Canada: can I as a us citizen cross the border with mavic in my car?

[Lapeer20m]

Visiting Detroit but our hotel is in Canada.

Can I bring mavic across the border with my luggage? I don’t care to fly in Canada.

 

[kensteele]

ordinarily i would say of course you can but lately canada has had a special dislike for americans (ask me how i know) so it's completely ymmv.

 

[pjarvo18]

They shouldn’t search your car unless you give them a reason to. I took mine across the border from WA to BC with no issues. You staying at Caesar’s Palace in Windsor?

 

[Dan C]

Has anyone actually reported a problem with this?

I've just finished flying around Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with my full drone kit -- I bought a hard case that carries my Air, controller, all the charging accessories and cables, and four batteries (always discharged to <25%).

Security usually wants me to open the case, and they take out the drone, each battery, and the controller, look at them, then put them back. No worse than carrying a laptop through in my (limited) experience.

I'll be flying back to China (where I work) at the start of September, and I don't expect any trouble.

So I'm curious if there is something odd going on with the US-Canada border? I always found it harder coming back into the US (on a US passport) than I ever did going into Canada.

 

[Ralph thompson]

I wouldn’t be too concerned about entering Canada (although you know that registration of all drones with Transport Canada is mandatory and to fly anywhere u need a Basic license) but more concerned with going back into the US whose Border Guards are fed small quantities of raw meat to keep them prickly.

 

[Ken-Mav-Mtl]

You can consult the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) regulations:

Memorandum D2-1-1 - Temporary Importation of Baggage and Conveyances by Non-residents

This memorandum explains the entitlements and outlines the conditions under which non-residents may temporarily import their baggage and conveyances without payment of duty and taxes.

www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

Prohibited or controlled items generally fall into certain categories such as firearms and ammo, alcohol, tobacco and certain controlled or prohibited goods. I did not see anything referring to drones.

4. (1) Subject to subsection (2), the baggage that a person who is not a resident of Canada may temporarily import under tariff item No. 9803.00.00 consists of any goods that the person imports for their personal use and that are appropriate for their needs and consistent with the purpose, nature and duration of their intended stay in Canada, but does not include more than

• (a) 1.5 L of wine, or 1.14 L of spirits, or 1.14 L of wine and spirits, or 8.5 L of beer or ale;
• (b) 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 g of manufactured tobacco and 200 tobacco sticks; or
• (c) 200 rounds of ammunition or, if they are for the use of that person at a meet held under the auspices of a recognized shooting or rifle association of Canada, 1,500 rounds of ammunition.

Alcohol and Tobacco
12. Non-residents may import amounts of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, free of duty and taxes, as long as these items are in their possession when they arrive in Canada.

Controlled, Restricted, or Prohibited Goods
23. The CBSA assists other government departments in controlling the importation of certain goods into Canada. For information on:

• (a) firearms and weapons (which include replica firearms, mace/pepper spray etc), refer to Memorandum D19-13-2, Importing and Exporting Firearms, Weapons and Devices;
• (b) explosives (which include fireworks and ammunition, etc.), refer to Memorandum D19-6-1, Import, Export and in Transit Requirements of the Explosives Act and Regulations;
• (c) food, plants, animals and related products, refer to Memorandum D19-1-1, Food, Plants, Animals and Related Products;
• (d) currency and monetary instruments, refer to Memorandum 19-14-1, Cross-Border Currency and Monetary Instruments Reporting;
• (e) cultural property, refer to Memorandum D19-4-1, Export and Import of Cultural Property;
• (f) used or second-hand mattresses refer to Memorandum D9-1-7, Used or Second-hand Mattresses and Materials Therefrom;
• (g) hazardous products that could pose a danger to the public (e.g. baby walkers, jequirity beans that are often found in art or bead work) , The Administration of Health Canada Acts and Regulations Relating to Certain Controlled, Prohibited or Regulated Goods;
• (h) obscene material, hate propaganda and child pornography refer to Memoranda D9-1-1, Canada Border Services Agency's Policy on the Classification of Obscene Material and D9-1-15, Canada Border Services Agency's Policy on the Classification of Hate Propaganda, Sedition and Treason and Customs Tariff item No. 9899.00.00;
• (i) prescription drugs refer to Memorandum D10-14-30, Tariff Classification of Medicaments Including Natural Health Products;
• (j) radiocommunication and telecommunication equipment, refer to Memorandum D8-1-2, International Events and Convention Services Program (IECSP).

You should be ok.

 

[Dacosta]

ordinarily i would say of course you can but lately canada has had a special dislike for americans (ask me how i know) so it's completely ymmv.

Hi there. I'm Canadian and don't have a problem with Americans. Can you clarify what the problem
was? Don't rely on social media or main stream media for any truths.What is ymmv?

