Armed with my Canadian passport, printout and screenshot of my ArriveCAN receipt, paper copy of my federal proof-of-vaccination, and my B.C. vaccine passport loaded onto my phone, I was more than ready to make a quick day trip to Bellingham, Washington from my home in Metro Vancouver.
I was not prepared to cross back in feeling wildly confused about the few short minutes I spent checking in with the Canadian border agent.
To rewind: after over an hour-long wait to cross into Blaine at Peace Arch on the morning of Friday, Dec. 17 (a wait I can unscientifically attribute to nothing more than fewer open lanes and a lot more vehicle checks - so many trunks being popped open!) I had completed my retail pilgrimage to Trader Joe's and Target and was heading back into Surrey at Peace Arch prepared with all my paperwork in tow.
The ArriveCAN app was not particularly confusing, and I had entered my info in two days ahead with ease. I had taken heed to dutifully record the screenshots with my QR code as well as made a printout of the confirmation email. I'd also ensured I'd visited the federal vaccine passport online portal and registered my vaccinations there, and made a paper copy of that information.
I was travelling on what would turn out to be one of the last days of a brief three-week spell when a negative COVID-19 test was not required for trips of less than 72-hours outside of Canada so there was no issue of re-entry testing to worry about - minus the chance I'd be randomly flagged for a test as I'd heard others in my community experience.
So what was confusing?
The only thing the Canadian border agent checked was my passport.
After about a 30-minute wait in line at Douglas crossing (by the way, that's the name for "Peace Arch" on the Canadian side, you won't see "Peace Arch" in the ArriveCAN app as an option) I was still about 45 minutes ahead of the arrival time on my ArriveCAN.
My arrival time absolutely did not come up, though the border agent did ask me how long I'd waited in line on both sides.
After a brief chat about where I had been, how much I had spent, and what I had to declare, the encounter was over. I - also unscientifically - concluded after I listed off some of the groceries, noted the lack of alcohol or tobacco, and got to the bit about the toilet cleaning product "we can't get here in Canada" I bought, she had enough to determine I was not problematic, just maybe a little dorky.
The agent handed me back my passport and bid me a good day.
I pressed the gas and returned to Canadian soil, squealing "I did it!" My border-crossing anxiety is always high, but this, my first trip out of the country in two years, was next-level. Under the best of circumstances, I typically expect to have things confiscated or be asked to pull to the side for a full search - neither of which has actually ever happened to me.
But I digress. As I motored along Highway 99 it dawned on me the only document the Canadian side had asked for was my passport.
Would I be getting a call from the CBSA asking why I didn't cross back into Canada at Douglas at 4 p.m.? (That was my friend anxiety asking that question.) Was the ArriveCAN just a hoop they make you jump through in case they do ask but aren't asking for across the board? Did she glance at my passenger seat and see I had my printouts at the ready and figured she didn't need to check? Are people who buy Toilet Wand refill kits always the kind who fill out their travel paperwork thoroughly?
None of those things are true.
So I did what most people do in 2021: I went on social media and mentioned my border experience. I received a flurry of DMs in reply from others who had been in my exact position, with the exact same concerns at the Canadian border, only they had the wherewithal to have asked the border agent if they needed to see their ArriveCAN documentation.
They all told me: Your ArriveCAN info is tied to your passport or Nexus, so when it is scanned by a border agent, that info is visible to them.
While I wished I'd known that before my day trip to Bellingham, I would not have done a single thing differently - except I would have had far less anxiety. And I wouldn't advise a single person to do anything different from what I did when it comes to being prepared with all my travel documents, including the printouts of my vaccine passport and my ArriveCAN QR code. Because they CAN ask for it, and it could be disastrous if you didn't have it. And they will ask for it if you're boarding a plane to enter Canada - and probably a train or bus, too. Bottom line: Don't eff with border crossing, period.
I suspect fewer people will be making casual trips over the land border anytime soon; as of midnight on Dec. 21, the feds are once again requiring a negative molecular COVID-19 test for entry or re-entry, including for trips under 72-hours in duration - and that test must be taken in your destination country, not Canada, under the new rules. Further, the Canadian government now advises against all non-essential travel outside of the country.
But for those who still plan to motor south, when you get to the Canadian land border to come home, they may not ask you for your ArriveCAN. Don't be confused like I was. You should still be prepared, that's for sure - but kick that anxiety to the curb. Safe travels, everyone!
Need a quick tutorial on using the ArriveCAN app? Check out this short video that explains it all.
