Canada/ USA border with bike

[how much for a service!]

I guess we were lucky. We shipped via James Cargo and their agent in San Diego, Forward Air, took our crate and packaging away. San Diego customs were excellent - we were only in the office for about 20 minutes before receiving the required stamps on the paperwork Forward Air gave us.

Kevin

Same in anchorage with James cargo an agent met us at the airport with crowbar and electric screwdriver helped us unpack sorted the paperwork for us
and when we asked about the packing cases he said just leave them there they would be taken by the locals in about 10 mins for firewood!
First class service!

 

[Paul Rochdale]

The original question was about visas. I've taken my bike to Canada/USA twice, once in 2002 and again in 2006.

In 2002 I flew with the bike on Air Transat, a Canadian airline (and organised my HC Travel, who were excellent by the way) to Vancouver then rode down to the Mexican border before swooping up to New England and Toronto. Time six weeks so no visa required.

In 2006 I shipped the bike from Southampton to Newark NJ and flew out to New York, then stayed with a friend for about four days until the bike arrived at Newark. I rode solo to the West Coast and back, 17,000 miles. Time 93 days so as it had crossed the 90 day limit a visa was required.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

The original question was about visas. I've taken my bike to Canada/USA twice, once in 2002 and again in 2006.

Quite correct Paul and if you enter the USA directly, you will need an ESTA which is your 3 month waiver and is approved electronically. They now no longer give you paperwork to fill out on the flight. If you stay longer, you will have to apply for an extension although you can nip across a border to got it extended although homeland security are tightening up on this by all accounts. If you fly into Canada and then cross into the US via a land border, they will probably ask you how long you will be there and may stamp your passport with a date 3 months in advance for when you have to leave. Either way, it's simple and very little hassle.

If you ship your bike into Canada, you don't need any US customs paperwork for travelling in the USA but it's worth having a copy of your importation paperwork to hand because they could easily ask for it at the border.