 

[kingsnake11]

There is no problem with taking drones across the border, either way.... however, to fly in either country, registration is required a that is where the difficulty is. As I understand it, a Canadian can take a drone across the border and fly it recreationally as long as they are registered with the FAA and the registration is on their drone. Again, that is for recreational purposes only but is likely to change in the near future though with the introduction of online testing. One possibility is that each individual drone would have to be registered and that info also put on the drone. That is what is done in Canada. For an American wanting to fly in Canada, the process is quite onerous, and many would likely not choose to fly here. Non Canadian citizens, or anyone who hasn't been granted permanent residency status, may only fly their drone in Canada if they go through the SFOC process...that is, getting a special flight operations certificate. As all the Mavic drones {other than the Tello} weigh greater than 250 g...ie over a pound, then the SFOC route is what you would have to do. It is possible that in the future, with online testing and certification in the US, perhaps some sort of recipirocal agreement might be reached....I know...maybe wishful thinking.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Hi there. I'm Canadian and don't have a problem with Americans. Can you clarify what the problem
was? Don't rely on social media or main stream media for any truths.What is ymmv?

Your Mileage May Vary...

 

[Smokieflies]

My experience has alway been more issues coming back into the US. 3 out of 5 times I have been searched coming back, but never going in. Have never tried it with my drone or recently either. Be curious how it went when you make the trip.

 

[KJack]

Visiting Detroit but our hotel is in Canada.

Can I bring mavic across the border with my luggage? I don’t care to fly in Canada.

You will be ok.

 

[AMann]

Visiting Detroit but our hotel is in Canada.

Can I bring mavic across the border with my luggage? I don’t care to fly in Canada.

Be sure to register your drone, computers, and any expensive cameras with US Customs first before leaving the US, they can charge a duty on your return to the states saying you are importing them!

Registering equipment, computer, camera, laptops, etc. prior to traveling

help.cbp.gov

 

[Lapeer20m]

Update:

I went to Canada and back twice, so had to deal twice with Canadian border guards, and twice with us border guards. There were no issues, however I didn’t declare the drone and I didn’t get inspected.

I did shoot some pretty sweet videos in Detroit, and, I didn’t die.

 

[pjarvo18]

Update:

I went to Canada and back twice, so had to deal twice with Canadian border guards, and twice with us border guards. There were no issues, however I didn’t declare the drone and I didn’t get inspected.

I did shoot some pretty sweet videos in Detroit, and, I didn’t die.

Hahaha. I went to Detroit a couple years ago (on purpose, to see the Joe Louis Arena) and I thought it was actually a cool city. Heart of downtown wasn’t too bad. You could tell it was getting bad as you drove out of town, but I was actually kind of impressed. Saw the Red Wings in the Joe, saw the Tigers at Comerica Park, dined at White Castle (we don’t have in Seattle area) and took in The Henry Ford museum. Wish I had my bird when I went there. Glad everything worked out!!

 

[2020HeinSite]

Hahaha. I went to Detroit a couple years ago (on purpose, to see the Joe Louis Arena) and I thought it was actually a cool city. Heart of downtown wasn’t too bad. You could tell it was getting bad as you drove out of town, but I was actually kind of impressed. Saw the Red Wings in the Joe, saw the Tigers at Comerica Park, dined at White Castle (we don’t have in Seattle area) and took in The Henry Ford museum. Wish I had my bird when I went there. Glad everything worked out!!

Your biggest risk by far was the White Castle. lol

 

[pjarvo18]

Lol. No way!!! So good!! They have a newer one in Vegas too now so a little closer for me.

 

[Lapeer20m]

I filmed three things while i was there and one of them happened to be joe Louis arena. They are dismantling the stadium.

 

[pjarvo18]

I filmed three things while i was there and one of them happened to be joe Louis arena. They are dismantling the stadium.

This is kind of heartbreaking. I understand the business side of it, and was never really a Red Wings fan, but thought I should see the iconic stadium before it was replaced by the Little Caesars Arena. Just seeing it made me appreciate the tradition of “Hockeytown” and I was glad I got to experience it. It was a no-frills arena that made you watch the hockey game instead of luring you in with the promise of great food and other entertainment. I watched your video of the old train station too. I drove by there on my way to White Castle. Super cool building and it’s featured at the beginning of the movie Four Brothers. Great job on your shots!!

 

[Thomas B]

Op has gotten back and fort across the border without event. Threadis getting off topic now. If you don’t have info on this particular border, US-Canada please post in another thread. Thanks.
Cheers all.

 

[Drgnfli]

Has anyone actually reported a problem with this?

I've just finished flying around Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with my full drone kit -- I bought a hard case that carries my Air, controller, all the charging accessories and cables, and four batteries (always discharged to <25%).

Security usually wants me to open the case, and they take out the drone, each battery, and the controller, look at them, then put them back. No worse than carrying a laptop through in my (limited) experience.

I'll be flying back to China (where I work) at the start of September, and I don't expect any trouble.

So I'm curious if there is something odd going on with the US-Canada border? I always found it harder coming back into the US (on a US passport) than I ever did going into Canada.

The last time I went to Canada I had an AZ license plate on my pickup. The Canadian border guys made us park in the "search" area where they looked in every nook & cranny of my pickup. The two "officers" took about 40 minutes to search the vehicle. When I asked why they had singled my truck out of all the cars they passed thru, they said because I had an AZ plate & they were sure I was carrying a firearm plus being from AZ, I might be smuggling illegals aliens across the border. I swear that is what the officer in the office told me... Needless to say, I won't be spending any American money in that country in the near or distant future...
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