BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - I-68 program

Brian Whatcott

On Tue, 6 May 2008 14:21:48 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I’m going to visit US this summer (by sailing across - Lake Ontario).
I have been told that I will need I-68 program/form to get there
easier.
I read about that on US GOV website.
I’m located in Toronto area.
Can somebody explain to me where I have to go to get the I-68 form.
I called all number listed in Buffalo as a port of entry, but nobody
knows what is I-68.
I called a bridge with no luck at all.
Does anybody can help me and get instruction where to go.
Or any other advises – in this matter.
Thank in advance
Mada

[From Pat's Boating in Canada...]

All persons coming into the U.S. are subject to Immigration and
Customs inspection. The U.S. government's I-68 (Canadian Border Boat
Landing Permit) allows both Canadian and American people entering the
U.S. on a boat to by-pass inspection. You must still "check in" by
phone and everyone one board must have a valid I-68. You may only use
this form to visit the designated border area for up to 72 hours (3
days). Customs or I.N.S. ports are becoming fewer and further between,
so this is a considerable convenience. Boats longer than 30 feet may
also require a U.S. customs decal.

Each person on board your boat, including children, must be registered
and possess an I-68 form. (Children may be listed on a parent's form.)
If you have a valid I-68 for each person on board, you may enter at
any port but all vessels must still report their arrival into the
United States. This report may be made by phone (or cell phone) to
1-800-827-2851 in the St. Lawrence River and Eastern Lake Ontario or
1-800-927-5015 in the Buffalo and Western Lake Ontario area.

If you have extra passengers, you must land at an official entry port,
videophone or radiophone for inspection.

Canadian boaters visiting places like Potters Beach on Grindstone
Island, a popular beach in the Thousand Islands, must report to U.S.
Customs first, unless they have an I-68 form and report their arrival
using a cell phone.

This quirk passed on by a fellow boater: "If you have entered the U.S.
using an I-68, after 72 hours you must leave U.S. waters, and then
return. However, if you were simply boating in Canadian waters and did
not officially enter Canada, you do not have to clear back into the
U.S. -- the original clearance is still in effect."

How to get an I-68 form:
To get the I-68 form, you have to present yourself, in person, to an
I.N.S. (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service) office. You must
supply 3 passport photos,have your name checked, and you must be
fingerprinted.

It costs about $16 U.S. per person. Payment methods include money
order, personal checks drawn on a U.S. bank or U.S. cash. They didn't
accept credit cards or Canadian cash last time I checked.

Family I-68 Form:
There is a family fee of $32 (all members are listed on one card).
Note that family members can only use a family I-68 card while
travelling with the person whose name appears on the card. If boating
with others, they must either carry their own I-68 or check in to an
I.N.S. location.

Family is defined as: husband, wife, unmarried children under 21, and
parents of husband or wife. Common-law families are not recognized.