NEXUS (frequent traveller program)
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
program designed to let pre-approved, low-risk travelers cross the US-Canada border quickly. Members of the program can avoid long waits at border entry points by using self-serve kiosks at airports, reserved lanes at land crossings, or by phoning border officials when entering by water. The program is operated by the Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
. A NEXUS membership card is a valid document under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a law of the United States that requires all travelers to show a valid passport or other approved secure document when traveling to the U.S. from areas within the Western Hemisphere. The purpose, according to the U.S. Department of State and U.S...
.
Eligibility
To qualify for the program, an applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the United States, and lived continuously in one or both of those countries for at least the past three years. Applicants must also be legally admissible to both nations, complied with immigration and customs regulations during previous travel, as well as having a criminal history check. Additionally, if the applicant is under 18, both parents must provide their written consent.Application process
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
or CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
, which is waived for applicants under the age of 18.
Applicants are screened for citizenship and immigration status, checked for criminal history and positive matches on U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI), Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
(CSIS), Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP), United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
terrorism and no-fly list databases and United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Police National Computer
Police National Computer
The Police National Computer is a computer system used extensively by law enforcement organisations across the United Kingdom. It went live in 1974 and now consists of several databases available 24 hours a day, giving access to information of national and local significance.From October 2009, the...
. Applicants who pass the initial screening are interviewed in person by agents of both US and Canadian border authorities (typically one right after the other). Applicants are usually asked to explain their motives for joining the program and typical reasons for traveling, as well as about their employment and residential histories. Documents proving identity, nationality, and admissibility are physically verified and the applicant's fingerprints, photograph, and iris scan (if desired for air travel use) are taken. Program rules and procedures as well as customs regulations as they pertain to NEXUS are also explained in detail.
Members receive a RFID enabled NEXUS card, valid for five years from the applicant's birthday following card issuance. Renewal typically takes place six months prior to expiration, and members are required to attend another interview to verify that they still qualify for the program.
Use at land crossings
NEXUS cardholders are generally screened more quickly at the border, however they are still subject to standard immigration and customs checks, and may be selected for secondary screening. Participating border crossing points typically have one lane solely reserved for NEXUS use and some will also designate a second lane for NEXUS use on an as needed basis. A vehicle can only use the NEXUS lane if all passengers (including children) hold a valid NEXUS card, and nothing requiring a special customs declaration or payment of duty is being brought into the country (see below.)
Items permitted in a NEXUS lane
- Alcohol within a traveler's personal entitlement (must be out of country of residence for 48 hours)
- Tobacco products that are marked "Canada-Duty Paid"
- Gifts up to $60 each (into Canada) or up to $100 total (into the United States)
- Any reasonable amounts of personal effects
Items prohibited in a NEXUS lane
Any item requiring payment of duty or tax, as well as certain restricted and sensitive items cannot be brought through a NEXUS lane. Examples include:- Alcohol above a traveler's personal allowance, or if the traveler has not been outside their country of residence at least 48 hours+
- Cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or loose tobacco that is not marked "Canada-Duty Paid"
- Commercial or durable goods
- Firearms (legal to import, but specific paperwork must be filled out and a secondary inspection is usually required)
- Agricultural products (with limited exceptions for processed and locally grown foods in season)
- $10,000 or more in cash or bearer instruments
+Canadian Citizens or permanent residents had to declare their items on Traveler Declaration Cards (TDCs) and have applicable duty and tax charged to their credit cards. Carriers of Nexus cards issued after September 2010 no longer require to present a Traveler Declaration Card and can inform the border officer orally about their declaration.
Members are advised to inquire ahead of time with the appropriate authorities, and if in doubt, to use a standard lane. It is important to note that nearly every lane crossing in either direction, and at almost (if not all) ports of entry is equipped to read nexus cards. This means that if nexus lane has more cars than the general lane nexus card holders can use the quicker general lane.
