NEXUS (frequent traveller program)

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NEXUS logo
NEXUS logo

NEXUS is a joint Canada-United States program designed to let pre-approved travellers cross between Canada and United States more 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. This program is operated by both the Canada Border Services Agency and the United States Customs and Border Protection. A NEXUS membership card is a valid document under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative when used at a NEXUS kiosk.

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[edit] Eligibility

Only citizens and permanent residents of either Canada or the United States are eligible for the NEXUS program. Applicants must have lived in one of these countries continuously for the last three years. Authorities will check applicants' documentation, run background checks, and take fingerprints, photographs and digital iris photographs. Applicants must also pay a fee, which is waived for applicants under 18 years of age. Applicants who pass these checks are issued a NEXUS card, which is valid for five years.

[edit] Conditions

While NEXUS card holders are screened more quickly, they are still subject to all the regular standard border checks and procedures. In addition, a vehicle can only use the NEXUS lane if everyone in the vehicle has a NEXUS card, including children. Likewise, NEXUS card holders declaring certain items must use the regular lane, and are prohibited from transporting certain items across the border.

Vehicles that use dedicated NEXUS lanes at land border crossings are required to declare all items purchased using a Travelers Declaration Card, or TDC, which is deposited into a special mailbox which is located directly before the customs booth and gate. The TDC is linked to the NEXUS user's credit card and taxes and duties are automatically billed. Limitations exist to the amount a vehicle may declare on a TDC. For same day travel, the limit is $500. For a 24 hour absence, it is $500. For a 48 hour absence, it is $1000 and for 7 days or more, $1550. A Nexus user would be required to use the regular customs lanes and prepare a verbal declaration to a customs officer should the limits be exceeded.


[edit] Locations where NEXUS is available

Airports:


Land crossings:


Marine crossings: NEXUS members can report to approximately 450 sites [1]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links