Photography/videotaping at border checkpoints (US/Canada)

[Dr Frankenstein]

GMSV does indeed have good imagery of the customs stations, but I found only one along the US/Canada border where the booth itself is shown (Ambassador Br, US side).

Regarding duty-free shops, the ones I've seen are located in their own respective countries, and you have to provide your license plate number when checking at the register; I assume it's for communicating them to the other country's border enforcement. Of course you're not allowed to turn around and not cross the border with your duty free stuff, but I don't know how it's enforced.

[1995hoo]

GMSV does indeed have good imagery of the customs stations, but I found only one along the US/Canada border where the booth itself is shown (Ambassador Br, US side).

Regarding duty-free shops, the ones I've seen are located in their own respective countries, and you have to provide your license plate number when checking at the register; I assume it's for communicating them to the other country's border enforcement. Of course you're not allowed to turn around and not cross the border with your duty free stuff, but I don't know how it's enforced.

It really depends on the design of the duty-free shop. At the Thousand Islands Bridge, for example, the duty-free when you're leaving Canada requires you to go through a gated entry to access the parking, then when you leave you come out the only remaining U-turn in Canada is right next to the Customs building, so they'd certainly catch you. At the same crossing, the duty-free on the US side is positioned so that you'd either have to drive the wrong way on I-81 or else go through US Customs after making a U-turn.

But there are plenty of others with no such precautions. Heading north on I-87, for example, the duty-free in the USA is reached by taking the last US exit (Exit 43) and the shop is off US-9. In theory there's nothing to stop you from turning back. (The Canadian duty-free is positioned so that you must either enter the USA or go through Canada Customs after making a U-turn.) I don't know what they do to enforce it. We never stop at the duty-free shop on our way north.



Regarding photography at the border, I know at airports it's pretty routine for them to prohibit mobile-phone usage prior to clearing Customs and Immigration. Certainly at Dulles there are a lot of signs (notably in English only, at least as of my most recent international arrival there) saying "NO CELL PHONES." Using a mobile phone to film a video could certainly be construed as a violation of that policy.

[kphoger]

GMSV does indeed have good imagery of the customs stations, but I found only one along the US/Canada border where the booth itself is shown (Ambassador Br, US side).

As for the southern border, GMSV has continuous photography heading south into Tijuana from San Ysidro.

The cameras:  http://goo.gl/maps/nkE93
The actual border (yellow line):  http://goo.gl/maps/N7kmT
Red light, Green light (stop for search if red):  http://goo.gl/maps/JIJYZ
The search area:  http://goo.gl/maps/LPehk
The coppers:  http://goo.gl/maps/y0kLz
Now you're in México!:  http://goo.gl/maps/IdxSs

[rawmustard]

I took a couple border crossing photos on my way to the Rochester, NY, area from Michigan:

(for some reason, I lost the photo I had of the Canadian Customs plaza after crossing the Blue Water Bridge from that trip, but I managed to upload the ones taken at the Peace Bridge U.S. plaza)



At neither place was I asked anything about snapping any pics within the vicinity.

[rickmastfan67]

GMSV does indeed have good imagery of the customs stations, but I found only one along the US/Canada border where the booth itself is shown (Ambassador Br, US side).

Regarding duty-free shops, the ones I've seen are located in their own respective countries, and you have to provide your license plate number when checking at the register; I assume it's for communicating them to the other country's border enforcement. Of course you're not allowed to turn around and not cross the border with your duty free stuff, but I don't know how it's enforced.

It really depends on the design of the duty-free shop. At the Thousand Islands Bridge, for example, the duty-free when you're leaving Canada requires you to go through a gated entry to access the parking, then when you leave you come out the only remaining U-turn in Canada is right next to the Customs building, so they'd certainly catch you. At the same crossing, the duty-free on the US side is positioned so that you'd either have to drive the wrong way on I-81 or else go through US Customs after making a U-turn.

I know with the Peace Bridge on the Canadian side, you can walk to it from Central Ave and then walk back if you so choose. http://goo.gl/maps/vunFg

But then again, it does have this "Authorized Personal Only" at the start of the sidewalk.

[lordsutch]

I have a few photos I snapped on foot at the Bridge 1 crossing between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo a few years ago.  The guy who was collecting Texas state excise tax on my friends' duty-free liquor purchases said not to take a picture of the sign showing the state excise taxes because it would annoy CBP, but other than that I didn't get any hassle.

