Moving money across the border

[bluewhale]

From Canada, I am travelling to the states in a few days. A friend and I will be carrying a little over 5 grand US in cash, and I'm wondering what the best way to go about this would be...

1) if border ppl ask, tell them how much money we have.
2) if they ask, lie, having kept the money in our pockets. if they find it, explain everything (ie advantage gambling casino trip).

I figure option 2 is better. I think 99% of the time, we'll just get through with the lie. The small portion of the time we dont, they wont pat us down. And in the very small chance they do find the money, we haven't done anything reeealy wrong, so after a lot of questioning, they shld let us go.
Option 2, will have no surprises, and does guarantee a min. 20 minute conversation and a max several hour search of our car for drugs.

 

[shadroch]

You can bring $10,000 US across the border. I believe that is per person,not per vehicle.
If you are asked and lie about the amount you are carrying,and they find out,you will be buying a whole lot of trouble.As far as not having really done anything wrong,lying to a Border Guard is a serious offence. I wouldn't be surprised if they confiscated the money and gave you a court date to explain things to a judge,while they deny you entry.
Tell them you are gamblers,show them your reservations for the hotel/casino and you'll be on your merry way.Before considering option 2,think about the fun you'll have submitting to a cavity search.

 

[supercoolmancool]

Option 2, will have no surprises, and does guarantee a min. 20 minute conversation and a max several hour search of our car for drugs.

There is absolutely NO way around this. They do it to everybody. They make everyone empty their pockets and the search everyone's cars. Just be honest and tell them the truth. What are you afraid of?

 

[Brutus]

You can bring $10,000 US across the border. I believe that is per person,not per vehicle.

I think thats been the rule for a while. with inflation, its less and less all the time.

 

[bluewhale]

wow, consensus seems to be with option 2. have any of you actually taken that much money across the border or are you just talking?

 

[CaseyCat]

wow, consensus seems to be with option 2. have any of you actually taken that much money across the border or are you just talking?

I never have taken a lot of cash, but live in a border city and have crossed to/from Canada many times. I also know people who work for customs. I believe the $10K quoted is correct I can tell you it's not wise to lie to a customs official. Even if you are a US Citizen, you have NO RIGHTS when you are at the border. IOW: basically the rights of the US Constitution like search and seizure just don't apply.

They rarely do anything extreme without reason, but may decide to make an example of you, and at least detain and interrogate you. I have heard of instances where they assume large amounts of unreported cash is for illegal meas and it is confiscated. You may get it back, but not without a lengthy legal battle.

Check on amy and rules here:

(Dead link: http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/home.xml)

 

[Jeff25]

Be prepared for a vehicle search and alot of questions.

 

[Bojack1]

Taking 5k across the border is absolutely no big deal. I've crossed the border many times with much more than that and it has never been an issue. As a matter of fact very rarely do I ever need to do anything besides show ID and give them a destination where I'm heading. My vehicle has never been searched and its never taken more than a minute or two to be let through. At this point I would not even give a second thought to it. Its not uncommon for people to carry larger sums of money on them while going on vacation. If you are nervous about it, which you shouldn't be, you can wire the money to the casino and have it waiting for you when you get there. But honestly I wouldn't do that until you are carrying enough money where it becomes a legal issue, or just a hassle transfering money. Five thousand dollars is not.

 

[Brutus]

wow, consensus seems to be with option 2. have any of you actually taken that much money across the border or are you just talking?

I have carried sizable amounts pre 911.
today, why bother ?

I dont know, but possibly your destination casino could handle a wire transfer?

 

[shadroch]

To reiterate.
Crossing with $5,000- no big deal.
Lying to the border people- a big deal

 

[Automatic Monkey]

No way, I've driven across the border to Casino Windsor. He asked where I was going, I said "To the casino." He then said "But they have casinos in Detroit." I said "I heard the one in Windsor is better." No problem. A totally meaningless statement that justifies my entering Canada with a lot of money. He didn't ask how much I had, but if he did, I would have told him. They love idiots who go to a casino with a lot of money. Any activity which involves leaving money in the country you are entering is always welcome. Don't ever mention advantage play!

Now carrying more than $10K is a problem as there are additional laws and forms to fill out, but you are not, so none of that applies to you.

 

[bluewhale]

thanks everyone. i'm gonna be declaring the money if asked about it. everyone here has said that it shld be no problem, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm east indian and 19 which won't help my situation, but lets hope. I'll let everyone know how things went in a week, unless i'm jailed for being a terrorist :laugh:

 

[halcyon1234]

I'd add to this:

If you win big while in the US, don't bring the cash back with you. Find the nearest ATM that will let you deposit the cash, and do so. It'd be better to eat the fees on depositing $30,000 than to have to explain to a border guard why you have it on you. Things have been getting a tad nutty around the border for anyone "fitting the profile" {rolls eyes}. Fortunately, you'll probably get less flack coming back to Canada than going to the States.

