Originally Posted by atsak (Post 18059771)

That's not entirely correct. I was given GE automatically when it was announced Nexus travelers were approved for it, as long as the fingerprints were on file (mine were).

Originally Posted by guessaaa (Post 18058168)

Or you can give both passports and let them choose which one they want to use. EU immigration will always prefer EU passports because it just requires a scan into the computer. Sometimes just one passport is taken and the other is not looked at, and sometimes one is used to process and the other is just looked at. The closest "problem" I've come to is when I only used an EU passport at EU immigration, I was asked by the EU border agent if I had another passport. I replied "Yes, would you like to see it?" He said no. But that only happened once.

Originally Posted by Derek (Post 18054272)

My card arrived 3 days after approval. You may get lucky.

Originally Posted by atsak (Post 18062840)

However, many countries, if you are a citizen, require you to present yourself as a citizen of that country you are entering. Australia absolutely requires this, as I believe does the US. I am not sure about Canada.

Originally Posted by mabramovich (Post 18065237)

So if I have a chocolate bar I declare food and get sent to secondary and spend an hour there? Doesn't this completely nullify the advantages of NEXUS? I guess one just should never bring food into the US.

Originally Posted by mabramovich (Post 18065237)

So apparently I've been doing this wrong because I've never declared any non-fruit/veggy/meat food. My mom had her NEXUS interview today and they told her ALL food must be declared, and on looking at the US CBP blue form it does indeed have a check box for "food."

So if I have a chocolate bar I declare food and get sent to secondary and spend an hour there? Doesn't this completely nullify the advantages of NEXUS? I guess one just should never bring food into the US.

Entering Canada, I'm pretty sure the customs form just says any fruit/veggies/meat so I always say no as I never have any. But I don't have to declare chocolate or coffee or whatnot, so I guess entering Canada with "food" is still ok.

Originally Posted by rehoult (Post 18065488)

Generally not. When you hand in the card at the exit a good agent will ask what you have and wave you through if its something simple. Even if they send you to secondary anyways, you'll normally clear secondary in a couple minutes after you tell them what it is. I get secondary constantly when I travel with my dog and I don't think its ever taken more than 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by emcampbe (Post 18065725)

You are correct on the Canadian customs form. The US paper customs form lists "food" as an item you must declare (in addition to additional specific types), so yes, chocolate counts. This has been there ever since I can remember. The "food" verbiage is in the middle among a few items in one of the lines on the form, which I agree, is a bit sneaky, however, it is there. If you have just been checking the "no" box without reading what you are checking, that is actually pretty bad, especially when trying to gain entry to a foreign country.

However, if you use the GE kiosk's entering the US, they don't list "food" - they list it similar to the way it is on the Canadian form - with specific types of food. This is one advantage to using GE over Nexus when entering the US.

Not sure how getting sent to secondary nullifies the advantage of Nexus. Going into the US, I've been sent to secondary a few times - randomed a couple of times, declared food a handful of times, and once had to declare that I had been on a farm. I have never taken longer than about 5 minutes in secondary, even the couple of times they decided to open my bags for a quick search. Honestly, its not a big deal. Also, Nexus is not a free pass to enter Canada/US without inspection, the guide even details you are still subject to random inspections and questioning.



Another tip: If the regular lines aren't busy, I'll sometimes just go there instead of the kiosk if I have to answer yes to one of the questions. Usually, if you have food, for example, they'll ask what kind there, and can clear you there instead of getting sent for secondary.

Originally Posted by alanme123 (Post 18065116)

Did anybody also received their card a few days after the interview?

Originally Posted by yyzvoyageur (Post 18065427)

There's no requirement, but if one is Canadian it would only make sense to present oneself as such to CBSA. Whether a British, Canadian or Kiribati passport was presented to airline staff abroad is mostly irrelevant. Use your Canadian documents when entering Canada.

Originally Posted by BlondeBomber (Post 18067846)

emcampbe has it right.

I don't carry or I declare everything. The CBSA told me to even declare chewing gum as there had been issues in the past. I don't go that far but chocolate, candy, nuts, I declare. If someone really wants me to I will declare gum. 5 minutes in secondary is better than not being able to ever get a NEXUS card again.

Originally Posted by 2MM_Guy (Post 18070635)

Every time I have been "randomized" I ask what they mean by "food". The best explanation I got was "If it makes you poo, its food. If it makes you pee, its not food". I, of course, carry my precious tea bags as the only consumable item.

Originally Posted by sjgill (Post 18071288)

My wife and i got pulled over and issued a warning as she had 2 packets of powdered soup and answered no on the US customs form to having food. :(

Originally Posted by 2MM_Guy (Post 18071462)

What I find hilarious is that you can get busted for a banana, but go through transborder and then to the MLL. Take a banana and board the plane.