I live in the states and got a new passport and had it updated at a global entry office. I flew into Canada, was nervous about using NEXUS, but had no problems. So I'm assuming it updated in both systems.

Once I got into Canada, I also gave them my new passport, they gave it back in 2 minutes, so I don't know if that means they duplicated work or saw that it was updated and did nothing. Who knows.

Hi all, looking for an updated response (recent experience, FAQ posted on a government site) to the question:

Can I travel (land crossing) on NEXUS while my CDN passport is being renewed?

- NEXUS card expires in a couple years
- They hole-punched my passport and stamped 'CANCELLED' on the photo page
- The passport has expiry date in October (I'm renewing early)
- I have a receipt for the renewal application

I'm considering a trip to the US this weekend crossing at Whirlpool Bridge. I've perused the last few pages of the thread but didn't see any discussion on this point, and Google returned a user asking the question a couple years ago with no definitive answer or followup.

Would love to hear from others who've done it or if there's an "official answer" posted somewhere.

Thanks!

According to this (buried in a long and not very well edited list of Q&A) Passport Canada believes you can cross by land with NEXUS alone. This page actually answers your explicit question "Q. While I am waiting for my renewed passport to be returned (my old one is now marked VOID), can I use my Nexus card to travel by land to the U.S.? A. Yes you will be able to travel by land using your valid Nexus card."
http://www.canadian-passport-support...-Passport.aspx

However, that is the opinion of Passport Canada.

When you pull up to the booth at the border, is Passport Canada there saying "I got your back?" No they are not.

Everything about government ID crossing the border saying you can present passport "or" NEXUS refers to what you can "present". However, the NEXUS indoctrination material says that you must be able to produce a valid passport on request. Specifically, the member guide for NEXUS http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...sf5095-eng.pdf says

"Please be aware that the following program violations will result in the loss of your NEXUS membership: ... Failure to carry or produce any additional identification documents that may be required for entry into Canada or the U.S., i.e. passport, work or study permit, permanent residency card, etc.; ..."

In my opinion (and it's now open season for everyone else to chime in), I wouldn't do it. You don't have a "valid passport". Even if ten people post they did the same crossing, showing NEXUS and the voided passport pending renewal and were wished good day and godspeed, all you need is to run into a stickler and you could lose your NEXUS.

Too late for you, keithmacd, but for others in the same situation in future, just request expedited passport processing. With proof of a date of travel, you can get as quick as 24 hour processing. I recall in the past intending to travel while my renewal was processed, and thinking the hole-punching would occur when I picked up the new one, not when I dropped off the application. (Mis-recollection of the previous renewal.) When I expressed alarm about the big hole in my passport, the guy put my renewal in as a 24-hour renewal (but charged me the 3-day rate.)

From the CBSA's Travel Document page:
"Citizens and permanent residents of Canada, who are members of the NEXUS or FAST programs, may present their membership cards to the CBSA as proof of identity and as documents that denote citizenship, when arriving by land or marine modes only." http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexu...terre-eng.html

The NEXUS card is a WHTI compliant document for entry into the US via land or sea.

If you absolutely want to be sure, call the NEXUS help desk, numbers available here: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/menu-eng.html

I'm a Global Entry member, and so I received an explanation of using the GE kiosks at airports, but never really received any training in using the Nexus lanes when entering the U.S. from Canada. I know from reading the CBP's web-site that I have to follow all of the Nexus Program Rules, but I cannot seem to find any publication from CBP that contains the rules.

When I call CBP and ask about the program rules, I get all sorts of answers. Some of them conflict with one another, and many of them are wrong. For example, today I was told by a CBP agent that Global Entry cannot use the Nexus lanes at all.

I have found the Nexus Membership Guide published by the Canadian government. However, for the purpose of using the Nexus lane to come into the U.S., I'd rather read the Program Rules referenced by U.S. CBP.

Does anyone know where I might find those???

