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As snowbirds flock to the border to escape the Canadian winter, many are encountering the new U.S. registration requirement for the first time.

The rule, which took effect in April under the Trump administration, makes it mandatory for Canadians staying longer than 29 days to register with the U.S. government.

The regulation sounds simple, but it’s actually complex. Not all long-term travellers need to register, and for those who do, there’s more than one way to complete the process.

Further complicating matters, there’s no central U.S. government website that lays out all the options for travellers, and those who register at the border will likely be photographed, fingerprinted and charged $30 US.

“It's confusing, there's no common sense in how they're rolling this out,” said U.S. immigration lawyer, Len Saunders, whose office sits close to the border in Blaine, Wash.

Saunders says he receives several calls per day from Canadians who are desperate for clarity about the new rule.

“Nobody knows how this works.”

To help cut down on the confusion, here's the information CBC News has gathered about the new rules.

Option 1: Register at the border

Typically, air passengers are exempt from the registration requirement because t