While this information has been checked and is thought to be fully accurate as at November 1997, it is entirely unofficial and provided for general guidance purposes only. I would strongly suggest that due to its importance you check it independently yourself with an official source. For travelers of other European countries please e mail us for this info.....however, a page regarding this is in the works.
Most airlines operate the visa waiver programme, which means you don't need a visa. Be sure to check with your airline or tour operator regarding this point.
On the plane you must complete an immigration form for each person in the party, plus one customs form per family.
Check the format of the date of birth on these forms, since it can vary: day/month/year (UK format) or month/day/year (US format). Also check whether you should write above or below the lines - the immigration form is particularly confusing in this respect. In addition, check whether they want your country of residence stated as England, Britain or United Kingdom.
On outward flights to the USA you always have to clear US immigration and customs at the "port of entry" - the first US airport you land at.
The US immigration and customs procedures are a bit intimidating, but provided all your papers are in order they are not usually too bad. As usual with such matters there's a lot of luck in who you get and what mood they're in. Each family group is examined as a group, and you must wait in the queue behind a yellow line before being called forward by the immigration officer. After passing through Immigration you then reclaim your baggage and go through Customs, which is usually a straightforward matter.
On leaving the US, there are no Immigration or Customs procedures. The airline check-in clerk will remove the card from your passport which the Immigration officer stapled in when you arrived, and that is all that is involved.
An ordinary British driving licence is both necessary and sufficient for driving rental cars in the USA.
Since we've never flown into Canada, I cannot give any information on the procedure involved.
An ordinary British driving licence is necessary and sufficient for driving rental cars in the USA.
When driving into Canada, the US customs for people leaving the USA are usually virtually non-existent. At the Canadian customs for people entering Canada, point out that you are British. You will then normally be instructed to park the car and visit an office to get your passports stamped. This can take a little time since like most such officials the world over there is no sense of urgency to the proceedings. If you haven't already obtained a GST reclaim booklet then these can be obtained at the same time.
When returning to the USA, first visit the Duty Free shop on the Canadian side of the border to reclaim your GST for motel payments and significant other purchases. This can take a long time, but is worth doing. However, not all crossing points have Duty Free shops. The Canadian customs for people leaving Canada are usually virtually non-existent. The US customs for people entering the USA are usually very efficient and checks normally consist only of examining your passports without you having to get out of the car.