I’ve always heard that all I need to visit Canada is a valid driver’s license or a state I.D. or my birth certificate. Others tell me I need a passport, either by itself or in combination with a state ID or license.
What’s the Straight Dope©? (I get the feeling that some of the people I talked to have either never been to Canada or the customs agent let them in even though they didn’t have a passport.)
You do not need a passport to enter Canada. On my first trip, I had it with me anyway, and the customs guy checked it (no stamping, just checking info). The next couple of times, the customs guy just asked questions. A passport is just good ID to have with you in another country (like Canada is really foreign 
).
For the State Department line and any warnings, check here
If you live in the US, then you no longer need a passport to enter Canada or Mexico. You can get by with a State ID, like a driver’s license, and your birth certificate. It has to be your actual birth certificate, they will not accept a copy. Since carrying around a document as delicate as your birth certificate is kind of a chafe, to say nothing of the fact that most people don’t even know where it is or how to get it, most people agree that just getting a passport is easier.
All you need is a state ID or drivers license.
Don’t I need a birth certificate to get a passport?
I was refused entry into Mexico (Quintana Roo) b/c I had a driver’s license and a Xerox copy of my birth certificate. Since it was not an official birth certificate, they would not let me in. Maybe Canada is different, but I certainly was not allowed into Mexico w/just a DL.
Yes, you do need a birth certificate to get a passport.
A word of caution here…
If you’re visiting Canada as a tourist, all you need is proof of US citizenhip. If, however, you’re conducting business there, you may (probably will) need a visa.
My agency sends hundreds of people to Canada on business. In the last year or so, they’re really tightened up their visa requirements. A number of folks have had to pay a $100 CAD fee at the entry point if they didn’t have the visa.
It also depends on the kind of business. If you’re just, say, attending some training, then no visa required. If you were presenting the training then, yup, visa.
Another note…to the fishermen. Don’t try and cheat by bringing back more than your limit. That fine can be even bigger depending on how far over the limit you are, and you run the risk of donating some or all of your fishing gear to the Province.
What you may need is proof of citizenship or landed immigrant status. As you don’t need to be an american citizen to get a drivers licence customs may not accept one. A birth certificate or passport is the safest way to cross.
I say may because they rarely ask (depending on what you look like of course) and have discretion to let you in anyway. As a Canadaian I have been in the reverse trying to catch a plane to Vegas having forgotten my birth certificate. We can preclear american customs at Vancouver airport. The American official gave me a hard time but let me on the plane anyway.
Not really the sort of chance you want to take.
As a former 19 year-old citizen of Michigan, I assure you that crossing the border into Ontario for the many bars is easy. If I recall correctly, they didn’t check I.D.'s of everyone in the car, though I could be wrong.
As I understand it, you need at least one form of photo ID (such as a driver’s license) and at least one proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate), but the two requirements can also be met by a single document (such as a passport). I’ve heard that a U. S. armed forces ID card will also meet both requirements.
They usually won’t check for either, but you never know when they will.
I lived in Buffalo for a few years and never needed my passport to cross into Canada by car. Dozens of times. Fast forward to last summer. I was in the Pac NW on business and got a call to go to Calgary. I did not have my passport. I checked with airline folks regarding documentation requirements, got the all clear. When trying to DEPART Calgary, I got a RASH of shit from the immigration guy for not having a passport. I had military ID, drivers license, Voter Registration, you name it. Guy was either bored and decided to give me a seriously hard time, or you may need a passport to FLY back into the US. Personally I think the guy was being an asshole (I offered to wait while he did an FBI background check), but it was a pain in the rear delay.
Ditto UncleBill. I live on the Canadian border and I never worry about getting into Canada; it’s getting back into the United States that bothers me. The U.S. Immigration people can definitely be tougher to deal with if they make up their minds to be. I always carry my passport so there is never a question that I am a U.S. citizen. Also, one time when I was in Canada I had a minor traffic accident and the more official papers you have the better. When you become involved with the law that’s when you realize you actually are a foreigner and really have no legal rights in their country. It was a little scary.
The folks here, Chronos and UncleBill especially, have pretty much covered it. Driving across the border, a driver’s license should be sufficient – it’s proof of residency, at least, if not citizenship (I’m well aware of the difference). If you’re flying, I was under the impression a passport is always required.
You might find Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s webpage handy, specifically their page about visiting. And matt_mcl says,
Anecdotally speaking, three fellows at work recently went to work for Ontario Hydro, and only one of them was allowed a work visa. Why? Because they told them at the border that 1) you had to be a licensed PE to get a work visa as an “engineer” in Canada (all three were), but 2) you had to carry proof of that, such as the wallet card that the State Board gives you.
StephenG said:
A couple of years ago, I flew from WA state (where I live) to the province of Quebec. All they needed was proof of ID and proof of US citizenship. (And yes, I had to present both to Customs.) I used my driver’s license as proof of ID and my birth certificate as proof of citizenship. No passport required.
Oh, just get the passport. It only takes a few hours of your time. It’s not terribly expensive and it’s valid for 10 years (if you’re over 18 – or is it 21?) and it’ll be one less thing you have to deal with if you have a surprise trip to Europe/Asia/the-rest-of-the-world within the next decade. Trust me, it’s a handy document to have.
Just to echo what others are saying…
When I went to visit Bob last month, I forgot my passport, but I had heard that a driver’s license was fine. I got a serious fussing by the ticket agent (who I thought didn’t know anything)
Then I nearly got denied access into Canada. The canadian customs officer gave me a serious fussing (“This just proves you are allowed to drive”). I think the only reason I got in was because I looked so pitiful and I wasn’t there to work.
my son went on a band trip to New York (from MI) and they drove through Canada. I had to supply a certfied copy of his birth certificate or “they won’t let him back in”. [sub]ok, so I thought about it…doesn’t make me a bad person[/sub] and there were like 80 kids in each of the two busses, so I’d suspect the possability certainly exists that they’d ask for it from all.
I suspect the reason you’re getting different answers is 'cause border guards are allowed to ask for A, B, C, D, and may choose in most cases to go with B, and C or something to that effect. Positive proof of ID (ie license w/picture) and birth certificate would be sufficient to go from US to Canada.
I certainly hope things have changed, but in college I went on a geology field trip that went into Mexico. We were advised to bring our voter registration, but I forgot. As passing the class was impossible without making this field trip, I consulted the professor.
He advised me to paper clip some pesos on to my driver’s license and hand that to the customs guy. Right before my turn came up, he sidled up next to me and asked if I had it under control. I showed him that I had clipped 300 pesos to my license. The exchange rate then (pre-new peso) was ~390 pesos to the dollar. He said, “What are you tryin’ to do, start a riot? Make it 100 pesos.” So I did. I handed it to the customs officer and he spent about 3 seconds considering it and handed the now peso-less license back with my visa.
I bribed my way into the country for ~twenty-five cents. I don’t mean to sound, well, like it was some sneaky victory or whatever. I would have preferred to go in squeaky clean. But that’s what happened.
I just returned from a conference in Canada a couple of weeks ago. When you fly, you need proof of citizenship – a passport or a birth certificate. They asked for it at the Albany airport, even though I was flying to Pittsburg before going to Toronto. However, I suspect that they want to be sure you have it so that they don’t have to try to get you home if Canadian customs rejects you.
A year ago, I drove to Montreal. In that case, they didn’t ask for any identification, and I think if they had my license would have been good enough.
Best advice is to bring a birth certificate (certified copy) just to be sure.