Robot field service in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver: what's possible across the border
Short answer: Yes, a Vancouver team can do on-site robot work in Seattle and the rest of Washington State, and in Oregon, but the border decides more than the map does. Seattle is about 230 km from Vancouver, usually around three hours by road depending on the crossing. The harder question is whether the engineer may do hands-on repair in the US at all. For Canadian citizens, US rules allow after-sales service visits when the robot was made and bought outside the US and the work is done under the warranty or service contract that came with the sale. When those conditions are not met, a US-based service provider is the right choice. At KeepRobots' current US rates (before tax), the diagnostic fee is US$200 per robot, per visit, credited if you approve the repair; on-site labour is US$150 per hour; travel and border time are quoted per project before anyone leaves Vancouver.
This page is for robot makers, especially makers based outside North America, whose customers are in Seattle, the Puget Sound area, Portland or elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Immigration and customs rules are summarised from the official texts listed at the end, checked on 2026-10-28. This is not legal or immigration advice, and at the border the officer makes the decision.
Getting there: distance, crossings and time
From downtown Vancouver, the drive to downtown Seattle is about 230 km via BC-99 and I-5. Portland is roughly another 280 km south on I-5, so Oregon jobs are usually a long day each way or a short flight. Four road crossings link the Lower Mainland with Washington State:
| Crossing (US side) | Route | What WSDOT lists |
|---|---|---|
| Peace Arch (Blaine) | I-5 / BC-99 | No commercial vehicles |
| Pacific Highway (Blaine) | SR 543 / BC-15 | No restrictions listed; the crossing commercial trucks use instead of Peace Arch |
| Lynden | SR 539 | No restrictions listed |
| Sumas | SR 9 | No restrictions listed |
Border wait times change by the hour and the day of the week, so we check the live northbound times from WSDOT and the southbound times from DriveBC before leaving. Border time is a line in the travel quote, not a surprise on the invoice.
Time zones: from 1 November 2026, British Columbia stays on permanent daylight time (UTC-7). In winter, Vancouver will therefore be one hour ahead of Seattle and Portland, and in summer the two match. When booking a visit for 9 a.m. at a Seattle site in winter, the engineer leaves on Seattle time, not Vancouver time.
Can a Canadian engineer repair robots in the US?
Two official texts matter. They are narrower than many people assume.
Canadian citizens: the USMCA after-sales service category
Under 8 CFR 214.2(b)(4)(i)(F), a Canadian citizen can be admitted as a business visitor for after-sales services: "installers, repair and maintenance personnel, and supervisors, possessing specialized knowledge essential to the seller's contractual obligation, performing services or training workers to perform services, pursuant to a warranty or other service contract incidental to the sale of commercial or industrial equipment or machinery, including computer software, purchased from an enterprise located outside the United States, during the life of the warranty or service agreement." The equipment must also have been manufactured outside the United States, and the visitor must meet the normal B-1 requirements, including where their pay comes from.
Engineers who need a visa: 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(1)
The State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual lets consular officers issue a B-1 visa to someone coming "to install, service, or repair commercial or industrial equipment or machinery purchased from a company outside the United States". The conditions: the contract of sale must specifically require the seller to provide those services; the person must have unique knowledge essential to that obligation; and they must receive no pay from a US source. It does not cover building or construction work, whether on site or in a plant.
What that means for a robot repair job in Washington or Oregon
| Situation | How it lines up with the rules |
|---|---|
| Robot made outside the US, sold to the US customer by the maker's non-US company, warranty or service contract in the sale, maker engages KeepRobots and pays from outside the US | The closest fit to the after-sales wording. Bring the contract excerpt, a letter from the maker and proof of training on the model. |
| Robot bought from a US distributor or the maker's US subsidiary | The machine was not "purchased from an enterprise located outside the United States". Usually a job for a US-based provider. |
| Warranty or service agreement has expired; the customer wants ad hoc repairs | Outside "the life of the warranty or service agreement". Use a US-based provider unless a new service contract tied to the sale applies. |
| Work includes building or electrical construction: anchoring, wiring, fencing a robot cell | Excluded from the B-1 repair provision. Hire local licensed trades; we can supervise or train only where the rules allow it. |
| The US customer pays the engineer directly | Conflicts with the source-of-pay requirement. Billing should run through the maker's contract. |
Whoever crosses, the officer decides. We confirm with the maker before booking whether a job fits these conditions. If it doesn't, we say so and suggest a US-based provider.
Parts and tools at the border
Replacement parts for a US repair are imports into the US even if an engineer carries them in a car. The simplest way is usually to ship the part from the maker straight to the US site under the maker's RMA process, with the engineer bringing only tools. If a part has to travel with the engineer, declare it and agree beforehand with the maker's customs broker how it will be entered. Lithium batteries also have their own shipping rules. Duty rules for parts and whole robots going back for repair are covered in how much robot repair costs in North America.
What a Pacific Northwest visit costs
- Diagnostic: US$200 per robot, per visit, credited in full against that robot's repair if you approve the work.
