# Can I cross the US/Canada border without a birth certificate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594 "2003-12-02T23:38:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/1 "2003-12-02T23:38:48Z")
I have sort of an urgent situation where I have to get to Ohio from Ontario by Thursday, and I cannot find my birth certificate (so I know I have to report that!). But my question is, if I don’t have a passport or a birth certificate is there any id that is going to get me across the border and back? I have been looking through google and haven’t found a definite answer. I realize there is someone I could just call, but I’m at work right now, and no phone for another few hours, so I was hoping someone here might know. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/2 "2003-12-02T23:41:26Z")
US Citizens can cross into Canada with a driver’s license. Last time I went to Canada (June 2003), they didn’t even ask me for that. Just asked where I was going then waved me through. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/3 "2003-12-02T23:52:55Z")
Thanks **Athena** , my friends I have asked have said hey don’t get asked for anything either, but I am worried I will stuck in the US (not that it isn’t a lovely place I am sure) or arrested or something. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/4 "2003-12-02T23:58:57Z")
Last time I went to the States, only my Driver’s license was required (but I took other ID with me). On my way home, I didn’t have to show ID. This was pre-9/11 though. You should be fine with your DL. Bring other ID with you though (SIN, Canadian Credit Cards, whatever) just in case but I wouldn’t worry much about it. I entered through Sarnia and had no trouble, there wasn’t even a wait (but this was on christmas eve). ---
**Author:** ![WaryEri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ea666f/32.png) [@WaryEri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WaryEri)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/5 "2003-12-03T00:13:00Z")
Don’t count on getting in without proof of citizenship anymore, actually… Your DL is proof of residence, but it’s not enough if they decide to ask. They -might- waive you through with just a DL, but I’ve crossed more than a dozen times since 9/11, and always had to show my birth cert along with my driver’s liscense. Technically, you -need- your birth certificate ( or other proof of citizenship, which your dl is not), but you may get lucky and just get waived on through if they feel like it. I wouldn’t take the gamble, personally, but it doesn’t sound like you have much option. ---
**Author:** ![TheLimeChicken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@TheLimeChicken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLimeChicken)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/6 "2003-12-03T00:27:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WaryEri \* > \*\*Don’t count on getting in without proof of citizenship anymore, actually… Your DL is proof of residence, but it’s not enough if they decide to ask. They -might- waive you through with just a DL, but I’ve crossed more than a dozen times since 9/11, and always had to show my birth cert along with my driver’s liscense. > > Technically, you -need- your birth certificate ( or other proof of citizenship, which your dl is not), but you may get lucky and just get waived on through if they feel like it. I wouldn’t take the gamble, personally, but it doesn’t sound like you have much option. \*\* Not meaning to just quote this one response… Technically, yes you need a BC. In reality, I’d say depends on the crossing. I’ve crossed upwards of 30-40 times, all post 9/11, never needed a BC, have only had to show the license a few times (I’d guess fewer than 10). Then again, all my crossings were in rural Maine/Quebec (state route 27 in Coburn Gore and US-202 in Jackman) where there’s essentially no town/city for miles and miles. I would guess that those crossings closer to “civilization” would be a slight bit stricter. ---
**Author:** ![Zardoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a8b319/32.png) [@Zardoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zardoz)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/7 "2003-12-03T00:34:25Z")
I’ve been up to Vancouver from Seattle a couple of times, both before and after 9/11. Before 9/11 it was no problem to go up there with just your driver’s license. Now they want a passport or a birth cert. BUT, it’s not impossible w/o one of these, just a hassle. I went to Vancouver after 9/11 with just my DL, and at the border they made me get out of my car, go to a counter (that was thankfully not busy) and the Canadian border guys ran a background check on me–took about 10 minutes. Not a big deal. This past summer I went up to Vancouver with some friends from out of town, and they only had their DLs. This time, though, both going in to Canada and coming back to the States, the lines were sooooo long (1 1/2 hour wait) that the guys just look at their DLs and let us through. So I guess it depends on how busy it is. Worse comes to worst, it’ll just be a longer wait. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/8 "2003-12-03T00:42:29Z")
This is one of those questions which is really easy to look up on the [State Department’s website](http://travel.state.gov/canada.html). > [@](#): > > ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: When entering from the United States, U.S. citizens must show either a U.S. passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID. Whatever other posters might have said, you can easily get turned back. You _might_ get lucky, OTOH is it worth the risk? If you tried to fly, you certainly wouldn’t get past check-in. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/9 "2003-12-03T00:54:05Z")
