eAPIS - CBP $5k Fine - Advice?

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Unregistered

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Summary: Looked through eAPIS/AOPA/other documentation, filed on eAPIS, received authorization email, flew VFR SEL to eAPIS-approved CBP US airport with wife (both native US citizens, no criminal record) from Canada (with Canadian flight plan) 8/2010, arrived late and exhausted (7pm) due to wx, told approach and tower of need to clear customs, directed to FBO by tower (no ground), marshaled by lineman to remote area of ramp, lineman chocked wheels without verbal contact and ran back to busy jet arr/dep area, cellphones inop, waited while unable to get anyone's attention, walked to FBO to call CBP, greeted by annoyed CBP agent with adverse local reputation, rewarded with notice of violation and fine of $5,000.

Violations cited: Failing to telephone destination CBP office for landing authorization, discharge of passengers (walking to FBO to make contact with CBP).

Advice sought: Pay the fine, appeal using common sense and advice from a much friendlier day shift CBP agent, or get a lawyer? If lawyer, recos? AOPA legal not much help.

Suggestion: Read the eAPIS documentation carefully. Agent who cited said a non-800 number pre-departure phone call is required of the pilot as a slight optional convenience for CBP (agents can and do ignore eAPIS). A phone call to the destination CBP office is required after receiving eAPIS approval email even though not mentioned in the email and the number may be hard to find. Oh, and obvious while well-rested in front of a computer reading this: make a radio call to Tower or anyone you can raise, rather than leaving the aircraft.

OK, flame away with rants about poor citizenship, and how any citizen in good standing who pilots an aircraft without memorizing all relevant CBP rules and regulations should be confined indefinitely at Guantanamo. Hopefully among all that will be at least one helpful comment.
 
Unbelievable. I've had my run -ins at the border on the US side and think the whole thing is out of hand.

I won't fly to Canada. I'll park my plane in a border town and drive a rental to visit family.
 
Me too. Much easier to land in the Buffalo area and drive the ~1hr to Toronto. That way my family and I only get the two finger inspection as opposed to a full on fisting if we travel the last 50mi by air.
 
- get a lawyer
- write to your congressman
- write to your senator


Yes, they require a separate call to notify the actual officer who will meet you. I talked to the local CBP head honcho for Noth Dakota about this during a FAA event. He has 1 officer on duty to cover each port of entry in the state, even if that is a 24hr POE. If you are arriving at 3 am, you call up that officer directly and he is going to come out to the airport. If he has his day off, he needs to arrange for a replacement to drive in from 50miles away. Now, to get the officers cell number you have to call an answering machine at the local CBP office, that number is not on their website or published otherwise, except on a handhout available from the local office. While there is a 1-800 number run through lockmart, there is no way for either the 1-800 folks nor ATC or the tower to relay your information to the officer. With all the e-a-**** space-age internet-fu, this seems an incredibly backward and archaic way of doing business. Your case may be a good one to publicize, particularly due to the draconian and way out of proportion fine CBP levies for a minor infraction such as getting out of the aircraft without the officer present. I suspect that if you fought it, the magistrate would reduce it considerably.
 
I don't have any advice about the fine but in the interest of helping others who may be reading this, yes, you need to call them in advance and no, you are not supposed to get out of the airplane, you are not supposed to even open the door. If someone doesn't show up pretty quickly I use the cellphone to find out what is going on. I can't believe they fined you $5,000 for that though. I would think a warning would be enough.
 
Ask them if the letters F.O. mean anything to them.
 
What can they do to get that $5,000 out of you? I think I'd just cross Canada off my "travel" list.
 
It's when he came back, not when he went to Canada.
 
In the past 4 months I've done trips to Canada and back for Cloud Nine stuff, and never had a problem.

The eAPIS stuff is annoying and is a pain, but the procedure is well documented on AOPA and other places, and I wrote up on my from my trips as well on here for additional info.

