I know that you used to be able to get across the US-Canadian border with just a birth certificate. But because of recent events, I was wondering if I needed a bona fide passport to travel to the Great North??
You can get through with a birth certificate + picture id (driver’s license)
Depends . . . if the border guards like you, you don’t even need that much. I went down south to NY last weekend, and the dialog went something like this:
“Citizenship?”
“Canadian.”
“Reason for visit?”
“Family.”
“How long you staying?”
“Til sunday.”
“Go ahead.”
Seriously, they didn’t even ask for ID. I could’ve had a whole liqour store packed in between the C4, and they never would’ve known.
I know this doesn’t address the OP, but I was never asked for anything more than a driver’s license. Once I wasn’t even asked for that.
Where did this Birth Certificate thing come from?
My fiance went to Toronto to play vintage baseball and was told to bring his birth certificate. Don’t remember if he was actually asked to show it though.
In El Paso Texas I was told at the AAA office that I needed a birth certificate to go to Mexico. Of course other people told me that that was baloney and that I’d probably only need to declare citezenship as long as I didn’t answer “si!” to any questions. AAA was wrong. I was never asked for ID.
So, just make sure not to say “oui!” when they ask you if you have anything to declare. I think a birth certificate is either a myth or a backup in case you have trouble.
According to the rules I found, it’s supposed to be a CERTIFIED birth certificate. I had to get ours from the state records office and paid $12 each. YMMV.
Customs and immigration at border crossings tends to be a bit more relaxed than at airports. Still, I’d bring a birth certificate and photo ID no matter how you are travelling. This way you can prove both your identity and your citizenship. Better to be safe than sorry.
I was stoped at airport customs and ordered to provide proof of citizenship (I’m a middle-aged white guy who fits the profile neither of smuggler or terrorist.) After being told that several different forms of ID did not fit the requirement for proof of citizenship, I happened to come up with a voter registration card, which along with a photo ID convinced the guard I was truly a U.S. citizen.
A passport isn’t a bad investment. It doesn’t cost that much, it’s good for a long time, and it’s more durable than a birth certificate. You never know when a security crackdown has been ordered.
Hijack
OK, Glamour Girl, I’ll bite.
Vintage baseball?
The driver’s license is only proof of your identity (and maybe not even that, depending on how lax your state is!), not your citizenship, or even your legal right to be in the U.S. Your birth certificate (or U.S. passport, or naturalization certificate) is proof of your U.S. citizenship, which is what allows you to cross into Canada without a visa. So you need the birth cert to prove citizenship, and the photo ID to prove that you are the person on the birth cert.
I’ve gone up to Canada many times, and have never needed more than a driver’s license, and sometimes not even that (even post-Sept 11). When I plan on going for a long stay I bring my passport just in case, but I have never needed it.
Coming home I have always needed my license, but again, not once in the perhaps 20-50 times I have gone over the border have I needed anything more. But it would be a pain in the butt to have to turn around at the border because they asked for ID I couldn’t provide. Better safe than sorry I suppose.
As others have said, strictly speaking you don’t need a passport to go to Canada. But I always bring mine anyway, for three reasons:
– It provides both identification and proof of citizenship in one convenient package.
– Nobody ever questions whether it’s REALLY proof of those things. (For example I could imagine that some customs officers would accept a voter registration card as proof of citizenship, while others wouldn’t.).
– I keep it near my other travel-related items, so it’s easy for me to grab when packing. Any other document I might have that would prove citizenship is kept elsewhere.
Ed
I went to Canada last week and only needed photo ID. They seemed interested if I had any firearms, pepper spray, alcohol or tobacco. So avoid these items. They searched my bags coming back into USA. Overall no hassel and I had a wonderful vacation.
I had a little trouble crossing the border into Canada one one occasion. Admittedly, I should have realized I was setting myself up for it. I was trying to time it so I would be in Toronto for about 8:00 and I crossed the Thousand Islands Bridge at about 5:30 am. This was last spring and was asked to go into the office. They wanted a birth certificate or a passport. Unfortunately, since I’d never had any problem with it before I didn’t have either. I had to fill out a form saying I was an American citizen and who I was visiting, etc. They were very nice about it, but it still was kind of a hassle.
According to some conservative radio host (Sean Hannity, maybe), there are dozens of back-country roads crossing the border in Minnesota with no border guards whatsoever.
Also, Canadian hunters routinely cross over into Maine to illegally hunt moose, then claim “Oops, I didn’t realize I crossed the border.” I guess the 100 meter swath of cleared forest didn’t give them a clue.
According to some conservative radio host (Sean Hannity, maybe), there are dozens of back-country roads crossing the border in Minnesota with no border guards whatsoever.
Also, Canadian hunters routinely cross over into Maine to illegally hunt moose, then claim “Oops, I didn’t realize I crossed the border.” I guess the 100 meter swath of cleared forest didn’t give them a clue.
I’ve crossed over on the ambassador bridge (Detroit-Windsor) and had them wave me through without even rolling down my window. That was pre-9/11 though, since then they at least ask for my nationality. I’ve never had them ask for any ID though.
It probably depends where you’re crossing. From previous posts, it seems that some places always ask for ID. I’m guessing these are in the east, crossing into southern Ontario.
Myself, I’ve crossed the border probably 40 times between North Dakota/Minnesota and Manitoba. Twice I’ve been stopped, IDed, and had my car checked over, and the other 38 times I 've been waved through.
I have not crossed since last September, but in the previous 50+ years with several hundred crossings, I was asked to show physical ID (as opposed to simply answering the question “Place of birth?”) exactly twice. Once was at the height of the Vietnam conflict when a carful of (male) classmates and I were asked if we had draft cards while returning to the U.S. We all reached for our wallets and the guy waved us through before we could get them out. The second time a really bored U.S. guard decided to strip my car for drugs when my fiance and I came across at an unlikely crossing after doing some camping.