Border Crossing

[Weather1]

Hello everyone. I am going to Winnipeg in January for 3 months for work. I will be bringing my corn snakes with me. I am planning on driving. Based on the time of year I would like to go through the States. The question I have do I need any special paperwork to cross the border in to Detroit and also to get back into Canada. Or do I even need to tell the border guards?

If paper work is needed where do I get it?

Any help will be great.

Thanks

[Tim_Cranwill]

You don't need any paper work. When I crossed with some kings and milks, all I did was bring proof of what species they were and proof that those species were not on their long list of CITES animals. If you do that, you should be fine. :)

[Kyle Barker]

They may still want to stick you with the inspection fee.

[gonesnakee]

Remember that they will want you to prove that you did not aquire the animals while you were in the States. It will make it much easier for you to reenter the country with them if you have documents to prove it to avoid paying taxes & duties etc. I don't know if there are certain forms required or not, but I would check with the customs people thoroughly before attempting travel with them. I would hate to see all yourt snakes confiscated over "red tape". Good Luck Mark I.

[Tim_Cranwill]

That is true. I remember having to pay taxes on them now because I bought them in the states....

[Simon]

yup
I too had to pay tax on mine
lol...one time when I bough my own corn down the states and came back I had to pay tax since I didn't have prove that those corns were from Canada....sigh....

but nothing much like the boas and pythons....so that's good

[Corey Woods]

Technically speaking all animals entering and leaving the USA need to be inspected at a designated port. Inspections cost $50 for none CITES and $75-90US for CITES animals. The inspecting officer may or may not charge you for an inspection since you are carrying them as pets (it'll all depend on his mood). How many corn snakes are you talking about? If it is just a couple hopefully they don't hassle you too much. If US Customs catches you trying to "smuggle" animals into or out of the US they can fine and/or throw you in jail. So, if it were me I'd call them to tell them you are comming to setup an inspection at both ends. If they confiscate the animals they will most likely be destroyed.

Just for everyones knowledge to bring animals into or out of the USA one needs a valid US Import/Export permit. This costs $50 and is valid for 1 year. All animals must be imported and exported at a designated port (their are 13 of them.......such as Miami, Chicago, LA....etc). If you cannot go through a designated port one can apply for an Exemption to Designated Port Permit which costs $25 and is valid for 2 years. It takes 10-14 days to get both permits. Once you have those permits you are allowed to import/export animals into/out of the USA. Inspections must be booked 72 hours in advance and you are charged anywhere from $50-90 depending on type of animal.

What I described above is what you need to legally import/export animals into/out of the USA. For "pets" sometimes customs will bend the rules for you and sometimes they won't. So, to avoid any delays, fines or jail time I'd advise to call US Fish and Wildlife to see what you are going to need to do things legally.

I hope this helps,
Corey