronto has no toll booths and bills by license plate, and the rental company will add its own fees on top. See driving.

Peer-to-peer rentals are a gamble: many hosts and policies forbid border crossings, and insurance through those apps may not apply in Canada.

Driving your own car: insurance and paperwork

Most US auto policies extend to Canada. Call your insurer before the trip and ask two things: do your liability limits meet the minimums in the provinces you'll drive through (most provinces require at least C$200,000 in liability coverage, and some drivers' US limits are lower), and will they send you a Canada Inter-province Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card, often called the non-resident insurance card. It's a standard form that shows Canadian police your policy covers you there. Insurers usually provide it free.

A regular US insurance ID card is widely accepted, but the Canadian card avoids arguments after a crash or a traffic stop, where drivers without acceptable proof can be fined. Carry the vehicle registration and, for a leased or financed car, the lease paperwork.

Gas usually costs more in Canada once you convert liters to gallons and Canadian dollars to US dollars, so fill up before you cross northbound. See money for paying at the pump with a US card.

Duty-free shops

Most big land crossings have a duty-free shop on the Canadian side, just before the US-bound lanes, and some US crossings have them for Canada-bound travelers. You buy alcohol, tobacco, perfume and the like without the local taxes, and you must leave the country right after.

• Leaving Canada: duty-free can beat Canadian liquor store prices by a lot, because Canadian taxes on alcohol and tobacco are high. It doesn't always beat US prices. Compare before you buy that bottle of bourbon; Canadian whisky and icewine are often better buys. See drinks.
• Coming home: duty-free purchases still count toward your US allowances. Declare them.
• Heading into Canada: what you buy on the US side must fit your Canadian visitor allowance: 1.5 liters of wine, 1.14 liters of spirits, or 8.5 liters of beer, and 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, if you meet the provincial age. Details are on the entry page.

Coming back into the US

Southbound, you deal with CBP. US citizens can't be refused entry, but you still need a WHTI document (passport book or card, EDL or NEXUS), and officers can inspect your car, bags and phone. Declare everything you bought or were given in Canada, and keep receipts together.

Above the allowance you pay duty, often a flat 3 percent on the first $1,000 over. Families traveling together can combine their US$800 allowances; the under-48-hour US$200 allowance can't be pooled. States also set their own alcohol rules, and a few are stricter than CBP.

• Not allowed: cannabis in any form, even from a licensed Canadian store; Cuban cigars and rum, including ones bought legally in Canada; many weapons.
• Declare and expect questions: fresh produce, meat, poultry, eggs and plants. Rules change during disease outbreaks, and food grown outside Canada but sold there may be refused.
• Dogs: US rules for dogs entering the country apply even after a weekend in Canada; see pets.

For what's worth buying, shipping things home and sales tax refunds, see shopping and US customs.

On foot and by bike

You can walk or cycle across at many land crossings, and you're processed like any other traveler: same documents, same questions.

• Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls: the classic walk, with a small fee and great views of both falls. On a summer afternoon the line at the far end can add 30 minutes or more.
• Gordie Howe International Bridge, Detroit–Windsor: the toll-free walking and cycling path opened in August 2026 and is the only way to walk or bike between the two cities. The Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel don't allow pedestrians or bikes.
• Peace Arch Park: the lawns between the two ports are open from both sides and a popular spot for cross-border family meetups. Leaving the park into the other country means clearing customs like everyone else.
• Calais–St. Stephen: the downtown Ferry Point crossing links the two main streets; ask at the port about walking across before you set out.

Hiking trails and quiet roads sometimes run right along the line. You may only cross at an official port of entry while it's open. Crossing anywhere else, even by accident on a trail or a frozen lake, is illegal in both directions.

Ferries and private boats

The Washington State Ferries route from Anacortes to Sidney, BC, through the San Juan Islands hasn't run since 2020 and isn't expected back for years. BC Ferries routes such as Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay are domestic Canadian services; see getting around. For Alaska sailings and St. Lawrence cruises, see cruises.

Private boats

Boating on the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence, Lake Champlain or the San Juans makes the border easy to cross without noticing. If you land, anchor, moor or meet another boat in Canadian waters, you must report to the CBSA right away, usually by calling its telephone reporting center at 1-888-226-7277 from a designated reporting site. Simply passing through Canadian waters without stopping doesn't require a report. Coming back, small pleasure boats report to CBP, typically through the CBP ROAM app. If you plan to fish, you need a provincial license; see outdoors.

Timing and wait times

• Worst times: Friday afternoons and evenings northbound, Sunday afternoons southbound, and both ends of holiday weekends in either country. Watch for Victoria Day weekend in late May, Canada Day (July 1), the US Fourth of July, the August civic holiday and BC Day, Labor Day, Canadian Thanksgiving in mid-October, and US Thanksgiving weekend.
• Best times: early mornings, midweek, and late evenings at 24-hour crossings.
• Big events: concerts, playoff games and festivals in Vancouver, Toronto, Detroit or Montreal can swamp nearby crossings. See festivals.
• Recent trends: Canadian trips to the US fell sharply from early 2025 as many Canadians chose to stay home, so southbound lines at many crossings have been shorter than they used to be. Holiday spikes still happen.
• Winter: snow can close or slow roads leading to the border, especially in Quebec, northern New England and the prairies. See when to go.

Live wait times

Both governments post estimated waits for passenger cars, NEXUS lanes and commercial traffic, updated through the day. Check before you leave and again an hour out, when you can still pick a different crossing.

• CBSA border wait times for entering Canada.
• CBP border wait times for entering the US.
• CBSA directory of offices for crossing hours.

Treat the numbers as estimates. They're based on recent processing, so a line can grow quickly after a tour bus or a secondary-heavy hour. Highway cameras and the border authorities' own sites are useful in the Niagara and Detroit areas.

Before you go, check your phone plan, since some US plans charge for Canada roaming and others include it; see staying connected. For planning the whole route, see road trips and plan your trip.