International border crxings & passports

[uk elephant]

Fun border crossings....for some reason when I was about 11, US embassy realized I was a US citizen and needed a US passport, we had no idea. So that summer, travelling to the US, I got to go through the ciziten side while my parents and brother were stuck in the looooong queues for immigration. I was very proud to be travelling through alone although the border guard looked a little puzzled when i pointed to my family over in the other line.

Slightly intimidating crossing....leaving Israel after a summer of fieldwork. Before you can even check in at the airport, they check your papers and your luggage. Apparently, single woman is a red flag to them. I got cross examined for half an hour by two different agents asking the same questions repeatedly and had to proove what I had been doing when with paperwork and schedules from the fieldwork.

I also regularly confuse border guards and airport check-in desks by travelling into the US on a US passport, then travelling out again on a Norwegian passport to get to Norway. Dual nationality is a difficult concept for many. But travelling anywhere else, I usually stick with the Norwegian passport which gets very little hassle from anyone.

[Crankin]

I have had much questioning at US-Canadian border crossings, too.
My most fun crossing was riding over the border from the Czech Republic to Austria. It was on a tour, but we were the only ones going through at the time. Basically, it felt like going from 1955 to the 21st century, since the part of the Czech Republic by the border is extremely rural. We had just seen a man about 80 years old pulling a wagon full of logs, up a hill with a grade of at least 15%.

[tulip]

I've never had a problem getting into or out of Canada, but I've only traveled to Quebec a few times, not the other provinces. I usually travel to Europe, and since I'm a dual citizen I use the most convenient passport depending on if I'm a-going or a-coming. Cuts down on the hassles considerably. It also cuts down on costs. When I went to Brazil, I entered on my French passport to avoid having to get a visa that is required of US citizens (and costs $100 back then). I returned on my US passport, but I did have to show the airlines both.

When I moved to France (and back) I had my parrot with me. He's a threatened species and needed all sorts of paperwork having to do with international treaties. Going to France, they didn't blink, and I had to essentially beg them to stamp the paperwork. When I returned to the US, I failed to arrange for a vet to meet me at customs, so I had to wait for hours while the staff vet checked out all sorts of animals, including two racehorses who had just arrived from Argentina. When he got around to me, he took one look at my parrot, asked me if he was healthy, and sent me on my way. I don't think he was too keen on birds--more of a dog and cat kind of guy.

Once I was returning from Sarajevo in the late 90s with about five pounds of scrumptious dried lamb and beef that my host family had given me. I wrapped it up in foil and plastic and then in my clothes, but I was sure it would be discovered. But I got waived through at Newark with barely a nod.

[Possegal]

Years ago, pre the use of my passport for my family visits, I was coming back into the US and handed the guard my ID. I'm a federal employee so I just handed her my gov't ID rather than my license (easier to get to than the drivers license). She looked at it and said to me - oh no, wait a minute, are you kidding me? I was like - oh no, what now. She then, through her laughter, pointed out that I was actually wearing a sweatshirt in the picture for my gov't ID, that said CANADA on it. She cracked up and said I should be required to get a new picture taken. The lanyard attached to it has maple leaves on it too. Then we had a lengthy discussion of all the US employees at that border who actually live in Canada and how they were making them all move back to the US (or something like that, it was a few years back).

I could type for hours about interesting US/Canada crossings, given how long my family has been doing that. When I was filling out the forms to get a secret clearance with the US gov't, one section asks you to list travels outside the US. I called my brother, a US federal judge, and asked him what did he do with that section. He said - how many lines? I said 6 or something. He said, put down the 6 most recent trips then.

[Irulan]

We cross a lot at these miniscule crossings on the WA/BC border. They used to practically wave you through but of course not any more.

I have two great border stories.

(pre 9/11)We have soem friend that used to have a rustic cabin about 1 mile S of the BC border into the US. DH went mountain biking and of course ended up in BC as there's no fence; the border is just a clear cut up there. Eventually he came back on the highway. A guy on a mountain bike shows up in lycra, shirt off (tucked unto the back of his shorts) no pack, no ID no nuthin. It took him about 45 mins to talk his way back in doing something like "We are staying at that cabin, RIGHT THERE!!!