Regardless of whether or not the rules are absurd (I sure think they are, especially when CANPass makes getting into Canada so simple), this sounds to me like you didn't research on the proper regulations and were fined for not following the rules. Getting out of the plane is a big no-no until they tell you it's ok to do so. I was once on time and had to wait half an hour for the customs people to come. Sat in the plane the whole time.
 
Without knowing the specifics, it's hard to comment fully.

I assume where you landed is listed as a Landing Rights airport and not an International Airport (Customs definition). If this is the case, you do indeed need to make a direct contact with the local Customs office and receive permission to land there irrespective of eAPIS. The port of entry may really not be staffed at the hours it is nominally open, and as mentioned, the Customs agent may be coming from somewhere else, possibly far away. This is not an uncommon error. About a year ago, on my last flight from Canada, I heard someone getting into trouble for doing the same thing.

That being said, there are many factors which mitigate your case, and it is extremely unlikely in my opinion that you would receive a maximum penalty for what is clearly an inadvertent mistake.

You did correctly file the eAPIS and landed at your designated port if entry. You did tell the tower that you needed Customs and proceeded to where you were directed and waited there for a period of time. That radio traffic is on tape, and you should call the tower chief tomorrow and ask that it be saved.

I would call the chief of the Customs office serving the port of entry tomorrow and see if you can explain the situation and stop it at that level. That, frankly is unlikely to happen, but it's worth a try.

Call AOPA too for their advice. Even if their legal advice is not of value to you, someone at AOPA may have a contact within CBP who may listen favorably. I find AOPA's advocacy if international flying to be ****-poor, and I become nauseated when they gloat over the "improvements" to eAPIS. Still, it's the best we have.

My prediction is that this will end up costing you $500. That's where previous publicized cases of first inadvertent violations have settled. I would certainly not just pay the fine any more than you would pay a parking ticket you thought was unreasonable. I say this not as a lawyer, just as someone who's made quite a few intl. flights and pays close attention to the absurdity of it all.

Good luck.
Jon
 
After reading the story again, if there was no customs agent around, I would have just continued on to wherever I was going, and let the paper work get lost in the pile of bureaucratic crap. When asked about it:

"Oh, something was wrong with the plane, we had someone come get us and drive us back."

This is ridiculous that we are becoming Nazi germany, and nobody will stand up to it.
 
I will not be flying to Canada at any point. If I were doing it over and over again like the Ted, I would invest the finances and time to multilayered and byzantine requirements. will not do so for the one odd trip. The money and time involved are just nuts. Like someone else said, rent a car at the border and drive in. Most of the stuff in Canada that I would want to see on holiday is within an hour's drive of the US anyway.
 
weilke said:
Now, to get the officers cell number you have to call an answering machine at the local CBP office, that number is not on their website or published otherwise, except on a handhout available from the local office.
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You can get the phone numbers you need, here.
 
While one hates to see someone hung up over stuff like this, if you'd read any of the guidance on crossing the US border inbound on AOPA's Internatinoal Flying section or anywhere else, you would have known that the call to CBP at your destination at least one hour before arrival is a hard and fast requirement (and has been for at least 40 years), and that the eAPIS does not substitute for that call.
 
EdFred said:
After reading the story again, if there was no customs agent around, I would have just continued on to wherever I was going, and let the paper work get lost in the pile of bureaucratic crap.
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Doing what Ed says is a good way to end up in handcuffs. If you think they don't see airplanes coming across the border, and track them to destination, you are dreaming in Technicolor.
 
Unregistered said:
Advice sought: Pay the fine, appeal using common sense and advice from a much friendlier day shift CBP agent, or get a lawyer? If lawyer, recos? AOPA legal not much help.
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"Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Pay the fine. You'll lose any appeal, and the cost of the lawyer will just add to your financial woes. Learn from the expensive experience, and next time, do more research on all the requirements for border crossing -- start here.
 
Unregistered said:
You can get the phone numbers you need, here.
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Is there a single file that lists the locations & phone numbers or do you need to individually select each office, copy it down, then go to the next, repeat?

