Hi all
I read somewhere (and for the life of me, can't remember where) that internationals had to use certain border crossings to enter Canada (whereas, I presumed, Canadian and US citizens could use any). I can't now find any information on this anywhere. We will be wanting to cross the border at Roosville (from Whitefish to Cranbrook). Is there likely to be a problem with this, does anybody know? It would be awful to drive all that way and then find out that you had to use another crossing a couple hundred miles away! I would presume that the border coming from Vancouver into Washington State, on the return, would be OK?

We would be using a US hire-car (hired in Seattle), but I don't think this will be a problem, as long as we tell the hire company that we wish to drive it into Canada?

Thanks in advance for any info on this - or from where I might obtain some info.

you should have no problems crossing at any border into Canada. Just make sure you get permission from the rental car company to drive into Canada.
If you want to make sure, log onto.... http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.html
it doesn't really specify, but there should be contact info, phone or email.
for someone from the UK, it's pretty simple to cross the border.

also, even if you have e-tickets for your return plane tickets, make sure you print up the itinerary and have it with you at the border crossings. that's very important.

Thanks very much Vancouver girl,
Itinerary? I will have an e-ticket - but the itinerary will be our itinerary; nothing official. I suppose I should carry all the emails etc from hotel confirmations? I do this anyway - but had better make double sure!!
Thanks again.

Crossing the border should be uneventful but the rental car could be an issue. Some rental agreements have restrictions on taking the vehicle out of the jurisdiction (state/province) where it is rented from. Read the fine print carefully. That said it is very common for rental cars to cross the border. Vancouvergirl, why do you say an itinerary is important to enter Canada? I have never heard this. (I know the US has become pickier about having the exact address for the first night for air travellers.)

You don't really need an e-ticket itinerary to enter Canada (at least I don't think so) but definitely going back into the US the border guards are pickier. I have flown out of Seattle a couple of times on trips (much cheaper than Vancouver!) and they ALWAYS want to see the e-ticket itinerary, which is just a printout from the computer (easy to fake, really) but it doesn't matter, they want to see it. The first time, I didn't know that and had them stuffed into the bottom of a bag...didn't matter, I have to dig it out and find it for them.
They didn't seem to care about hotels or a detailed itinerary that way, just the plane ticket information.
Hope this helps!

Thanks vancouvergirl. I was only thinking about entering Canada, not rentering the US.