Members nrandall85 Posted October 13, 2010 Members Share Posted October 13, 2010 Just curious as to what sort of things to be prepared for when trying to cross the border to play a gig in Canada. I've heard it can be difficult to get across with a van full of equipment- and trying to pretend to border crossing that you are playing for free. Does anyone have any experience with this or ideas on how to do it the right way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted October 13, 2010 Moderators Share Posted October 13, 2010 Just curious as to what sort of things to be prepared for when trying to cross the border to play a gig in Canada. I've heard it can be difficult to get across with a van full of equipment- and trying to pretend to border crossing that you are playing for free.Does anyone have any experience with this or ideas on how to do it the right way? Yes, I've heard the same- that unless you obtain a work visa you're very likely to have problems at the border if you're obviously a band. I've heard a few horror stories. When my old band played Vancouver a few times 4-5 years ago we split up over several cars and brought only guitars/pedals. We rented/borrowed everything else. All I know about the "right way" is that from what I remember for the average original band doing a club gig it's prohibititively expensive. Disclaimer: Actionsquid not not support or encourage breaking the immigration laws of any country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted October 13, 2010 Members Share Posted October 13, 2010 When I did it years ago, I toured Canada a lot, BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, 4-6 weeks at a time. You had to post a 1,000 dollar bond at the border (usually the clubs did it for all the bands), have a work visa for the specific dates and venues you're playing, a social insurance number for every band member, valid ID and now you need a passport. You also need to have a list of every music gear item you take across the border with you, with serial numbers, and leave a copy with the US side. Then upon returning, you have to present them with the list and be prepared to show them anything on that list they ask to see. They just want to make sure you aren't selling gear across the border. Oh, and if anyone in the band has had an imprisonable offense in their life, forget about getting in. My keyboard player got turned away for an assault charge 30 years before (he caught his wife in bed with another guy and attacked the dude) and another friend was turned away for a DUI in 1972. You can apply for a waiver but it takes like 6 months and a pile of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted October 14, 2010 Members Share Posted October 14, 2010 When I did it years ago, I toured Canada a lot, BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, 4-6 weeks at a time. You had to post a 1,000 dollar bond at the border (usually the clubs did it for all the bands), have a work visa for the specific dates and venues you're playing, a social insurance number for every band member, valid ID and now you need a passport. You also need to have a list of every music gear item you take across the border with you, with serial numbers, and leave a copy with the US side. Then upon returning, you have to present them with the list and be prepared to show them anything on that list they ask to see. They just want to make sure you aren't selling gear across the border.Oh, and if anyone in the band has had an imprisonable offense in their life, forget about getting in. My keyboard player got turned away for an assault charge 30 years before (he caught his wife in bed with another guy and attacked the dude) and another friend was turned away for a DUI in 1972. You can apply for a waiver but it takes like 6 months and a pile of money. I gigged with a guy from Buffalo who toured Alberta for several years. He went to the border every six months to renew his work visa and had to have gig lists and all the stuff above. Pro who do it by the book. Made good money but was older and way more cautious than the average young guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nrandall85 Posted October 14, 2010 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2010 So if I'm wanting to book shows in Toronto and traveling from Buffalo- even if I'm probably not going to be making any money at all, there are a lot of hoops to jump through? It seems like this is a lot more trouble than it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steadfastly Posted October 14, 2010 Members Share Posted October 14, 2010 So if I'm wanting to book shows in Toronto and traveling from Buffalo- even if I'm probably not going to be making any money at all, there are a lot of hoops to jump through?It seems like this is a lot more trouble than it's worth. Yes, it can be a lot of trouble. If you are playing for free, the people you are going to be playing for could give you a notarized letter confirming you are not going to be paid. If you are going to get paid you will need to pay fees to cross. There are ways around it but that is illegal and it's not smart to try that, so I won't tell you how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted October 14, 2010 Members Share Posted October 14, 2010 Yes, it can be a lot of trouble. If you are playing for free, the people you are going to be playing for could give you a notarized letter confirming you are not going to be paid. If you are going to get paid you will need to pay fees to cross. There are ways around it but that is illegal and it's not smart to try that, so I won't tell you how to do it. Yes, and even if you're playing for free, you will still need to have a passport, a gear list and no arrest record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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