**Tapioca Dextrin** that doesn’t refer to the situation here. **Magayuk** is Canadian and wants to travel to the US. But it is true about taking a flight. AFAIK you must show a Birth Certificate and/or passport at a airport. Only at the border can a DL be enough to get through. A SIN + photo ID is probably your best bet. SINs starting with 4 and 5 are issued to citizens in Ontario and should be enough to get a background check done (if nessessary). ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/10 "2003-12-03T01:00:03Z")
If you’re a Canadian citizen travelling to the USA, then the answer is on the website of Canada’s [Bureau of Foreign Affairs](http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/pubs/usa_bound-en.asp) > [@](#): > > The requirements of U.S. authorities for identification upon entering the United States have recently become much stricter. The most important formality on entering the United States is providing proof of your Canadian citizenship. In order to avoid possible problems, all Canadians should carry a Canadian passport for all visits to the United States. Your Canadian passport is the best document to prove your Canadian citizenship and your right to return to Canada. > > … > > While U.S. authorities currently do not have a legal requirement that Canadians carry a passport, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade strongly urges all Canadians travelling to the United States to obtain and carry a Canadian passport before leaving Canada. It is the only document that conclusively proves that you are a citizen of Canada with the right to return to Canada. Remember that a Canadian passport is still the best internationally accepted evidence of your Canadian citizenship and the best possible photo identification. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/11 "2003-12-03T01:02:38Z")
Hope that clears it up 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/12 "2003-12-03T01:31:41Z")
Thanks so much for all the information, you folks rock. Looks like it’s not going to happen. Maybe I’ll be lucky and be able to find someone in the US who can help with the situation, so I don’t need to travel there in person. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/13 "2003-12-03T01:58:57Z")
Maybe it’s oversimiplifying things a little, but why can’t you just get a birth certificate? They’re easily available public records, and you ought to be able to get a copy. Hell, I ought to be able to get a copy of your birth certificate. Only problem I see is if you’re far away from your place of birth, it might be hard to get a copy by Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/14 "2003-12-03T02:24:01Z")
If you want to risk it…I cross the border twice (out and back) about once a week on average. I think in the past year I’ve been asked specifically for my birth certificate/passport five times, so the probability is about 1 in 10. Conversations with people from both sides of the border seem to suggest the percentage of asks is about 10-20%. Still, if I were you, I’d stick with **Tapioca Dextrin** ’s advice. Seems like a knowledgeable fellow. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/15 "2003-12-03T02:24:56Z")
IANAC (I am not a Canadian) but getting a new copy of your birth certificate shouldn’t be too tough. I needed a new copy of mine once after it was lost - compounded by the fact that my then-hippie parents never bothered to register me with the US government until I was three years old. It was still a very minor matter to get a new copy issued; a matter of showing up at an office and having it printed. Getting a passport, on the other hand, was quite a challenge, since there were no early records of my life, and it required a trip to Chicago with the oldest medical and school records I have, and I had to take an oath that I wasn’t trying to pull some kind of scam. But anyway, a trip to the local secretary of state (or whatever the Canadian equivalent is) should be no real hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/16 "2003-12-03T06:33:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by badmana \* > \*\*A SIN + photo ID is probably your best bet. SINs starting with 4 and 5 are issued to citizens in Ontario and should be enough to get a background check done (if nessessary). \*\* But a Social Insurance Number, like a driver’s licence, is not proof of citizenship. It’s proof that you’re legally entitled to work in Canada, but that could mean you’re a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident, or a visitor on a work visa. See the feds’ [SIN Site](http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/sin-nas/100_e.shtml#c2) for more info. ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/17 "2003-12-03T11:41:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Excalibre \* > \*\*IANAC (I am not a Canadian) but getting a new copy of your birth certificate shouldn’t be too tough. \*\* Getting a new Ontario birth certificate, which I had to do sometime last year, is indeed a hassle. You have to provide a guarantor - just like you would with a passport - send it away, and wait for it to come in the mail. Mind you, I did this from Quebec, where I now live. You might be able to go to some provincial gov’t office and get it done quicker. Anyway, getting a guarantor was no problem for me, since I work surrounded by engineers, who are eligible to sign as guarantors for birth certificates and passports. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/18 "2003-12-03T13:46:20Z")
**scott evil** (or if anyone else might recall) what are the requirements for a guarantor? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/19 "2003-12-03T14:10:19Z")
[This PDF file](http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/FormsRepository.nsf/Forms/CBS-007-11076E/%24File/11076E.PDF) explains everything (on page 3). It’s even issued by the government of Ontario 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594/20 "2003-12-03T14:32:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Magayuk \* > \*\*Thanks **Athena** , my friends I have asked have said hey don’t get asked for anything either, but I am worried I will stuck in the US (not that it isn’t a lovely place I am sure) or arrested or something. \*\* Sorry Mag, I read it wrong, though you were going to Ontario _from_ Ohio, not the other way around. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cross-the-us-canada-border-without-a-birth-certificate/216594.md?page=2)