Great explanation. I would add a couple of nuances.

1. The AOPA/COPA info is a great start, but you have to call both Canadian
and US Customs to verify procedures, operating hours and locations of the
airports of entry, because they frequently change and the AOPA info is not
necessarily current. I have gotten messed up a couple of times, for
example, finding out one customs office was no longer available on Sunday,
closed for the winter, etc.

2. Going to Canada is basically being on a DVFR or IFR flight plan, with ATC
squawk, and a toll-free phone call when you arrive. Coming back to the U.S.
is the full monty. The main thing I tell my passengers, who are often my
teenage children and their friends, is that it is "yes sir," "no sir," and
no jokes with the Customs Officer until it is clear that he is in the mood
for it.

3. There is no point in doing any paperwork ahead of time. It is quick to
fill it out on the spot, especially with the customs guy there to walk you
through it.

4. Also no need to buy a sticker ahead of time. The last two times I
crossed the border the customs office was out of stickers and they didn't
worry about it. The guy gave me an order form and said I could buy one by
mail if I want to; yeah right. Told me that a lot of agents think it is
ridiculous they have to be the first line of defense against an invasion
across our borders and sell these lousy stickers too.

5. The U.S. Customs guys are usually kind of cranky and scary. I think
these guys have their hands full with legitimate customs and smuggling
issues, like 18-wheelers full of smuggled cigarettes, ship containers of
counterfeit Levis, people arriving on airliners asking for political asylum,
and such, and having to take time out to go to the airport and "inspect"
returning U.S. citizens on their vacations in their private planes really is
a diversion from more important things they should be doing. The one
exception to this I have seen is Ft. Pierce, Florida, where a lot of little
private planes come in from the Bahamas and points further down that way,
and the customs office is manned all the time. Those guys probably have the
best job in the U.S. Customs Service, and they act like it.

wrote in message
news

On 15-Mar-2004, "O. Sami Saydjari" wrote:

Exactly what, if anything, do I need if I want to fly into Canada?
Does the answer change if I want to land in Canada or if I am just
flying through their airspace? I expect to be on an IFR flight plan, so
I will already have a squawk code...if that helps.


First of all, the simple stuff. Discrete transponder codes are required
for
cross-border VFR flights, but, as you correctly surmise, if you are IFR
that
is not an issue. If you are just flying over Canadian airspace and not
landing in Canada, customs is also not an issue. However, if you use
Canadian ATC services (which are semi-privatized), you will later receive
a
bill for a few bucks, payable by credit card.

If you want to land in Canada, you need to do so first at an airport of
entry, i.e. one with customs service. Canadian customs is really fairly
simple. Before departing the US (at least 1 hour in advance) call
Canadian
customs at 1-888-226-7277 (888-CANPASS) to advise them of your intentions.
They will want to know stuff like the aircraft number, point of departure,
airport of arrival, ETA, number and nationality of occupants, etc. When
filing your US flight plan, under "comments" note that you will require
customs service. (This really doesn't do anything, but it's apparently
still in the regs.) When you arrive at the Canadian destination, ask
ground
control for taxi to customs. (At uncontrolled fields, there should be
signs.) How customs is handled from that point seems to vary by location,
but the process is fairly painless and free. I strongly recommend that
you
bring passports for all aboard -- not STRICTLY required for US citizens,
but
makes things much easier. Customs will give you a registration number
that
you should write down and keep in the airplane. This provides evidence of
clearance if any issues arise.

Unfortunately, returning to the US is not nearly as simple. First of all,
you have to alert US customs in advance where and when you will be
arriving.
It has to be an airport of entry, but such a designation does not mean
that
customs service will be there, even during normal business hours.
Furthermore, unlike Canadian customs, there is no central number to call.
Instead, you have to call the customs office at the airport you intend to
land at and negotiate a time of arrival. What's the phone number for that
customs office? You would think that the US Customs service would make
that
information available online, but I've never found it. Fortunately, AOPA
members can find a complete listing at
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/guides/custaprt.html. This calling
ahead
can sometimes be challenging because, as I noted, the customs offices at
smaller airports are often unmanned. Then, you need to arrive precisely
at
the negotiated time, give or take a few minutes, to assure that the
customs
agent will be there. File a Canadian flight plan, and be sure to check
the
"ADCUS" (advise customs) box.

When you arrive for US Customs inspection, you will have to fill our two
lengthy forms. Customs charges an annual $25 fee for each airplane, for
which you get a very ugly decal that you are supposed to plaster on the
outside of your airplane near the passenger door. If you don't have the
decal, the customs agent will collect the $25 and you will be sent the
decal
by mail for any future (same year) use.

The bill for Canadian ATC services will come some time later. For light
aircraft, the charges will typically be around US$13 or so.


--
-Elliott Drucker