 

[Preston]

Everyone has been pretty accurate as far as things go here.

The amount of money that starts paperwork is $10,000. You'll see it in casinos that any transacations over $10k need to be reported, so even more reason not to leave a paper trail. The $10k rule applies to bank transactions and other things as well.

I have b een to Canada twice. The first time was a pain in the ass coming back to the states. I had my car searched and everything. We had gone to a wedding and had been in Canada less than 24 hours, and brought NOTHING back with us. When the border guard asked us if we bought anything in Canada, we said no and thought nothing of it. At that point she said she needed to search the car.

Which, of course, found nothing.

I didn't hold our border in high regard after that. Because the above fiasco happened after we had waited in line and has this happen...

We pull up in a Pontiac.. and AMERICAN made car.. with OHIO plates. We hand the lady our two OHIO drivers licenses. We had our birth certificates ready just in case. And the first question out of her mouth was "Citizenship?"

Puzzled, my wife said "Ohio."

"No, what country?"

The second time we were going to Casino windsor and just said we're going to the casino and when the guard mentioned that Detroit has casinos I said "But I don't like the neighborhoods they're in."

That seemed to work.

Do not cross the border in high traffic areas. Avoid Niagara Falls.

 

[halcyon1234]

When the border guard asked us if we bought anything in Canada, we said no and thought nothing of it. At that point she said she needed to search the car.

Yup, there's your problem right there. =)

I've been across the border dozens of times with my family, and a few times either on my own or with friends (most of the time with me as the driver). I even once drove from Toronto to Niagara Falls with 6 people in a 6 seater car-- including one American citizen who JUST flew in from the States (as in he took off from Seattle in the morning, and was in my car at the border by afternoon), since it was cheaper than flying to Buffalo (weird).

In all those times, I've ever been searched once-- and I'll tell you why.

It was the one time I wasn't driving. We were in a van. One adult, his son, and four others of us. We were all 18-22, white males, not a crowded van. We'd crossed over to Michigan earlier that day. On the way back, one of the guys decided he wanted to buy a bottle of alcohol, then hid it in his bag. I told everyone, "Okay, when they ask, just say we were there for the day at the card tournement, spent about a hundred bucks each on food and some merchandise."

"But we didn't," they all cry-- and we hadn't. We'd brought food, and no one spent a dime at the shoppes, except Buddy.

"Just say it."

So we get to the border, border guard asks the usuals. Citizenship, Canadian. All. Yup. Purpose of visit? card tournament. (I even had a 1st place trophy!). Length? Just from this monrning. Anything to declare? No.

Pause. Nothing?

Nope.

Please pull over.

And needless to say, they found Buddy's bottle, lectured him for half an hour, fined him, then sent us on our way.

Moral of the story: They know exactly how long you've been in the country for, and NOBODY buys nothing. Everyone buys food or some magazines or a shot glass or something. You spent about a hundred bucks. It's the right amount-- even if you spent zero.

 

[mdlbj]

3 words.. balloons and Anal ease.. Or Asstroglide..

 

[iwantblackjack]

I'd add to this:

If you win big while in the US, don't bring the cash back with you. Find the nearest ATM that will let you deposit the cash, and do so. It'd be better to eat the fees on depositing $30,000 than to have to explain to a border guard why you have it on you. Things have been getting a tad nutty around the border for anyone "fitting the profile" {rolls eyes}. Fortunately, you'll probably get less flack coming back to Canada than going to the States.

Why not just ask the casino for a paper check for all or most of it? That way, no worry crossing with your big win and no need to make that large deposit at an atm or bank or other places.

 

[CaseyCat]

Do not cross the border in high traffic areas. Avoid Niagara Falls.

sometimes crossing at Niagara Falls is easiest, but it does get horribly backed up in prime season (July 4th, Labor Day weekend etc). They have lots of tourists just crossing to see the other side of the falls, or to go to the other Casinos (there's two in NF Ontario, one in US). NFalls customs is more used to foreign or day tripper tourists, while crossings like Buffalo and Lewiston-Queenston have more business travelers or longer term vacationers (week or weekend in Toronto, trips to Montreal etc). Whirlpool bridge (just north (down river) Of Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls) is usuallly a very easy cross and less known hence less busy even peak times. Mostly used by locals.

 

[Cardcounter]

Question?

Why would you want to carry $5,000 in cash it is perfectly legal to do so but wouldn't you rather put it in the bank and withdraw when you get closer to the casino. Don't you have a bank of america or a bank of the west in Canada? Put the money in up there and you can take it out at any branch that you please. The whole thing with the MIT team caring all this cash on the plan is stupid to me when they could of just gone to the bank and deposited all so they don't have to worry about it. Think about somebody will not have as much motivation to beat you up and still all your cash if you don't carry that much on you.

You could tell them that I was going to play high stakes poker and it takes a lot of money to do that.

 

[Brutus]

3 words.. balloons and Anal ease.. Or Asstroglide..

for bottle of whiskey?

no thanks!