Left panel menu:
Field Operations Offices -> Buffalo, NY -> 10 more selections to get entire list.

Boston - 43
Detroit - 8
Tucson, AZ - 10

then El Paso, Laredo, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle. What I find interesting there's nothing on the Canadian border between Seattle & Detroit. It's as if nothing exists in there, that no one flies there. Yet on another page (Locate a Port of Entry - Air, Land or Sea) there's Montana with 16 offices. Butte is a location where a CBP officer can operate (but may not be based there) but Great Falls has everything (Service Port).
 
Ron Levy said:
Doing what Ed says is a good way to end up in handcuffs. If you think they don't see airplanes coming across the border, and track them to destination, you are dreaming in Technicolor.
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And when I land at 6Y9 on my way back from Canada, guess who they are going to call to ask if anything suspicious went on. Me.

"Did you see an airplane land?"
"No, I did not witness an airplane land at the field."

(Of course, I didn't witness it because I was in it.)

Plus by the time they get anyone from CBP over there from Sault Ste Marie, I'll be long gone.
 
Ron Levy said:
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Pay the fine. You'll lose any appeal, and the cost of the lawyer will just add to your financial woes. Learn from the expensive experience, and next time, do more research on all the requirements for border crossing -- start here.
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Ya well it could be argued that this whole BS process is ignorant , ambiguous, and redundant. I would not throw in the towel especially when that means giving Canada 5k.


that is a loser attitude towards out of control bureaucracy

have some balls....
 
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taters said:
Ya well it could be argued that this whole BS process is ignorant , ambiguous, and redundant. I would not throw in the towel especially when that means giving Canada 5k.
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The OP was not fined by Canada but by US Customs. Canada is easier, in general, because you usually clear on the telephone, but if they decide an inspector should meet the airplane they can be pretty thorough and not always prompt.
 
Everskyward said:
The OP was not fined by Canada but by US Customs. Canada is easier, in general, because you usually clear on the telephone, but if they decide an inspector should meet the airplane they can be pretty thorough and not always prompt.
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thanks for clarifying. giving 5k to and administration that hates their own country, now I really would put up a fight.
 
The phone numbers are not difficult to obtain. You know where you're landing. Check on AirNav (usually lists it) or do a Google search for CBP Kxxx. Takes all of a couple minutes at most to find.

Ed's idea is at best a bad one, even though I agree fully that the process is rotten. eAPIS to me should be like CANPass. Just call when you land and be done with it, unless they're suspicious of you for whatever reason. I agree with Ron on this. The OP did not do the appropriate research, broke the rules, and is being fined for doing such. Whether or not the rules are stupid, they are the rules. The fine is going to the US, not to Canada. Canada's system is, in my opinion, much better and far easier.

Now, here's a question - why WOULDN'T you call ahead? Do you call ahead when going to an unfamiliar airport in an unfamiliar location, especially if you aren't sure if someone will be there at the hour you're going? I do, and it's saved me a couple of times. So if you've never done the international travel thing, why wouldn't you want to talk to a human to make sure that you were doing it all properly?

Stopping on the US side and driving over I think is admitting defeat, and there's no reason to. The whole process is actually quick and not difficult once you've done it once or twice. It is unnecessarily complicated in my opinion, but it's not that bad. I found that driving across the border was just as bad if not worse than flying over.

You really want a runaround when crossing the border? Go to Cozumel. After landing it took 2 hours before I could leave the airport - both times. However, you don't need to call ahead for Mexico, your flight plan is all they need.

If it were me, I'd probably still fight it just because I don't want to give up $5,000. However the OP DID violate the rules, so it would basically be like pleaing your speeding ticket from 30 over down to 5 over.
 
I think Ron was just discussing likely outcomes based on his own experience, which I'm told are encyclopedic. I myself find it hard to believe that an arm of the government is going to forego cash when they don't gotta.

