Border Patrol introduces new option for small boat border crossings

Many North Shore residents and visitors enjoy fishing and boating on the beautiful lakes along the U.S. – Canadian border. There are times that people travel into Ontario from Minnesota…and then return to the United States. This sets off the requirement for a border security check by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, a sometimes-cumbersome process.

There is a new option for small boat travelers, the CBP ROAM application. ROAM stands for reporting offsite arrival mobile app.
According to CBP, ROAM addresses a pressing issue for border waters that depend heavily on tourism and recreation.

Recreationalists from both Ontario and Minnesota travel these border waters with their families to enjoy fishing and other outdoor activities. Crossing the border means a trip to a border patrol station in the area.   

However, to help change all of that, CBP soft-launched the ROAM pilot program in Aug. 2017, at select resorts within the Northwest Angle, Minnesota. The program has been expanded across Minnesota, including here in Cook County.

The CBP ROAM app gives small boaters on border waters the flexibility of reporting their arrival into the U.S. from any location via a device that is capable of 4G/LTE or Wi-Fi.

The CBP ROAM app is available in the Apple and Android stores under CBP ROAM.

ROAM enables boaters to efficiently make entry into the United States via a video conference with CBP officers.

Small boaters can construct a profile within the application and submit their information for a CBP video conference when crossing the U.S. border via water. Travelers can easily save their information within the app to use for future crossings.

Additionally, CBP iPads with the CBP ROAM app loaded onto them are available at three locations on the Gunflint Trail: Poplar Haus, Voyagers Canoe Outfitters, and the Gunflint Lodge.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence checked in Jared Olafson, Port Director at the border crossing in Warroad, Minnesota to learn more about this new option.