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According to the SPM ferry schedule for February 2020, there are some Sunday departures from Saint Pierre (France) to Fortune (Canada):

Screenshot timetable

But according to the Fortune CBSA Office hours, the point of entry will be closed to passengers at this point:

Travellers

Office Hours (Seasonal)

08:45 - 17:00
Monday to Friday (except holidays)
October 1 to March 31

08:45 - 17:00
7 days a week (including holidays)
April 1 to September 30

On a February Sunday, when I arrive in Fortune, the office will be closed. Even in summer I would arrive just at closing time. There are also some summer departures which arrive when the office is closed (such as June Wednesdays on 19:30).

How can I enter Canada if I arrive from this ferry when the border office is closed?

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  • I'll contact them (and it depends on your nationality). But if you contact them, please here so other people could find the answer useful. IMHO office hours are about inquiries, questions, and getting paper signed.
    – Giacomo Catenazzi
    Jan 13, 2020 at 9:34
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    In many places, “office hours” are for travellers who need to do special operations, but regular passengers with nothing special to declare are still handled on the basis of scheduled departures and arrivals. Don’t know if that is the case here.
    – jcaron
    Jan 13, 2020 at 9:37
  • @GiacomoCatenazzi why would the answer to the question depend on the traveler's nationality?
    – phoog
    Jan 13, 2020 at 16:45
  • @phoog: the terminal has also NEXUS (for US people), and looking the border control site, there are some automatic facilities / notification methods, which works for Canadian and few other registered people.
    – Giacomo Catenazzi
    Jan 13, 2020 at 16:52
  • @GiacomoCatenazzi whether someone can use NEXUS depends on their NEXUS membership status. Citizenship is one criterion for membership, but not the only one. NEXUS is open to more than just US people; it's also open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents as well as Mexican nationals who belong to Viajero Confiable. But if there are automated kiosks of any kind there must be officers available to process those who are rejected by the kiosks.
    – phoog
    Jan 13, 2020 at 17:02

1 Answer 1

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CBSA will provide immigration and customs services outside listed hours (during which services are publicly funded) on a cost-recovery basis by agreement, usually with carriers.

The CBSA normally provides service free of charge during the hours listed in this Directory for each office. If service is required outside of these hours or in locations where the CBSA does not have an office, the CBSA will consider entering into cost recovery agreements in order to provide service. Cost recovery provides the CBSA with the flexibility to deliver services that fall outside of its operating budget.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/do-rb/menu-eng.html

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  • The Answer says that CBSA "will consider" offering service outside the listed hours, not that the CBSA has actually entered such an agreement with the carrier. I agree it seems likely to have done so, but it hasn't been demonstrated save by the circumstantial evidence of the carrier apparently expecting to fly as scheduled.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Jan 16, 2020 at 15:59

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