Located on opposite sides of the continent, Point Roberts, in Washington state, and Campobello Island, New Brunswick, are each home to around a thousand people. But they have something in common aside from their small populations: neither is connected by land to the rest of its country. Campobello residents can take a bridge to Maine, and Point Roberts has a land border with British Columbia.

Unsurprisingly, members of these communities find customs regulations more troublesome than most people, and they’re now seeking help from the new Canadian Minister of Finance, Joe Oliver. A joint letter to Oliver from the Point Roberts Registered Voters’ Association and the Rural Community of Campobello asks that residents of the two exclaves be allowed to transport personal goods across the border without complying with normal in-transit requirements.

Those requirements, which include that goods be sealed and invoices presented in triplicate, aren’t generally being enforced against local residents at present. They were in the past, however, and some Borders Services Officers are known to be stricter than others. Thus, the groups would like to see the exemption made official, and also want it clarified that no import or export occurs when residents’ goods cross the border.