Arguing against Customs is idiocy in and of itself. Every nation has it, fortunately the customs for autos in this country are quite benign. I imagine they are utterly stiff-necked because of the influx of narcotics and other recreational chemicals, which would make our freedom at the border another casualty of the war on drugs.
 
steingar said:
Arguing against Customs is idiocy in and of itself. Every nation has it, fortunately the customs for autos in this country are quite benign. I imagine they are utterly stiff-necked because of the influx of narcotics and other recreational chemicals, which would make our freedom at the border another casualty of the war on drugs.
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I agree that all countries do have customs requirements, but I have found that the overall hassle is actually less for private aircraft than for cars, you just have to know the system more than "Drive up to the border with your passport." The nice part is they tell you before you drive a couple hundred miles whether or not you're allowed to go in.

It is unnerving the first time you do it. I know this very well. After that, it's really not bad.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Now, here's a question - why WOULDN'T you call ahead? Do you call ahead when going to an unfamiliar airport in an unfamiliar location, especially if you aren't sure if someone will be there at the hour you're going? I do, and it's saved me a couple of times. So if you've never done the international travel thing, why wouldn't you want to talk to a human to make sure that you were doing it all properly?
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I've never done so even once. If there was no one where I landed I'd go somewhere else. But I can see the wisdom in what you're saying, and I will not be flying internationally as any time in the future.

Ted DuPuis said:
Stopping on the US side and driving over I think is admitting defeat, and there's no reason to. The whole process is actually quick and not difficult once you've done it once or twice. It is unnecessarily complicated in my opinion, but it's not that bad. I found that driving across the border was just as bad if not worse than flying over.
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I attended a seminar at the Oshkosh formation non-flight where the guy talked about flying to Alaska. Of course, to fly to Alaska you have to fly to Canada. He started listing all the stuff you needed. The list was quite long and quite expensive, even in aviation terms. You have far more wisdom concerning this than I, but are also far more committed with a very different mission. Flying to the border and renting is both quick and easy. I don't need to declare victory, I just want to go on holiday. I'd probably want a car anyway, so what's the big deal in an extra hour's drive?
 
taters said:
Ya well it could be argued that this whole BS process is ignorant , ambiguous, and redundant. I would not throw in the towel especially when that means giving Canada 5k.


that is a loser attitude towards out of control bureaucracy

have some balls....
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It's been pointed out by now that this has nothing to do with Canada, but there's another point about the bureaucracy you mention here. I haven't been to another country that has a customs&border bureaucracy that is nearly as bad as the US version. Anything to do with immigration, crossing borders, customs, etc. in the US is a giant waste of time and money. Based on that experience alone, I wouldn't have suspected Canada to have anything to do with this without even knowing the facts.

To the OP: Ignorance is no excuse, but it can be a mitigating factor, especially since you apparently made reasonable efforts to follow procedures. Yes, you missed the phone call, but you were clearly not trying to evade customs and therefore fighting this fine does not seem like a waste of time....
 
steingar said:
I attended a seminar at the Oshkosh formation non-flight where the guy talked about flying to Alaska. Of course, to fly to Alaska you have to fly to Canada. He started listing all the stuff you needed. The list was quite long and quite expensive, even in aviation terms. You have far more wisdom concerning this than I, but are also far more committed with a very different mission. Flying to the border and renting is both quick and easy. I don't need to declare victory, I just want to go on holiday. I'd probably want a car anyway, so what's the big deal in an extra hour's drive?
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I'm curious as to all the extra things required for flying into Canada. If you're flying over wilderness areas there are lots of survival gear requirements, and that is probably what he was referring to. However those apply primarily to single-engine aircraft. To fly into Canada, all I needed to do was some research on procedures and purchase the required charts from NavCanada. No gear or anything else was required. To be fair, I probably have at least 6-12 hours worth of research prior to the first flight. After that it was quick and easy. Mexico was worse in terms of gear due to the over-water flight, research was about the same.