- On-site labour: US$150 per hour.
- Travel: quoted per project: driving time, mileage or flights, lodging and border time. You approve the quote before anyone travels.
- All prices are before tax. Remote triage before the trip is free and is the main way to avoid a second visit.
| Example (before tax, parts extra) | Calculation | Example total |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle area, 1 robot, repair approved, 3 h on site | 3 × $150 (US$200 diagnostic credited) | US$450 + travel quoted per project |
| Same, but you decide not to repair after diagnosis | $200 diagnostic, not credited | US$200 + travel |
| Two sites in the Puget Sound area on one trip, 2 robots approved, 5 h in total | 5 × $150 (both diagnostics credited) | US$750 + one shared travel quote |
Hours in these examples are assumptions to show the arithmetic, not records from specific jobs. Grouping jobs is what keeps cross-border travel affordable: one trip covering preventive maintenance at several sites costs far less per robot than separate emergency runs.
When a US-based provider is the better choice
- The robots were bought through a US company, or the warranty has ended. See the table above.
- Your customer contract promises same-day or next-morning on-site response in Seattle or Portland. A team that has to cross the border and drive several hours cannot promise that reliably.
- The job is mainly building, electrical or mechanical installation work that needs local licensed trades.
- One metro area already generates enough hours to keep a local technician busy. At that point hiring or contracting locally is usually cheaper than paying for travel.
Many makers end up with both: a US-based provider for urgent calls, and a partner like us for deployment support, planned maintenance trips, spare parts in Vancouver and engineers who can work from the factory's Chinese documentation. For an overview of who does robot field service across the continent, see robot field service companies in North America.
What KeepRobots can do
KeepRobots is a robot field service company in Vancouver, serving Canada and the United States in English and Mandarin. We don't make or sell robots and are not an exclusive agent for any brand. For makers whose customers are in Washington and Oregon, we can check before booking whether each job fits the after-sales rules, group visits into planned trips, hold spare parts in Vancouver, and work to your fault tree, RMA process and report template. Our engineers read Chinese technical documents and can join calls with your factory team during their working hours. US rates and coverage are on robot repair and field service in the USA; for jobs in British Columbia, see our Vancouver base and robot repair and maintenance.
To check whether your Pacific Northwest customers fit this model, email partners@keeprobots.com with the robot model, where the robots were bought, the warranty terms and the cities involved.
Full roadmap: How to expand a robot company into North America.
FAQ
Can a robot repair company in Vancouver serve customers in Seattle?
Yes, within limits. Seattle is about 230 km from Vancouver, usually around three hours by road depending on the border. Canadian citizens can be admitted to do after-sales repair under 8 CFR 214.2(b)(4)(i)(F) when the robot was made and bought outside the US and the work falls under the warranty or service contract from the sale. Other jobs belong with a US-based provider. The border officer decides.
Which border crossing should a service engineer use?
WSDOT lists four road crossings between the Lower Mainland and Washington: Peace Arch (I-5, no commercial vehicles), Pacific Highway (SR 543), Lynden (SR 539) and Sumas (SR 9). An engineer in a car usually takes whichever is fastest that day. Check live wait times on WSDOT (northbound) and DriveBC (southbound).
What does the B-1 rule in 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(1) require?
It covers people coming to install, service or repair commercial or industrial equipment purchased from a company outside the US. The contract of sale must specifically require the seller to provide the service, the person must have unique knowledge essential to that obligation, and they must not be paid from a US source. Building and construction work is excluded.
How much does KeepRobots charge for robot repair in Washington or Oregon?
Before tax: diagnostic US$200 per robot, per visit, credited if you approve the repair; on-site labour US$150 per hour; travel, lodging and border time quoted per project and approved before anyone travels. Parts are extra.
How fast can you be on site in Seattle?
We confirm the date in writing for each job rather than promise a blanket response time. It depends on the border, the parts and whether the job fits the after-sales rules. For contracts that need same-day response, a US-based provider is the better fit.
Is Vancouver in the same time zone as Seattle?
Not all year from November 2026. British Columbia moves to permanent daylight time (UTC-7) from 1 November 2026, so in winter Vancouver is one hour ahead of Seattle and Portland; in summer they match.
Sources (checked 2026-10-28)
- US eCFR, 8 CFR 214.2(b)(4), admission of Canadian and Mexican business visitors under the USMCA, paragraph (i)(F) After-sales services: ecfr.gov
- US Department of State, Foreign Affairs Manual 9 FAM 402.2-5(E)(1), Commercial or Industrial Workers: fam.state.gov
- Washington State Department of Transportation, border crossings (restrictions, wait times): wsdot.wa.gov
- BC Government News, 2026: B.C. moves to permanent daylight time: news.gov.bc.ca
- KeepRobots current US rates: robot repair and field service in the USA
Example totals use KeepRobots' current published US rates as of 2026-10-28, before tax and parts, and may change; hours in the examples are assumptions. Immigration and customs rules are summarised for orientation only and are applied case by case at the border; confirm with an immigration lawyer or customs broker.