Let me preface this by mentioning that as a Canadian, all I need to cross the border into the U.S. is a birth certificate and photo I.D.
I just received my replacement birth certificate a couple of weeks ago. I was going to put it in my wallet but didn’t. You’ll see why this was a good move in a minute.
My plan was to use my medicare card and/or driver’s license as photo I.D. when I next cross the border.
Well, my wallet was either lost or lifted two weekends ago. The only things of monetary value in there were $15 and my metro pass, but my photo I.D. is gone - except my expired passport, which I keep at home with my birth certificate.
Using those items I was able to get a new ATM card. I have no credit cards, so that’s no problem.
However, the Quebec government bureaucracy being what it is, I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get a new medicare card.
So this is the question: given I have a valid birth certificate, would it be a bad thing to use an expired passport at the border simply as photo I.D.? I can always explain to the border guard that I lost all other photo I.D., but they’re assholes, especially where I cross the border, since it’s a major drug corridor.
I mean, the passport’s official, and though I wouldn’t be able to leave the continent without a valid passport, it’s still photo I.D.
I wasn’t asked when I crossed going up or back to the dopefest.
The past three times, actually I havn’t been asked for ID. Only where I was going, why and when I’d return.
That’s no guarantee, though. I just know that for me (possibly there’s the fact I’m from the U.S. which may play a part) I have had no problems recently.
Also there’s a small crossing somewhere a little north of Malone NY, I think it’s Chataguay. That one would is a little less strict on asking a hundred questions.
I hope your family origins are not from any of the countries on the USA terrorist list.
Today, the Canadian government issued a travel advisoryagainst travelling to the USA for those whose family lines may be traced from any of the countries on the USA terrorist list.
You probably will not have a problem at the border, but since the Canadian government issued its advisory I wouldn’t put it past US Customs and INS to play a tit-for-tat game with those folks entering from Canada and give you a hard time just because they can.
I haven’t crossed the border since 9/11 but used to all the time and as a Canadian citizen I was never asked for anything other than my Driver’s license and on several occasions never asked for anything at all, just asked what I was doing and for how long then waved through. This was always through Niagara Falls though, so I have no idea what the situation is in Quebec.
I always found American customs officials to be overall pleasent, its the Canadian customs people who seem to have to be miserable assholes to qualify for the job and it doesn’t matter where they are… airports, borders etc. I’m a Canadian and get hassled more at Canadian customs than tourists do. Anyway…
I’m an American citizen, and I just returned last month from a trip to Toronto. I drove over the bridge between the two Niagra Falls. All I needed was a driver’s license. The Canadians scrutinized me a slight bit more than the Americans, but I would say both ways were easier than my experiences going through airport security.
