What Are My Chances?

[hank970]

I would imagine that a lot of the 'scrutiny' would be avoided if it looked as though you'd been using it along with any other camera gear you took with you for the trip... and it wasn't still in the packaging.

Isn't it necessary to declare what goodies you're taking into Canada for that very reason? If you didn't declare a drone when you enter and they find one when you exit, they'll know where you got it.

 

[PINEBARON]

Isn't it necessary to declare what goodies you're taking into Canada for that very reason? If you didn't declare a drone when you enter and they find one when you exit, they'll know where you got it.

I have never felt the need to declare goods not being left across since the question asked is always if I'm taking anythng across to leave there. I travel so frequenty and have all my paperwork handy, receipts, FAA registrations, certifications for US and Canada and Europe for the matter. I remember one time I took my mountain bike across to Canada (Whistler BC), no questions asked on the way out (I have more than $15k in the bike) however on the way back to the US the US CBP officer noticed the shiny mountain bike and jokingly said that bike is like a $10k bike whence I said, no sir, you have it wrong, its a $15k bike and yes its mine; you should have seen the look on my wife's face, I had told her I paid $10k for it, she just shook her head. He did not ask for paperwork although I have it on my phone.

 

[mavic3usa]

Isn't it necessary to declare what goodies you're taking into Canada for that very reason? If you didn't declare a drone when you enter and they find one when you exit, they'll know where you got it.

Yes you should declare everything that you take into Canada (from the US) which is not exempt.

 

[Bad Santa]

Seems like you have some exprience with that.

I do, indeed.
I'm not called BAD Santa for nothing.

 

[glocke12]

And the box folds flat.

An unboxed drone, in it's carry bag, is less likely to set off a flag.

A sneaky person could also hide the drone fairly well with a bit of creativity.

An even sneakier person would know how to modify and existing receipt for a drone bought in the U.S. with the information from the new drone bought in Canada.

I am not endorsing either of those, I just have a very creative mind.

 

[hank970]

A sneaky person could also hide the drone fairly well with a bit of creativity.

An even sneakier person would know how to modify and existing receipt for a drone bought in the U.S. with the information from the new drone bought in Canada.

I am not endorsing either of those, I just have a very creative mind.

You might be surprised how thoroughly border agents can conduct a search when the spirit moves them. And when they're done tearing everything apart, they don't, as a courtesy, replace things where they found them.

 

[BossBob]

I’d have thought that sneakiness was the first thing that border agents were looking out for. Is it really worth the risk of the possible consequences?

 

[PINEBARON]

I’d have thought that sneakiness was the first thing that border agents were looking out for. Is it really worth the risk of the possible consequences?

I would not sneak anything; would never risk losing our Nexus pass, a life-line to frequent border crossings and usally takes minutes, not hours, often seconds to cross the border in either direction.

 

[Bad Santa]

A sneaky person could also hide the drone fairly well with a bit of creativity.

An even sneakier person would know how to modify and existing receipt for a drone bought in the U.S. with the information from the new drone bought in Canada.

I am not endorsing either of those, I just have a very creative mind.

I wouldn't endorse it either.
I also know that border agents don't have time to search every vehicle and are looking for signs that they might need to do a search.

I also wouldn't admit that as a young printer, with little money, duplicating insurance proof to show a court judge to get out of a "no insurance" citation, and succeeding.

I will, admit, however that I saw a different printer replicate the expiration tags for a license plate. Printers had a lot of opportunities back then.

 

[Chip]

I do, indeed.
I'm not called BAD Santa for nothing.

I just assumed you would have asked the ex to drive for a while a couple miles before the border crossing. Would have saved yourself a lot of trouble. If she had no guilty knowledge of what you were doing she would have looked and acted perfectly normal. (The dog is an extra prop).

 

[Bad Santa]

I just assumed you would have asked the ex to drive for a while a couple miles before the border crossing. Would have saved yourself a lot of trouble. If she had no guilty knowledge of what you were doing she would have looked and acted perfectly normal. (The dog is an extra prop).

View attachment 185671

That would have been awkward, considering the entire reason I was going into Canada in the first place.

 

[Chip]

That would have been awkward, considering the entire reason I was going into Canada in the first place.

You really are a Bad Santa!