Be careful filling out one card. If one of you gets sent to secondary (via random, answering yes to one of the questions), I'm guessing you will both have to go in if you are only on one card.

Of course, the correct answer, in my book, was the one not listed, at least for entering the US. Before your trip, make sure you log into GOES to confirm you have Global Entry access, don't fill out any blue cards, and use the GE kiosk instead.

How would they know if the two of you are married or not?

He asked as we were handing the form in. Different last names prompted the question, perhaps?

I guess my point was, there is no way for them to check. My wife uses her maiden's name. We don't travel with a marriage certificate, which in any event would be in some foreign tongue.

So how can it possibly make a difference? Or putting this in another way, if you tell them that you are married, how can then disagree?

I asked once and was told you had to be married and using the same last name. I had already filled out the form for both of us (and we have different last names on our passport) and handed it in. The agent said nothing.

Based on my experience going through US pre-clearance with Nexus, I have checked "yes" on the blue card for "food" if I have anything edible. I answer on the NExus machine that "yes" was answered to a question and this gets me a card from the machine that always sends me to secondary where they ask me about the food, x-ray my luggage, and require my passport as I leave (the Nexus card is insufficient). Of course, the usual food restrictions apply - no fruit without a label indicating it is from Canada or the US and no unlabelled food of any sort. I assume if you make a proper declaration and you have food that is not allowed with you, the material is taken and destroyed but there is no penalty.

My wife and I have been living together for 16 years, married for 13, and she did not change her name.

We have always filled out a single blue form, both before and after we got NEXUS cards. We occasionaly get the "what is your relationship question", but given that the only people in my family that have the same name are my two kids under 7 who have hyphenated names, we would theoretically have to fill out three forms if this was the case!

When my wife applied for Nexus the agent told her that we should fill out separate blue forms when crossing (we have different last names). I suspect this, like many other things is something you'll get a different answer on depending who you ask.

The agent is wrong. If that was the case the form would clearly state that. It doesn't

For fun I'd also point out that women in Quebec since 1981 are unable to take thier husband's name even if they wanted to.

My wife and I have different last names and as they don't look at your passport or (half the time) your Nexus card, there is no way they would know our marital status. BTW twice we have been picked for the R-R-R-R secondary, and both of us got it at the same time. There must be some cross-linking of our info back at the Nexus computer for that to happen.

The weirdest question we have had was at the Bluewater Bridge land crossing where we were asked "how do you two know each other". (we wanted to answer "biblically" but were too amazed by the question). :p

Even if they would look at our passports, how could they tell that we are married? I guess the only proofs I would have would be either a marriage certificate (in some foreign tongue) or one of my wife's other passports, in which she does use my surname.

Eh-men!

My wife does not travel enough to get Nexus but due to her habit of talking too much she always go CBSA solo while I wiz through Nexus. SIL has the same habit and my brother lost his Nexus over one family CBSA incident three years ago.

Confused about food!
 

re: Nexus and food

My wife and I just returned back from LHR and used Nexus on our return at YYZ. As background, we are always careful to declare food items when returning in our car (even muffins!) over a land crossing, lest the agent complain we didn't follow the rules. (We were warned exhaustively about this at our interview.)

When returning by plane, though, the kiosk asks you if you answered Yes to any of the questions on the customs form. But, the question about food on the form doesn't ask "Do you have any food on you?", rather it specifies certain types of food ("Meat/meat products; dairy products; fruits; vegetables; seeds; nuts; plants and animals or their parts/products; cut flowers; soil; wood/wood products; birds; insects."). If I have a few chocolate bars/candy from abroad in my bag, I can honestly answer "No" to that question. Therefore, when I get to the Nexus kiosk, I can honestly answer "No" to the question about whether I had indicated "Yes" on my customs card. (Confused yet? :))

So, what is the correct procedure when returning by air, and carrying foods not listed on the Canadian customs form? Should I tick "Yes" on the form (even though the food I have is not listed)? Am I at risk of confiscation of my Nexus card if I don't declare candy/chocolate and I am sent to secondary?

Thanks!

You only need to declare food items (into Canada) that match the descriptions above - and having a muffin with pumpkin seeds and pecans is still a muffin, not seeds and nuts.

Be careful coming to the US with Nexus (not GE) - the paper declaration card says "food", and thus everything and anything that could be considered food (I think chewing gum is safe) must be declared and you will go to secondary to clear it.

Ahh. So the strictness is going into the USA, not so much Canada. That is a good reminder. Thanks!