US & Canadian Border Entry Requirements

Identification

• When faced with travel into a new country, there are many forms of identification available besides a passport or driver's license. As of 2010, a NEXUS card is available through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after fingerprinting and application. The NEXUS is designed for frequent travelers between Canada and the U.S. The U.S. Passport Card is a card the U.S. Department of State grants to U.S. frequent land or sea travelers of Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda following an application process. Enhanced Driver's Licenses (EDL) are issued by some Canadian provinces as well as Washington, Vermont, Michigan and New York. The EDL is valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada.

Canada

• The Canada Border Services Agency posts officers at entry points. The officers are granted the right to examine both people and goods entering the country. To enter Canada by air travel, children and adults need a passport or a NEXUS card. When traveling by land or water into Canada, an Enhanced Driver's License, a Secure Certificate of Indian Status, or passport will be accepted. Children younger than 16 are allowed to provide a birth certificate, citizenship card, consular birth record, or naturalization certificate.

United States

• When entering the United States by air travel, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires a passport or NEXUS card from both children and adults. U.S. citizens may present military ID and travel orders or a U.S. Merchant Mariner Document to enter. When traveling by land or sea, the U.S. has the same requirements as Canada, meaning children may enter with birth certificate or citizenship cards and adults may enter with passports, Nexus cards, EDLs or Secure Certificate of Indian Status.