8911 Thruway Bus Passport Check

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The southbound bus has customs done at the border. Forms are given out upon boarding but processing is done at the border. You get off the bus, grab your luggage from the luggage hold, go into the border station, and wait in a line as border agents call people up and interview them. Overall seems to be the standard questions, but it seemed like they were doing a full interview (2-3 minutes) with most passengers - my wife and I appeared to have the shortest interview at 1-2 minutes, and we both had NEXUS and GE tied to our passports (so were about as low-risk as a passenger can be.) The formalities weren't difficult, but they do interview each passenger.
 
The southbound bus has customs done at the border. Forms are given out upon boarding but processing is done at the border. You get off the bus, grab your luggage from the luggage hold, go into the border station, and wait in a line as border agents call people up and interview them. Overall seems to be the standard questions, but it seemed like they were doing a full interview (2-3 minutes) with most passengers - my wife and I appeared to have the shortest interview at 1-2 minutes, and we both had NEXUS and GE tied to our passports (so were about as low-risk as a passenger can be.) The formalities weren't difficult, but they do interview each passenger.
No Global Entry Kiosks I take it?
 
Now I haven't done this on bus, but in my experience the questions I've been asked have gotten more and a more bizarre over the years. Supposedly the idea is to trip up people who might be nervous if they're thinking of doing something illegal, and then subjecting them to additional questioning. I'm not sure how that might work with a bus though, since you'd think they wouldn't want to tie up a lot of passengers. However, they seem to have no problems holding up a line of cars.
 
Now I haven't done this on bus, but in my experience the questions I've been asked have gotten more and a more bizarre over the years. Supposedly the idea is to trip up people who might be nervous if they're thinking of doing something illegal, and then subjecting them to additional questioning. I'm not sure how that might work with a bus though, since you'd think they wouldn't want to tie up a lot of passengers. However, they seem to have no problems holding up a line of cars.
I can tell you that on the northbound bus, the Canadian immigration folks have no problem holding up a bus full of passengers to subject one person to extensive additional questioning.
 
Do any of the land crossing points have GE kiosks?
Don't know but the CBP website says, GE can be used for SENTRI and NEXUS lanes for expediated entry. Never used it at land border so asking.
That only applies for private cars passing through the border where every person in the vehicle has GE/NEXUS. There's no kiosks inside the building.
 
Do any of the land crossing points have GE kiosks?
Isn't it only at airports
AFAIK yes. I have never heard of or read the installation of them at land crossing points. But that maybe just me.
Dont know,if its the same, but the border crossing (via Boat) in Big Bend National Park to/from Boquillas,Mexico has one that is monitored in Presidio by Homeland Security.(Mexico has No Facilities there)A Passport is still required!
 
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You do require a Passport to start a transaction on any GE kiosk AFAIK.
Sure. But that's because a passport is required for any kind of international air travel.

By ground there are options. Enhanced DL/ID, US passport card, SENTRI, NEXUS, etc. Strangely enough, a photo ID and a birth certificate indicating birth in the US is sufficient to get into Canada, but not for the US to allow someone back.
 
Interestingly the GE Card is a valid document for entering the US by land, but not for entering Canada or Mexico! Just because it said so, I tried it once and to my utmost amazement, it actually worked. I of course did have my Passport, just in case a Plan B became necessary. :)
 
Interestingly the GE Card is a valid document for entering the US by land, but not for entering Canada or Mexico! Just because it said so, I tried it once and to my utmost amazement, it actually worked. I of course did have my Passport, just in case a Plan B became necessary. :)
The most amusing part of that requirement is that the NEXUS card is identical physically to the GE card (the only difference is the NEXUS on the top instead of GLOBAL ENTRY or GE) and a NEXUS card is valid for entry into Canada by land (and potentially even by air.) I wouldn't think that the database side of the NEXUS card would matter, as an enhanced driver's license is acceptable to get into Canada and I don't think those applications would sync to Canada if the GE cards don't.
 
Interestingly the GE Card is a valid document for entering the US by land, but not for entering Canada or Mexico! Just because it said so, I tried it once and to my utmost amazement, it actually worked. I of course did have my Passport, just in case a Plan B became necessary. :)
The most amusing part of that requirement is that the NEXUS card is identical physically to the GE card (the only difference is the NEXUS on the top instead of GLOBAL ENTRY or GE) and a NEXUS card is valid for entry into Canada by land (and potentially even by air.) I wouldn't think that the database side of the NEXUS card would matter, as an enhanced driver's license is acceptable to get into Canada and I don't think those applications would sync to Canada if the GE cards don't.
Same bland template.

NEXUSCard.png


sentri_3001-300x188.jpg


fast-card3.jpg


This one is kind of interesting:

santas-ge-card_0.jpg
 
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