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Friends going to Canada but drinking in the U.S. beforehand
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So I'm going with a ton of friends to Canada this weekend, so much so that we've rented a charter bus. There will be drinking on said bus, and some of my friends aren't yet 21. When we cross the border into Canada, should they be worried about U.S. Customs, or are the agents just going to ask for their passports and send them along their merry way? What about on the way back (if they even drink then, it'll be mid-day so it's doubtful).
My fear is that since it's a bus that will (more than likely) reek of alcohol, when the customs agent climbs on board he's going to ask for everyone's ID and give any under-21ers MIPs since they're still technically in the U.S. Has anyone had experiences with this?
My fear is that since it's a bus that will (more than likely) reek of alcohol, when the customs agent climbs on board he's going to ask for everyone's ID and give any under-21ers MIPs since they're still technically in the U.S. Has anyone had experiences with this?
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Start cracking open the beers after you cross the border. It's not like the extra hour or two of being sober will matter as the night heats up anyway.
B.net: Kusanku
Yeah, nothing to worry about.
i think for buses this rule might be different, but i only remember vaguely reading that somewhere
It's at the discretion of the guard based on who's on the bus and what it's doing exactly. I'd be very careful about being drunk and underage when crossing the border.
Think of it like this. The boarder guard needs to access whether the person(s) entering the country will be a risk. If said people are openly breaking a law in their country it's a pretty good indication that they could be a risk. I've seen someone denied access to the states before just for being intoxicated and in my experience the Canadian boarder guards are much more difficult than the American ones.
As for being drunk at the border... every time I've crossed the border by bus, here's how it works. The bus pulls over to the customs building, and parks. Everyone gets out, bringing their luggage with them. Customs agents search the bus while all the passengers shuffle inside and go through customs one at a time. Each passenger provides their ID, explains their reasons for entering the country, and declares any products they're bringing with them. Like, say, alcohol.
Can you see how it would be a bad idea if half the kids in the line were staggering drunk and slurring "Oh yeah, I still have half a sixpack left"? The customs agents wouldn't even need to ask their age, it's right there on their ID. How fun would your trip be if, say, half a dozen of your friends got denied entry to the country because they were piss drunk or bringing in large amounts of alcohol? How would they get home? Being denied entry means you turn around right then and there, do not pass Go, nothing. Would you spend four hours rapidly sobering up in the customs building while you scrambled to arrange transportation home for them, or would you need to cancel your entire trip because they couldn't afford their own personal bus back to the US? What if someone was stupid enough to say "Uh, not me, ossifer, I'm not bringing anything in!", right before a customs agent searched their luggage on a hunch and found three bottles of Jack? Lying to customs is a serious offense.
You seem to be under the impression that when you cross the border in a bus, everyone just stays in their seats trying not to giggle too much, while a benevolent agent sticks their head in the front door, glances around, then says "OK, go on through!" That's not the case at all. Everyone on the bus needs to pass through customs, which means going through a personal interview with a customs agent.
Seriously, just hold off on the booze until you cross the border. It is *not* worth the hassle.