Can I Drive to the U.S. if I Own a Property in the United States?
My husband and I own a home in Florida and are considering driving down for the winter.
We know the Canada - U.S. border is currently closed due to COVID-19, but I have heard that there may be an exemption allowing Canadians who own real estate in the U.S. to drive across the border.
Is this true?
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation circulating about this topic, with rumours spreading that Canadians who own property in the U.S. are exempt from current land border travel restrictions and are allowed to drive across the border if they are travelling to their property in the U.S.
However, these rumours are not true.
While it is possible that this policy may change in the future, as of September 21, 2020:
- There is no exemption allowing Canadians who own U.S. property to drive across the border while travel restrictions are in place, and
- Travel for the purpose of visiting a property you own on the U.S. has not been deemed to be "essential travel" by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. agencies responsible for overseeing the Canada/U.S. land border closure.
You can get updates about the Canada/U.S. land border closure here.
NOTE: The information provided on this page is intended for Canadian citizens and permanent residents
