The situation for American boaters in Canadian border waters is a little clearer today with some revised rules that will allow them to check in by cell phone.

The revised rule allows American boaters in Canadian waters to check in with Canadian customs by cell phone if they do not intend to dock on the Canadian side. The telephone number is 1-866-99-NEXUS (1-866-996-3987).

Canadian border authorities had said that American boaters must report in on specific telephones at specific locations on the Canadian side, even if they had no intention of staying on Canadian soil. Some boaters have complained that the reporting process alone could be lengthy.

Effective yesterday, according to a bulletin received by Congressman Bill Owens, U.S. citizens and permanent residents who cross into Canadian waters but who do not plan on landing on Canadian soil, and Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have crossed into American waters but have not landed on U.S. soil, may call the Canadian Border Services Agency Telephone Reporting Centre on their cell phones when they cross into Canadian waters.

The bulletin from the CBSA makes it clear that “the law has not changed,” but the agency has modified and “modernized its reporting requirements for pleasure craft entering Canadian waters, in an effort to make it easier for private boaters to comply with reporting requirements.”

Recently an American pleasure boat was almost seized, and the owner paid a fine on the spot to prevent that, when the boat was in Canadian waters on the St. Lawrence River. That boater, and others, complained that, even if it had been the law all along to require them to report, they had never been required to before unless they were landing in Canada.

“The Canadian government’s decision to amend their policies to allow for American boaters to report to a Canadian customs center from their cell phones is a step in the right direction,” said Owens.

“I appreciate the willingness of the Canadian government to work with us on this issue, and I think this is a clear sign that we are making progress,” the 23rd District Democrat said.