U.S. Land Borders Remain Closed to Non-Essential Travel

For the eighth month in a row (and coinciding with the holiday season), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will continue to limit “non-essential travel” at its land borders with both Canada and Mexico.  The extended restrictions will be in effect for an additional 30 days through January 21, 2021, and includes travel via ferry service and other “non-essential” travel for recreation, tourism, or visitation of family and friends.  It is recommended to travel by air if there is a need to cross the border.  

While the determination of essential travel continues to be at the discretion of the port of entry, CBP has confirmed that “essential travel” includes:

• U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the U.S.

• Individuals traveling to work in the U.S., attend educational institutions, or who are traveling for medical purposes

• Individuals traveling for emergency response including efforts to respond to Covid-19

• Individuals engaged in cross-border trade, official government travel, diplomatic travel, or military related travel

• Members of the U.S. military and their spouses and children returning to the U.S.

Please see a copy of the announcement here to what is considered non-essential and essential travel. 

The land borders have been closed since March 21, 2020, to non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  According to DHS, the ongoing need to keep the land borders closed has been due to both the success of these restrictions and the emergence of additional global COVID-19 hotspots.  

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as soon as they become available. 

This alert is for informational purposes only.  If you would like to discuss this development further, please do not hesitate to contact us.