UPDATE: When I called a Nexus office today, the U.S. Agent told me that they refer NEXUS members to the Canadian user guide. So, it seems that the guide published by the Government of Canada is the official guide for U.S. users as well. You can find it here:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...sf5095-eng.pdf
Here's what I've divined from my talk with CBP agents. Anyone see anything that's wrong, or have anything to add??

1. BEFORE you hit the road, make sure that everyone in your car has a GE/NEXUS card. Make sure you have no Commercial Goods. Make sure everything in the car belongs to you or someone in the car. Throw away any fruit, vegetables, plants, or products containing any kind of meat (including hamburgers, meat pies, sticky buns, etc.). Segregate any other food items into a single bag. Segregate any other items you purchased while in Canada into a single bag/area of your car and put the receipts in your wallet or pocket. Don't carry more than $10,000 in currency.

See the Customs Declaration for other items you should be concerned about. You can find a printable version here:

http://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/fil...lable%29_0.pdf

2. You can use the Nexus Lane as long as everyone in your car has Nexus or GE. If you have a non-Nexus/GE member in your car when you reach the Nexus checkpoint, you will likely lose your Nexus/GE. If you allow someone who is not Nexus/GE to exit your car and walk across, that is also prohibited and will likely cause you to lose Nexus/GE.

3. You may NOT use the Nexus lane if you have any "Commercial Goods." According to the Canadian program guide, "Commercial Goods" include goods for sale and samples, tools, and parts. Some here have reported that a stack of business cards might qualify as Commercial Goods. If you are bringing in a large quantity of the same item, you run the risk that CBP agent will suspect Commercial Goods, even if you simply bought the same item to give away as a souvenir for several different people.

4. You may NOT use the Nexus lane if you are bringing any items that do not belong to you. Border agents are most likely to invoke this if you are carrying an item that is not consistent with your gender (a man carrying lipstick) or you claim that something in the car is "not mine." In the case of the former, you might lawfully have such items if you acquired them for the purpose of giving them to someone else but have not yet done so. In that case, you're carrying items for yourself until the time you give them to the other person. That claim may not apply to items that appear to have already been used, however.

5. You may NOT use the Nexus lane if you are bringing prohibited items into the U.S. If it's illegal in the U.S., it's prohibited, but there are also prohibited items that are legal in the U.S. Right now, Citrus products made in Canada are prohibited, and lots of fruit, vegetables, and meats from elsewhere in the world are sold in Canada but are not allowed into the U.S. It seems to me that its a good idea just to NOT bring fruit, vegetables, or meat into the U.S. at all, as the time associated with a secondary screening is not worth it, and you might lose your privileges.

6. Before you reach the agent, hold up your nexus card and wait until the scanner registers you and all of your passengers before driving up.

7. When you reach the CBP agent, you must declare if you have purchased anything in Canada that you're bringing back into the U.S. This seems to be true even if the items under within your exemption.

Be sure to disclose any snacks, food, clothing, and even gasoline that you purchased in Canada.

You should also disclose if you have any fresh fruit, vegetables, or anything with a meat product, and any other items that are required to be disclosed on the customs form.

http://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/fil...lable%29_0.pdf

To me, it almost seems sensible to prepare a written customs declaration form and present it to the agent, but that might be so out of the ordinary that it might draw scrutiny.

You are required to declare these items even if you are not asked about them.

8. If you are referred for secondary screening, you will be asked to fill-out a formal customs declaration before they search your car. Read the instructions very carefully.

Be very careful when answering the questions 11(a) (food) and (b) (meat or animal products), as incorrectly stating "No" when you actually have such items in your car (even if you forgot about them) can result in fines and the loss of privileges.

You must check "yes" to these questions even if the item you are bringing into the U.S. was something you brought with you when you left the U.S. Whether you bought or got them while in Canada is irrelevant.

Anything you can put in your mouth and eat is "food," including candy, an apple, or an orange. If you have any food at all, check "Yes" to 11(a).