(post 9/11)
Some good friends were doing wildernes rafting way up in the remote section of BC when "it" happened. They got to the border and literally did not understand what had just happened in the world. They had a big van, plus a trailer full of raft gear. Now, if any of you have ever done wilderness rafting you know about the groover or honey bucket.... ( you can see where this is going). A bunch of scruffy looking folks, and the customs agent says, sit down ,shut up and don't say a word. The guy pokes through everything. As he gets closer to the honey bucket ( rocket box used for human waste, cleaned out but the stink never goes away and it's really, really, really bad) they are whispering..."should we say something?" "No,he told us to be quiet".... Finally the guy gets to the rocket box which actually has a sticker on it that says, "Sh*t Happens", opens it, sticks his head in it to inspect it, gags, and retches and just starts screaming "what the hell IS that? Get the heck out of here...."

So of course they drove off.

[shootingstar]

The guy pokes through everything. As he gets closer to the honey bucket ( rocket box used for human waste, cleaned out but the stink never goes away and it's really, really, really bad) they are whispering..."should we say something?" "No,he told us to be quiet".... Finally the guy gets to the rocket box which actually has a sticker on it that says, "Sh*t Happens", opens it, sticks his head in it to inspect it, gags, and retches and just starts screaming "what the hell IS that? Get the heck out of here...."

So of course they drove off.

LOL -- he probably will change his inspection tactics in future.

Probably many many areas where you can walk through controlled wilderness between Canada and U.S. We did stroll across the border between 2 national parks, each in Canada and the U.S.with obvious signage and clearcut of trees/bush to signify the 49th parallel international border:

A well-know hiking trail in Waterton National Park in southern Alberta that immediately goes into Glacier National Park in Montana.
Round trip hike was at least 10-12 kms. and we didn't go deep/far into Montana because we were running out of time and didn't want to get stuck in the U.S. This was 2005.

To give those of you unfamiliar what a clear-cut international border looks like through forested areas, here I am if you scroll down half way and see me with an concrete obilesk and the line of cleared trees and bush.

http://cycling-touring.thecyclistweb...eline_Walk.cfm

It'a beautiful area and the customs/immigration authorities are fine there. Of course we were only carrying some snacks and little else on us.

[Grog]

For those of you who have two passports:

I've noticed this summer, traveling to Turkey, that German customs officer (I was flying from Canada through France and Germany) were very sensitive about seeing stamps showing which country I entered AND EXITED. I have only one passport so they're all in one spot, but the Germany officer was really annoyed that the French had not stamped my passport when I exited. (I don't know a lot of German but I understood that he was not kind to my French cousins.) When I left Germany on the way back - even just on a stop over - they were careful to stamp my passport. My feeling was that with the tightening concerns over illegal immigration there is more concern for those sorts of things. Maybe that's why they get confused if you use one passport to get in and another one to get out. What do you think?

[tulip]

For those of you who have two passports:

I've noticed this summer, traveling to Turkey, that German customs officer (I was flying from Canada through France and Germany) were very sensitive about seeing stamps showing which country I entered AND EXITED. I have only one passport so they're all in one spot, but the Germany officer was really annoyed that the French had not stamped my passport when I exited. (I don't know a lot of German but I understood that he was not kind to my French cousins.) When I left Germany on the way back - even just on a stop over - they were careful to stamp my passport. My feeling was that with the tightening concerns over illegal immigration there is more concern for those sorts of things. Maybe that's why they get confused if you use one passport to get in and another one to get out. What do you think?

I've never had a problem using one passport here and another one there. You just have to know when to use each one. I've never been to Germany, though.

[Bron]

I like there and go in and out all the time. I'd say they are thorough but never unpleasant, but with an EU passport it's fairly quick.

One reason for checking carefully could be that with the Schengen Treaty in operation, once you get into one country then you can travel freely to all of the others.