I realize my idea of a vacation is different than many others, especially since I have a love of learning new stuff, and reading the FAR/AIM is actually an enjoyable way to spend a relaxing afternoon for me. I'd still note, though, that the people saying how bad it is seem to be the ones who've never done it.

sba55 said:
It's been pointed out by now that this has nothing to do with Canada, but there's another point about the bureaucracy you mention here. I haven't been to another country that has a customs&border bureaucracy that is nearly as bad as the US version. Anything to do with immigration, crossing borders, customs, etc. in the US is a giant waste of time and money. Based on that experience alone, I wouldn't have suspected Canada to have anything to do with this without even knowing the facts.
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Clearly you haven't flown yourself to Mexico. Going through customs on a commercial flight I haven't found to be any more of a hassle for the USA vs. Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand. It's all about the same. However flying to Cozumel was a major endeavor, far worse as far as time and bureauocracy than the USA.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I'm curious as to all the extra things required for flying into Canada. If you're flying over wilderness areas there are lots of survival gear requirements, and that is probably what he was referring to. However those apply primarily to single-engine aircraft. To fly into Canada, all I needed to do was some research on procedures and purchase the required charts from NavCanada. No gear or anything else was required. To be fair, I probably have at least 6-12 hours worth of research prior to the first flight. After that it was quick and easy. Mexico was worse in terms of gear due to the over-water flight, research was about the same.
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I'll see if I can remember everything:

you need a radio operators license, which I think is $100

I think your aircraft also needs an operating license, another $100

----one of these is permanent or semi-permanent, the other yearly, if memory serves

You of course need a passport, $100 every 10 years. You need that in a car or on foot too, there days. Need one for each passenger, too.

You have to register with eAPIS, and I suspect money changes hands there too, though I don't remember how much how often.

Canadian charts are a lot more than their American counterparts, and show less information.

CanPass, $25/year last I checked.

And of course you get to deal with customs, who can legally disassemble your aircraft for any reason whatsoever. Not that it's all that likely, but it would just be my luck that I'd get the guy who just had the giant fight with his Mrs. and was steamed to begin with.


So, all that versus calling Hertz and renting a car, which is probably cheaper than the Avgas I'll burn flying into Canada anyway.
 
steingar said:
I'll see if I can remember everything:

you need a radio operators license, which I think is $100

I think your aircraft also needs an operating license, another $100

----one of these is permanent or semi-permanent, the other yearly, if memory serves

You of course need a passport, $100 every 10 years. You need that in a car or on foot too, there days. Need one for each passenger, too.

You have to register with eAPIS, and I suspect money changes hands there too, though I don't remember how much how often.

Canadian charts are a lot more than their American counterparts, and show less information.

CanPass, $25/year last I checked.

And of course you get to deal with customs, who can legally disassemble your aircraft for any reason whatsoever. Not that it's all that likely, but it would just be my luck that I'd get the guy who just had the giant fight with his Mrs. and was steamed to begin with.


So, all that versus calling Hertz and renting a car, which is probably cheaper than the Avgas I'll burn flying into Canada anyway.
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Not if you are from Michigan. :D Some of the border states, Michigan inlcuded, have an enhanced drivers license which allow you to re-enter the USA from Canada and certain other countries without a passport. Reason 2,347 Michigan is better than Ohio*.


*Ohio may have the eDLs as well, but not living there, I am not sure.
 
EdFred said:
Not if you are from Michigan. :D Some of the border states, Michigan inlcuded, have an enhanced drivers license which allow you to re-enter the USA from Canada and certain other countries without a passport. Reason 2,347 Michigan is better than Ohio*.


*Ohio may have the eDLs as well, but not living there, I am not sure.
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Can you use those by air? I know the "Passport Cards" cannot be used by air travelers (either commercial or GA)...since I'm not a USC, I have no experience with these, I just used my Canadian passport.

Nope...
Enhanced Driver's License – This is a driver’s license that can also be used as a cross-border travel document to enter the U.S. by land and sea. It denotes both identity and citizenship, per the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
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MI, WA, NY and VT have them...that's it. So, you claim to be better than OH is sustained in this case.
 
