A passport booklet is the traditional passport, which has your identification information and pages that can be stamped. The passport booklet can be used for entry to Canada by land, sea or air. It certifies your nationality to the United States and lists your name, date of birth, sex and date of birth. The passport booklet is usually not stamped upon entry to Canada; however, it is scanned so that border patrol can track your entry to, and exit from, the country. The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs website includes an application that allows you to search passport application centers by ZIP code.
Alternatively, U.S. citizens may use a passport card to gain entry to Canada. The passport card can only be used for entry to Canada at land border crossings or seaports. It can also be used for entry to Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip, which helps to speed up the processing time at border patrol areas. According to the Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs website, this chip doesn't contain your personal data, but rather points to a secured government database.
For those who travel frequently across the border, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative created the NEXUS card, which is a valid form of identification for entry into Canada by land, sea or air. After submitting an application for the NEXUS card through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, applicants are called in for an interview. Approved applicants will then be mailed a NEXUS card, which allows for expedited passage across the border using an RFID chip and/or an iris scan.
