In a few weeks I’m going to the States for the first time - we’re flying out of Vancouver BC - to Vegas (with a connection at LAX).
What should I expect in terms of customs, security, etc?
I don’t have a passport (I’ve applied for one but not sure if it will arrive in time), but I have a birth certificate and all kinds of i.d. …
(Mods - not sure if this is GQ or IMHO or what … feel free to move it if you feel another forum would be more appropriate).
Thanks, S.
Thanks … I guess I’m just nervous about the customs stuff, and the whole process, plus flying always makes me nervous as well …
What kind of questions do customs people ask? Is it usually a fairly quick, painless experience?
S.
Don’t sweat it. I’ve not been back since 19th Sept, 2001, but they’re not going to interrogate you. Business or pleasure, how long are you staying, where are you staying, did you pack your bags yourself, etc. Stay behind the line until the person in front has been dealt with.
Just don’t joke with them about having drugs or weapons when they ask, “Anything to declare?” 
.
Since when did you need a passport to go to the US from Canada?
Customs is usually quick and painless, just be to the point and don’t joke or screw around.
Customs questions (at least when you cross in a car):
Citizenship?
Destination?
Time of intended visit?
Anything to declare?
Go ahead.
I suggest you get a passport. A passport is the gold standard for anyone who has to inspect traveler’s documents at an airport. All Canadian, or all US passports look the same, the immigration agent does not have to hunt for the photo, etc.
If you buy anything in the US, keep the receipts, in case you are challenged about the value of goods you are bringing back to Canada. Be honest about what you spent, know the limits about what can be brought back to Canada without an additional tax, and you should be ok. Buy a lot of liquor for ALL YOUR FRIENDS in the duty free section of the airport.
Your entry may be more difficult if your ethnic background appears to put you in a high-security group. For that reason alone, get a passport.
Be cautious with this advice. It’s duty free for purchase in the United States; you still owe applicable duties when you return to Canada (I imagine that one bottle, for example, would have an applicable duty of CAN$0.0). The reason the United States lets you purchase it “duty free” is because it will leave the country with you – that’s the nature of duty free.
So, for example, on my way back from Sarnia, ON, I can purchase what I want on the Canadian side free of Canadian duties (as long as I don’t return to Canada!). But they can nail me on the USA side.
Oh, and welcome to the US, eh?
I"d say don’t worry about customs in Vancouver. I flew out of there a year ago and had my camera (Pentax K1000) in my carry-on. This is an older style camera, where you have to attach a seperate flash to it.
The security guard asked me to set the flash off. I explained that the camera did not have a built-flash, and that the flash attachment was in my checked baggage. She asked me to advance the film and then said,
“just to make sure, let me take your picture”
And she did. If it had been a bomb, it would have blown her head off.
Whistlepig
Money that’s all the same colour and pattern. Check your change carefully. I got shortchanged $20 once and didn’t notice it until I left the store, when it was too late to complain. I was a starving student (okay, a skinny student) and that loss of $20 hurt.
My Canadian says security’s a mixed bag. Sometimes they wave him through with no problem. Sometimes… well, on Wednesday, he got asked where he was going, why he’s going there, what his job is, how long he intends to be here, how much money he has, whether he has a driver’s license, how often he’s been to the US, how long he usually stays, and what was the longest amount of time he’s ever stayed. This isn’t normal, though. His name’s been flagged for some reason, possibly some scary person with the same last name and first initial, so he’ll sometimes get hassled. And yesterday, the agent’s computer locked up so he couldn’t access all the information normally.
Just look harmless and like you’re dying to gamble away lots of money in the US.
Remember, when you are asked you purpose of visit, you will be shown three choices.
[ul]
[li]Business/Pleasure[/li][li]Smuggle Cigars[/li][li]Assasinate Castro[/li][/ul]
Remember to check all three. 
Oh wait…that’s Cuba.
Never mind.
Before 11 Sep. 2001, all I needed to get into Canada and back into the U.S. was my driver’s license. About a year (year and a half?) ago, Canada let me in, but I was hassled for not having a birth certificate when I returned to the U.S. You don’t need a passport, but it makes things a lot easier.
(I still try to confuse the border guards though, by having my U.S. passport in a Roots passport wallet. 
)
It’s customary to be loud and rude here in the U.S. and to put ketchup on everything. Don’t forget to drawl and wear lots of red, white, and blue, and you’ll fit right in.
Peace.
Does Vegas really count as the US?
When Mr. TeaElle and I went to Niagara Falls for a day in the spring of '02, we were asked for absolutely no identification when we came back into the U.S. over the Rainbow Peace Happiness Sunshine bridge or whatever it’s called. Granted, we had New York license plates and a lot of people obviously take a day trip over to the casino, but as swarthy dark skinned types, I was surprised that we were asked if we were citizens and how long we’d been in Canada but never had to actually hand over the driver’s licenses that we both had in our hands. It was a little scary, really.
All that said to make the point – you never know exactly what you’re going to get. Prepare for the worst, enjoy the best.
Expect to see the odd American here and there.
Bring your own lube- airport security will thank you.
Oh, and if a Customs agent asks if you have ever been a member of the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party, answer yes. Under the Patriot Act members of fascist organizations get fast-track service through customs, y’know.
Fascist organizations such as Al-Qaeda? Don’t think so.
Walloon, with a magnificent sense of humor like that, have you ever considered working airport security?
I think the difference between needing a passport and just an id is whether you fly or drive. When I drove from Seattle to BC, I just needed to show my driver’s license; flying back from BC to Chicago I needed a passport (I am sure a birth certificate would have worked, too). This was in the two weeks before 9-11, though.
To the OP–talk loudly, gain as much weight as you can before you get here, and blame someone else for your problems. You’ll fit right in with the rest of us!