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Ron Levy said:
While one hates to see someone hung up over stuff like this, if you'd read any of the guidance on crossing the US border inbound on AOPA's Internatinoal Flying section or anywhere else, you would have known that the call to CBP at your destination at least one hour before arrival is a hard and fast requirement (and has been for at least 40 years), and that the eAPIS does not substitute for that call.
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True, and I've been told that this is because CBP does not trust eAPIS yet! Here's a thought! Force it on them, just as they've forced it on us!
 
Everskyward said:
I don't have any advice about the fine but in the interest of helping others who may be reading this, yes, you need to call them in advance and no, you are not supposed to get out of the airplane, you are not supposed to even open the door. If someone doesn't show up pretty quickly I use the cellphone to find out what is going on. I can't believe they fined you $5,000 for that though. I would think a warning would be enough.
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Interesting, because at Ft. Pierce coming back from the Bahamas we parked in the customs box and walked into the customs building. No problems. As I recall, the FBO next door marshaled us there, put in the chocks, and may have even told us to just go in. I admit that I don't remember anymore.

We did remember to call the local customs office before leaving the Bahamas, though.
 
I can't remember what the radio operator and radio base station licenses cost, but I don't thinkit was $100 each. In my case, the plane already had one (permanent) and I already had one (forget if it's permanent or needs renewing). Nobody checked for either.

eAPIS is free. Charts cost money, but that's a given. CanPass is free unless you get one of the advanced packages with the kiosk access, which I didn't get.

In my experience, customs is worse with cars than planes.

Now, you will have to pay NavCanada for flying there, I forgot about that.

It's really not bad...
 
Ron Levy said:
While one hates to see someone hung up over stuff like this, if you'd read any of the guidance on crossing the US border inbound on AOPA's Internatinoal Flying section or anywhere else, you would have known that the call to CBP at your destination at least one hour before arrival is a hard and fast requirement (and has been for at least 40 years), and that the eAPIS does not substitute for that call.
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While I don't disagree with Ron's underlying point, which is that you should call the local Customs office 100% of the time, the fact is that by the letter of the law the call is not always mandatory. I can assure you from personal experience, that on the southern border, where the ports of entry are quite used to American coming back from Mexico, the eAPIS is sufficient at an INTERNATIONAL airport (not at a Landing Rights Airport). Pick up the phone now and call Tucson or Nogales Customs for example and ask if you need to call them if you've filed an eAPIS manifest. The answer will be no. That doesn't mean I don't call, if only to verify that they do in fact have the eAPIS.

The system was implemented without any consistency across the country. It has added to everyone's workload and saved nothing. The Customs service is on record as saying how wonderfully the GA community has done with it, despite their failure to make it at all user-friendly. And we are Americans who speak English fluently and are comfortable with the internet. Can you imagine what it would be like for a foreigner to come to the United States by general aviation? I would guess traffic counts have plummeted, since if I were a Canadian or Mexican, I would react to the giant middle finger the US has put up to the world by spending my money elsewhere.

Why tell the original poster to just pay the fine? He has been THREATENED with the maximuml fine by a zealous Customs agent (something they like to throw around gratuitously), but if I read correctly a formal penalty has not been assessed by any administrative officer. If an FAA inspector tells you he's going to suspend your certificate for 10 years, do you just hand it over on the spot? I think that's rather poor advice, and the original poster should make his case through the proper channels.

Jon
 
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gprellwitz said:
Interesting, because at Ft. Pierce coming back from the Bahamas we parked in the customs box and walked into the customs building. No problems. As I recall, the FBO next door marshaled us there, put in the chocks, and may have even told us to just go in. I admit that I don't remember anymore.
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I was trying to figure out where I have seen the rule that you are not to leave the airplane but I think it was a word of mouth thing at the place where I work. I can recall one time I forgot to stop at the customs box at my home airport. It was snowing and I was thinking about deplaning the passengers in the hangar. I had just parked in front of the hangar nose in when my flying buddy said, "customs?". By that time there was no way to turn around without shutting down and getting a tug so we had the office call the inspector to see if he would come to our hangar. While we were waiting, the line guys pulled us in the hangar and we sat there with the doors closed dripping snowmelt. Other pilots walked by laughing and pointing. I think in the end the inspector was happy to come to our hangar and inspect us inside rather than out in the snowstorm.