Leather, milk, and eggs are animal products. If you have eggs, milk or any leather items (including your shoes, wallet, purse, or leather seats in your car), check "Yes" to 11(b).

It seems almost safer to check Yes, even if you don't think you have these items in your car, as the incorrect "Yes" answer seems to have no consequences, but the incorrect "No" can result in fines and loss of privileges. I've even seen some suggest that you always carry a candy bar or a food item that is not a fruit, vegetable, plant, or meat so you can truthfully answer question 11(a) "Yes."

Also be careful when listing the items you purchased and their value. Be sure to include any fuel you purchased while in Canada. If you have the receipts with you, the customs agents may well review the receipts and compare them with what you wrote on the form, and if there is a discrepancy, you could be fined and lose your privileges.

9. If any of the information in your GE/NEXUS application changes, including address, occupation, or passport number changes, update CBP immediately. Your passport number will change whenever it is renewed.

10. Always be extremely polite and friendly to the CBP agents. Remember that you have ZERO constitutional rights at the border, and they can do whatever they want to you, including cavity searches, tearing apart your car, or holding you for days.

Did I miss anything or get anything wrong??

Hi there,
You likely didn't miss anything but.....if you are only a GE member (you said "I'm a Global Entry member" above, and not "I am a NEXUS member) you cannot use the NEXUS lanes. NEXUS members get GE but GE members do not automatically get NEXUS as you must be vetted by both US and CA for NEXUS.

GE members can use the NEXUS lanes when entering the US from Canada.

Good to know. thanks. I had actually asked that in my interview (as I have friends with GE), but was told otherwise.

Thanks for digging so thoroughly flyquiet, very much appreciated. I was thinking the same thing that it's technically against program rules as you've outlined.

I used the NEXUS lanes returning to the US numerous times (in Niagara and Thousand Islands) back when I only had GE. No problem at all.

Yours is a common mis-conception. It's even held by some of the people I spoke with at CBP. It was originally correct, as GE members did not originally receive the machine readable card necessary for the Nexus lanes.

However, that changed a few years ago, and now GE members can use the Nexus lanes when entering the U.S.

From this page: http://www.cbp.gov/global-entry/faqs

"Global Entry cards have radio frequency identification, which enables their use at SENTRI and NEXUS expedited travel lanes entering the U.S. Global Entry cards are not valid for entry into Canada via the NEXUS lanes and kiosks."

GE Cards are also considered evidence of citizenship, so you can present them instead of a passport or passport card at Canadian customs in the REGULAR LANES. I figure it at least lets the border guard know that the U.S. finds me trustworthy.

Has anyone found a link to the program rules from CBP?

Do any of you guys ever volunteer any kind of declarations when you get to the booth if they waive you on, or do you just proceed?

In other words, if you bought $250 worth of stuff in Canada, and you get to the guy at the booth who says "Go ahead," do you stop and say "Wait, I have to tell you that I have a banana and some clothes that I bought in Canada in the car?"

NEXUS cards are considered by CBSA to be proof of citizenship for US and Canadian citizens. CBSA doesn't recognize GE cards and they doesn't care that the US considers you trustworthy.

The guy at the booth will ask if you have anything to declare. The NEXUS program rules are pretty clear: declare everything. I once declared the half-drank orange juice I had in the car with me, bought at the Starbucks before getting on the highway.

Then you'll get the specific questions: firearms, tobacco/alcohol, commercial goods (I travel as a business visitor). Then you'll get the "go ahead" from the primary inspector.

I've entered Canada twice in the last year using regular (not Nexus) lanes and both times used my Global Entry card for me, my wife, and my kid. CBSA had no problem with the card.

The GE Card is a WHTI compliant travel document and so it should be acceptable for identification, just as a WHTI driver license, or a Passport Card would be. In both cases, I also had my Passport Cards and Passports at the ready, but was never asked for them.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/security-...ss-eng.html#s1

"If you are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a passport to enter Canada."