US-Mexico Border
NEXUS members who are citizens of the United States may utilize SENTRI lanes when entering the US from Mexico by land, but must be traveling in an approved, registered vehicle (SENTRI requires members to register their vehicles into the program, which involves a thorough inspection by CBP, whereas NEXUS has no such requirement). Regardless of whether in an approved vehicle or not, the NEXUS card is a WHTI compliant document, and may be used in any standard lane from Mexico into the US as proof of identity and citizenship.US Global Entry
Canadian and American citizens can use their NEXUS membership at Global Entry kiosks in the United States for expedited clearance at Global Entry equipped airports in the United States.Use at airports
A NEXUS card is the only acceptable alternative to a passport for traveling between the United States and Canada via air (citizens of other countries must still hold a valid passport in addition to their NEXUS card). Passengers entering or leaving Canada via participating international airports utilize a kiosk to report to immigration authorities (CBSA or CBP) while an iris scan is used to verify identity. Members must fill out a customs declaration card for the country they are entering and are subject to additional questioning by border personnel as well as secondary or random screenings.Legal status of NEXUS card
In the United States, a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS is a valid secured document under the Western Hemisphere Travel InitiativeWestern Hemisphere Travel Initiative
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a law of the United States that requires all travelers to show a valid passport or other approved secure document when traveling to the U.S. from areas within the Western Hemisphere. The purpose, according to the U.S. Department of State and U.S...
, and may be used by itself to reenter the United States from Canada, including by air. Although the card creates a presumption of nationality, neither US nor Canadian law viewed the NEXUS card as full proof of citizenship. Nexus cards issued after September 2010 are accepted as proof of citizenship (if the card holder is a citizen of either country) and the traveler is no longer required to carry the passport.
NEXUS and FAST membership cards will now be accepted as proof of identity and as documents that denote citizenship when entering Canada at all land and marine ports of entry. This means that citizens of Canada and the United States who are NEXUS or FAST members, and are carrying with them valid membership cards, are no longer required to carry other supplementary documents such as passports or birth certificates with them when entering Canada by boat or by land, when using non-NEXUS or non-FAST lanes.
NEXUS and FAST members who are not permanent residents of Canada or the United States are still required to travel with a passport and proof of permanent residence, and may be requested to present these documents to a border services officer upon arrival at the border.
NEXUS members using the air mode of transportation can enter Canada using the self-serve kiosks regardless of where they are coming from. For example, a NEXUS member returning to Canada from overseas and arriving in Montréal can use the self-serve kiosk in Montréal.
NEXUS cards are, in theory, acceptable identification documents to present at TSA
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
checkpoints, but reports suggest they are often rejected by poorly-trained document checkers.
Airports
- Calgary International AirportCalgary International AirportCalgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown Calgary...
- YYC - Edmonton International AirportEdmonton International AirportEdmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton region in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a hub facility for Northern Alberta and Northern Canada providing regularly scheduled nonstop flights to over fifty communities in Canada, the United...
- YEG - Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International AirportHalifax International AirportHalifax/Robert L. Stanfield International Airport, or Halifax Stanfield International Airport is an airport in Enfield, Nova Scotia and in Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada...
- YHZ - Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International AirportMontréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International AirportMontréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport or Montréal-Trudeau, formerly known as Montréal-Dorval International Airport, is located on the Island of Montreal, from Montreal's downtown core. The airport terminals are located entirely in Dorval, while the Air Canada headquarters complex...
- YULYulYUL or Yul may refer to:*Yul Brynner, Russian-American actor*Yul Kwon, winner of Survivor: Cook Islands*Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, an IATA airport code*IATA railway code for Montreal-Dorval passenger rail station... - Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International AirportOttawa Macdonald-Cartier International AirportOttawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport or Macdonald-Cartier International Airport , in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is named after Sirs John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier...
- YOW - Toronto Pearson International AirportToronto Pearson International AirportToronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
- YYZ - Vancouver International AirportVancouver International AirportVancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
- YVR - Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport - YWG
Land crossings
- OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
/MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
/MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
/New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
:- Ambassador BridgeAmbassador BridgeThe Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...
(Windsor, ONWindsor, OntarioWindsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
/Detroit) (pictured) - Blue Water BridgeBlue Water BridgeThe Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
(Sarnia, ONSarnia, OntarioSarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
/Port Huron, MIPort Huron, MichiganPort Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
) - Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
- Fort Frances, ON/International Falls, MN
- Peace BridgePeace BridgeThe Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York, in the United States to the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario, in Canada...
(Fort Erie, ONFort Erie, OntarioFort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....
/BuffaloBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
) - Rainbow BridgeRainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls)The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls is an international steel arch bridge across the Niagara River gorge, and is a world-famous tourist site. It connects the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, United States , and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada .-Construction:The Rainbow Bridge was built near the...
