Canada/US Required Documentation for Border Crossing

I had an American friend of mine recently ask what the required documents were for crossing into Canada. With the WHTI going live June 1st, I thought I’d give a quick rundown on the requirements going both ways.

Note that this information is as current as the date of this post. You should always check the current rules and regulations for your home and destination country before crossing (CBP for US, CBSA for Canada).

Canada to the US

For a while now you’ve always needed a passport to travel from Canada to the US by air, regardless of your citizenship. When you cross by land a driver’s license and a birth certificate has sufficed for both country’s citizens.

But on June 1st of this year the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) goes into effect. From the US Dept of State website, WHTI is…

…a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), requiring all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the United States.

The goal of WHTI is to strengthen U.S. border security while facilitating entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized documentation that enables the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler.

The biggest impact of the WHTI is that anyone crossing into the US from Canada, regardless of citizenship, must present a WHTI compliant document. For Canadians, this means a passport.
Americans will also need to present a passport, passport card, or another WHTI compliant document (i.e. NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST) to re-enter their country.

You may see references to Enhanced Driver’s Licenses as being approved documents. Realize that this doesn’t mean *any* driver’s license will do. The issuing province, territory, or state must ensure their license is WHTI compliant (hence the Enhanced descriptor), and my guess is there will be very limited adoption and availability for June 1st.

US to Canada

WHTI is a US initiative only, and Canada’s requirements are not changing to correlate with the American policies. As such, the minimum ID required to cross into Canada is proof of citizenship (birth certificate) and photo identification (driver’s license).

However, since Americans will need to get some form of WHTI compliant document to cross back into the US from Canada, it might be wise for Americans to start their passport application process sooner than later.

For more information on requirements for entering Canada, visit the CBSA page on Admissibility and Required Identification.

Reminders

Note that the information in this post covers a very basic entry scenario: an adult crossing between the US and Canada by land.

I don’t do much sea travel, so I’m not sure if there aren’t slight variations or different rules altogether for entering the US/Canada by boat.

There are also slightly different rules for children and those under the age of 16. Again, not versed in what those are (no need to know them), so if it applies to you make sure to research those specifically.

Finally, this post doesn’t cover visa requirements to perform work in your destination country. Both Canada and the US have rules about foreigners performing work. Check with the proper authorities to ensure you know whether you need a visa beforehand, what documentation you need to provide, etc. before you attempt to cross.

Hope this information is useful!