Re-Entering the US in Boston from Bermuda

[prairiephil]

I intend to sail to Bermuda from Boston (roundtrip) and am having a challenge navigating the CBP website concerning regulations about re-entry. The crew will consist of two British citizens who are resident aliens of the US (green card holders) and two Canadian citizens who are legally working in Boston at the moment. It is not clear to me if we are eligible for the Nexus card to facilitate re-entry. Nor is it clear what the re-entry process will be. Any guidance would be really appreciated. Cheers Phil

[daddle]

My guess is nobody can know. But the easy way would be to call the very same office that you'll be calling and ask them what you need to do. It changes from burg to burg.

In San Diego, if you were to read the rules you'd never return from Mexico. In reality it's as easy and carefree as the drive-up window at Starbucks. DHS, gotta love 'em.

[hellosailor]

Phil, if you want to gamble go to Vegas. If you want reliable information, send a WRITTEN LETTER to CBP (ICE, whatever they call themselves this week) and request a written response.

That will not be a legally binding document, but it will probably be correct (at least for the rules that apply right now) and it will minimize any problems or questions when you do re-enter, if you can show the official letterhead and say "You folks told me to do it this way."

Some things you want from the source, in writing. And not from "some guy on the web" or "some clerk on the phone".

[daddle]

Perhaps what hellosailor is a good idea. Can't hurt. But it's DHS and the rules change weekly and from office to officer. For the first time in recorded history the officer in San Diego asked to see my Mexican exit papers, despacho. Well few US cruiser get such documents since they've been waved away in the past. I didn't have any. No problem. The officers have no idea what such papers look like and don't read spanish, apparently. So I showed them a port-to-port clearance from Mexico. They liked the pretty stamps and seals. They had no idea what it meant but it was good enough. Nutty.

Once pulling up to the customs dock from overseas they just waved us off, "We're too busy. Skip it." Seriously. It was really inconveient as the customs dock is the best place to unload the Illegals. :-) Not serious.

[PyotrBee]

Originally Posted by daddle

Perhaps what hellosailor is a good idea. Can't hurt. But it's DHS and the rules change weekly and from office to officer. For the first time in recorded history the officer in San Diego asked to see my Mexican exit papers, despacho.

Good luck getting written response from DHS. We wrote INS once and it took 6 months for them to return a reply with answers to questions we didn't ask......

[hellosailor]

"Good luck getting written response from" That sadly seems to be the way business in general is done in the US these days. Insurance companies, medical labs, all sorts of places that are under legal obligations to deal with their correspondence in a rather formal manner, simply throw some of it out and say "We never got it." And that's actually a profitable way for them to do business, because folks with complaints get tired and just drop it. Or, if nothing else, the payments (etc) go out next month when the bill is resent, instead of this month.

(Of course, no one would ever just throw out the incoming mail or faxes. It really gets adbucted by those four foot tall gray aliens with big black eyes, you know, "Alien Abuction" ? )

Sometimes they play "We never got it" despite the letter being sent certified and return receipted, and if you ever want to hear a clerk backpedal hard and fast, that's when you remind them that if their mail really is disappearing internally, you can help solve that problem by calling the postal inspectors. And their manager. "Oh, wait a minute, here it is." Ahuh.

But usually, a first class stamp and a reasonable wait (two to four weeks, no more) is good enough to get a reply. Followed up with the fancy stuff if it doesn't come.