(Niagara Falls, ONNiagara Falls, OntarioNiagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
/Niagara Falls, NYNiagara Falls, New YorkNiagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
) (NEXUS available US-bound only. Canada-bound lane discontinued in January 2011) - Sault Ste. Marie International BridgeSault Ste. Marie International BridgeThe Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, often known just as the International Bridge, spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It serves as the northern terminus of Interstate 75...
(Sault Ste. Marie, ONSault Ste. Marie, OntarioSault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
/Sault Ste. Marie, MISault Ste. Marie, MichiganSault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
) - Thousand Islands BridgeThousand Islands BridgeThe Thousand Islands Bridge is an international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the United States-Canada border in the middle of the...
(Hill Island, Ont/Wellesley Island NY) (NEXUS available US-bound only) - Whirlpool Rapids BridgeWhirlpool Rapids BridgeThe Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, commonly called the Whirlpool Bridge, and until 1937, known as the Lower Steel Arch Bridge, is a spandrel braced, riveted, two-hinged arch bridge. It crosses the international border between Canada and the United States, connecting the commercial downtown districts of...
(Niagara Falls, ONNiagara Falls, OntarioNiagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
/Niagara Falls, NYNiagara Falls, New YorkNiagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
) (NEXUS traffic only)
- Ambassador Bridge
- QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
/New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
/VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
:- St. Armand-Philipsburg/Highgate Springs, VT (limited hours)
- St. Bernard-de-Lacolle/Champlain, NY
- British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
/Washington:- Boundary BayBoundary BayBoundary Bay is situated on the Pacific coast of North America on the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington....
/Point Roberts, WAPoint Roberts, WashingtonPoint Roberts is an unincorporated community in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It has a post office, with the ZIP code of 98281, whose ZIP Code Tabulation Area had a population of 1,314 at the 2010 census.A geopolitical oddity, Point Roberts is a part of the United States that is not... - Douglas/Peace ArchPeace ArchThe Peace Arch is a monument situated on the Canada – United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. The Peace Arch, which stands...
(Surrey, BCSurrey, British ColumbiaSurrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
/Blaine, WABlaine, WashingtonBlaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
) - Pacific Highway/Blaine, WABlaine, WashingtonBlaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
- Boundary Bay
- AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
/MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
:- Coutts, AB/Sweetgrass, MT
- ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
/North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
:- Emerson, MBEmerson, ManitobaEmerson is a town in south central Manitoba, Canada, with a population of 655. The town is named after writer Ralph Waldo Emerson.Emerson is located on the east bank of the Red River, just north of the border with the United States at the point where Manitoba, Minnesota, and North Dakota meet. ...
/Pembina, NDPembina, North DakotaPembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples...
- Emerson, MB
- New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
/MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
:- Woodstock, NB/Houlton, MEHoulton, MaineHoulton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the United States – Canada border, located at . As of the 2010 census, the town population was 6,123. It is perhaps best known as being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and for being the birthplace of Samantha Smith...
(limited hours) - Milltown, NB/Calais, MECalais, MaineCalais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada...
(limited hours)
- Woodstock, NB/Houlton, ME
See also
- CANPASSCANPASSThe Canadian Passenger Accelerated Service System is a suite of Canada Border Services Agency programs in place to streamline customs and immigration clearance for pre-screened, low-risk, frequent travelers....
- FAST / EXPRESFree and Secure TradeThe Free and Secure Trade program is a joint United States-Canadian program between the Canada Border Services Agency and the United States Customs and Border Protection. The FAST initiative offers pre-authorized importers, carriers and drivers expedited clearance for eligible goods, building on...
(similar program for international truck drivers) - Global EntryGlobal EntryGlobal Entry is a program being piloted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States.-Enrollment:...
- SENTRISecure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid InspectionThe Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection provides expedited U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing, at the U.S.-Mexico border, of pre-approved travelers, considered low-risk...
(the US-Mexico equivalent to NEXUS)
External links
- Canadian Official site
- American Official site
- NEXUS Highway Program Celebrates 100,000th Member - CBP.gov (Thursday, September 21, 2006)
- Canada's New Government announces harmonization of NEXUS traveller programs (December 14, 2006)
- http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canpass/instructions-eng.html
- Nexus - How it works