Here's the set if you're particularly bored: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordsutch/sets/72157617946165828/with/3517238382/

And here are the tax rates, which seem rather extortionate to me ($3 "administrative fee"? please): http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/poe/tax_rates.asp

Edit: Here's one at the I-35 checkpoint at Callahan. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordsutch/4136578287/in/photostream/

[Dougtone]

GMSV does indeed have good imagery of the customs stations, but I found only one along the US/Canada border where the booth itself is shown (Ambassador Br, US side).

Regarding duty-free shops, the ones I've seen are located in their own respective countries, and you have to provide your license plate number when checking at the register; I assume it's for communicating them to the other country's border enforcement. Of course you're not allowed to turn around and not cross the border with your duty free stuff, but I don't know how it's enforced.

It really depends on the design of the duty-free shop. At the Thousand Islands Bridge, for example, the duty-free when you're leaving Canada requires you to go through a gated entry to access the parking, then when you leave you come out the only remaining U-turn in Canada is right next to the Customs building, so they'd certainly catch you. At the same crossing, the duty-free on the US side is positioned so that you'd either have to drive the wrong way on I-81 or else go through US Customs after making a U-turn.

But there are plenty of others with no such precautions. Heading north on I-87, for example, the duty-free in the USA is reached by taking the last US exit (Exit 43) and the shop is off US-9. In theory there's nothing to stop you from turning back. (The Canadian duty-free is positioned so that you must either enter the USA or go through Canada Customs after making a U-turn.) I don't know what they do to enforce it. We never stop at the duty-free shop on our way north.



Regarding photography at the border, I know at airports it's pretty routine for them to prohibit mobile-phone usage prior to clearing Customs and Immigration. Certainly at Dulles there are a lot of signs (notably in English only, at least as of my most recent international arrival there) saying "NO CELL PHONES." Using a mobile phone to film a video could certainly be construed as a violation of that policy.

The duty free shop on US 1 in Calais, ME near the new international crossing also does not require you to cross the border, and the entrance and exit driveway goes into US 1 itself and not necessarily the road leading to the border (although if memory serves me right, there is also an exit leading to the border access road).  After being told by the Canadian duty free shop that currency exchange (I had about $20 to exchange) was done at the duty free shop in Calais instead of their duty free shop in New Brunswick, I found this out.

As for taking photos of and around the border, I figure that taking photos of international bridges (such as the Peace Bridge or Ogdensburg Bridge) is acceptable, but taking photos of the actual customs stations is not acceptable.  I move my camera to one of my pockets when crossing the border as a personal rule, so it's out of sight of the customs official.

[kphoger]

The Río Grande, as seen from the Colombia border crossing (Texas/Nuevo León), looking east, March 2009:


The international boundary plaque at the Colombia border crossing, looking east, March 2009:


The international boundary plaque at the Colombia border crossing, looking west, June 2012:


The Río Grande and plaque at the Colombia border crossing, looking west, June 2012:


Looking back north at US immigration, Colombia border crossing, June 2012:


Waiting in line at US immigration, Colombia border crossing, March 2009:


Waiting in line at the internal checkpoint on NB I-35 north of Laredo, March 2009:

[ilvny]

This isn't related to a border checkpoint, but one time I wanted to take a picture of a display of large soft pretzels at a rest stop in New Jersey.  The woman behind the counter said, "You can't take pictures here."  I can't take a picture of food?!  I said nothing and walked away.  I feel like I should have said, "Why not?  Why can't I take a picture of food" and taken the picture anyway.  Yet, I've taken pictures at other service plazas by the same company in New Jersey without a problem.  I even sent a letter to the manager of that particular plaza, and he apologized for what happened.  He also said he would review their policies with the staff.

The ACLU has an article called "Know Your Rights: Photographers."  It doesn't specifically mention border checkpoints, but it does mention public property, airports, and other things.
http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers

[agentsteel53]

He also said he would review their policies with the staff.

did he also offer to sell you a bridge in one of the boroughs?

[ilvny]

He also said he would review their policies with the staff.

did he also offer to sell you a bridge in one of the boroughs?

No he didn't.  It was one of those HMS Host service plazas.