United States citizens are not required to carry a passport when entering Canada by land or sea, but are required to carry photo identification and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, according to the CBSA website. Children must arrive at the border in the same vehicle as their parents and in cases where the child is traveling with a single parent or without her parents, written permission from the child's parents may be required before entry is granted.
Visitors to Canada are able to bring in "personal baggage," including items such as clothing, electronics, sports equipment and larger items such as boats or aircraft. All baggage is subject to inspection by the CBSA and in some cases a security deposit will be required and returned when the items leave Canada, notes the CBSA website. In addition, visitors may bring gifts for Canadian residents, duty free, as long as the gift costs less than $60 Canadian.
CBSA has border restrictions on certain goods, including firearms, explosives, baby walkers, animals, food, plants, used mattresses, prescription drugs and certain antiquities, according to the CBSA website. While not all of the items are prohibited, certain restrictions must be met before bringing them across the border.
