Flying to US from Canada with a EU passport

[Houman]

Planning to go to NY early January for a weekend with couple of friends, one of them has been in Canada most of her life, but was born in Paris and only has a EU passport, wondering if the EAPIS I send will be any different beside the origin of passport provider for that person. She tells me that when she drives to US border, they are always taken aside and go trough a more rigourus check, wondering how that will be when going trough Burlington KBTV CBP .

I'm very familiar with the EAPIS and all the required process as I have flown from Canada to US several times, but only with people having Canadian passports.

Anyone from EU on this forum flying to US ?

[Robert C.]

Did she fill out the ESTA form on line? The visa waiver program requires Europeans flying in commercially to have done that beforehand.

Might be that it only works that way for commercial flights, but might also be required or make it easier when entering via Canada by car or GA aircraft. 

Robert

[terbang]

We did that last year, when we crossed the the Atlantic with our 252. We had to obtain a visa (B1/B2) from the US consulate in Frankfurt beforehand. As far as I know, EU citizens can only take advantage from this visa on arrival stuff when arriving by airline transport. I have no idea what it is like when Europeans arrive at the US border to Canada by car.

[shorrick mk2]

EU citizen cannot enter the US in a private aircraft based only on the ESTA. The only way it would work is first enter the US flying commercial then exit (and reenter) by GA.

[Piloto]

The best way to know is to go to the local Customs office and ask them. Entry rules changes yearly.

[aviatoreb]

4 hours ago, Piloto said:

The best way to know is to go to the local Customs office and ask them. Entry rules changes yearly.

It seems like each border crossing uses their own local interpretation of the rules.  In fact, our local crossing, at Massena, NY, I have called on successive class and gotten different answers depending on who you talk to.  Seems like they make it up as they go along.

Separate note - wow - this thread was started by Houman.  I was just thinking of you today when someone asked me if I ever flew to Montreal.