This is what I found in the US Customs Guide for Private Flyers.

Private aircraft are required to report directly to CBP for inspection immediately upon
arrival. A CBP officer will normally be present if the pilot has given proper advance
notice of arrival. In the event that no inspecting officer is present, the pilot should report
his arrival to CBP by telephone or most convenient means. He should keep the aircraft,
passengers, crewmembers, baggage, food, and cargo intact and off in a separate place
until the inspecting officer arrives or until a CBP officer gives special instructions on
what the next steps should be.
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About penalties...

The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 has substantially increased civil penalties for
violations of Customs regulations. Specifically, penalties have increased from $500 to
$5,000 for a first offense and from $1,000 to $10,000 for second offenses. Seizure of
aircraft may occur at any time depending upon the circumstances behind the violation.
Since the law provides for substantial penalties for violations of Customs regulations,
aircraft operators and pilots should make every effort to comply with them. Examples of
the more common violations and resulting penalties include:
VIOLATION
Failure to report arrival [19 CFR 122.32.33]
Failure to obtain landing rights [19 CFR 122.33]
Failure to provide advance notice of arrival [19 CFR 122.31]
Failure to provide report of penetration of southern border
[19 CFR 122.23(b)]
Departing without permission or discharging passengers or cargo without
permission [19 CFR 122.361]
Failure to present required documents [19 CFR 122.27]
Importing contraband, including agricultural materials or undeclared merchandise, can
result in seizure of the aircraft and penalty actions that vary according to the nature of
the violation and the provision of law violated. In some instances, CBP may issue a
notice of violation or warning instead of a penalty. Repeat violators, however, can
expect penalties.
If a penalty is incurred and you believe there are mitigating circumstances that should be considered, you may petition CBP for a reduction in the penalty amount or for
cancellation. If the grounds for relief are determined to be justified, the penalty may be
reduced or canceled. The initial request should be made to the CBP port director
responsible for the airport where the penalty was issued. If this course of action has
been pursued and found unsatisfactory, and a desire to petition for further relief still
exists, you may appeal to the Director of Border Security and Facilitation at CBP
Headquarters.
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The OP will probably be interested in the last paragraph.
 
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Ron Levy said:
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Pay the fine. You'll lose any appeal, and the cost of the lawyer will just add to your financial woes. Learn from the expensive experience, and next time, do more research on all the requirements for border crossing -- start here.
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Ron your right Ignorance of the law is not an excuse but everyday folks are given breaks for diminimus transgressions. Paying the fine without first consulting with an attorney would be silly. If the attorney is worth his or her salt they are going to tell the OP "nah nothing I can do for you" But if they can its worth a shot.

Arnold said:
Not enough information. Contact me by PM or alf@arnoldfeldman.com to discuss. I am an attorney. I live in DHS land including CBP.
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Just the person I was going to suggest he contact.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I can't remember what the radio operator and radio base station licenses cost, but I don't thinkit was $100 each. In my case, the plane already had one (permanent) and I already had one (forget if it's permanent or needs renewing). Nobody checked for either.

eAPIS is free. Charts cost money, but that's a given. CanPass is free unless you get one of the advanced packages with the kiosk access, which I didn't get.

In my experience, customs is worse with cars than planes.

Now, you will have to pay NavCanada for flying there, I forgot about that.

It's really not bad...
Click to expand...

Yes it is. That's a rather long laundry list for a bleeding holiday. Especially versus rent car and drive for a hour. You may read rules and regulations for fun, but you are one of a very small minority.

And the penalties if you screw up can be, as we've seen, pretty steep. Phooey on the whole thing. I'll leave my aircraft in country.
 
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