Do I need a passport to drive into Canada?

Mmwtdh wrote:
Last month I accidentally went into Canada with an expired passport (2 weeks) which is perfectly legal.

Don't know where you got the idea this is "perfectly legal" - in fact CBS has every right to refuse you entry into Canada if your passport is within 3 months of expiry.

JaxDad wrote:

ljr wrote:

am1958 wrote:
Never travel internationally without a passport...

X2. In a former job that involved a lot of travel to and from Canada and the Caribbean the company lawyers gave that advice. If you enter another country on a drivers license it’s a courtesy of that country. If you use a passport, all sorts of treaties and international laws apply. If you have any unexpected problems while there, that’s a big deal.

That’s just a little silly.

You don’t stop being an American just because you don’t have a passport in your pocket. The treaties and international agreements and rules of law are based on your citizenship, not the documents themselves.

The other issue though is a more modern one. If you cross a border with a passport these days and you lose it, or it’s stolen, good luck getting back across the border without it. A replacement passport requires a personal trip to an embassy or consulate. There’s a consulate or embassy in most countries, but it might not be very close to where you are. In central Canada for instance there’s 3 US consulates, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. It’s about 1,300 km (800 miles) and 13 hours drive from Calgary to Winnipeg. It’s about 2,100 km (1,300 miles) and 23 hours drive from Winnipeg to Toronto.

I’m just quoting what a bunch of highly paid suits told a room full of charter pilots 30+ years ago. If you think it’s silly that’s your business. I took their word for it.

JaxDad wrote:

ljr wrote:

am1958 wrote:
Never travel internationally without a passport...

X2. In a former job that involved a lot of travel to and from Canada and the Caribbean the company lawyers gave that advice. If you enter another country on a drivers license it’s a courtesy of that country. If you use a passport, all sorts of treaties and international laws apply. If you have any unexpected problems while there, that’s a big deal.

That’s just a little silly.

You don’t stop being an American just because you don’t have a passport in your pocket. The treaties and international agreements and rules of law are based on your citizenship, not the documents themselves.
.

True,,however how would you prove being American without pasport?
Driver licence can be easily forged by any smart criminal..
Passport not so much..
Take your passport every time when traveling out of the country and avoid unecesary problems..

There was a case of some jogger on the news recently in BC who crossed the US border accidentaly without any ID or passport,,and spend couple weeks locked up in US jail bc she couldnt prove who she was..

Unusual but very true,,Customs people are very strict lately..

Walaby wrote:
Ah but a drivers license does not prove citizenship, whereas a passport does.

My niece is a German citizen, in the US on a business investors visa. She has a Florida drivers license that looks like every other Florida drivers license.

Mike

Canada requires a photo ID such as a drivers license, plus a birth certificate to prove citizenship. Or passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license.

Yes, this has been gone over. Many many times. Canada may let you in without a passport. The problem is that US Border Protection will not let you back into the US without a passport. Don't blame Canada.

Ah but a drivers license does not prove citizenship, whereas a passport does.

My niece is a German citizen, in the US on a business investors visa. She has a Florida drivers license that looks like every other Florida drivers license.

Mike

ljr wrote:

am1958 wrote:
Never travel internationally without a passport...

X2. In a former job that involved a lot of travel to and from Canada and the Caribbean the company lawyers gave that advice. If you enter another country on a drivers license it’s a courtesy of that country. If you use a passport, all sorts of treaties and international laws apply. If you have any unexpected problems while there, that’s a big deal.

That’s just a little silly.

You don’t stop being an American just because you don’t have a passport in your pocket. The treaties and international agreements and rules of law are based on your citizenship, not the documents themselves.

The other issue though is a more modern one. If you cross a border with a passport these days and you lose it, or it’s stolen, good luck getting back across the border without it. A replacement passport requires a personal trip to an embassy or consulate. There’s a consulate or embassy in most countries, but it might not be very close to where you are. In central Canada for instance there’s 3 US consulates, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. It’s about 1,300 km (800 miles) and 13 hours drive from Calgary to Winnipeg. It’s about 2,100 km (1,300 miles) and 23 hours drive from Winnipeg to Toronto.

Indiana has enhanced drivers license also contrary to the link nuthinelse2do posted. But since I have been considering going to niagra falls I will follow the wisdom posted and get a passport in case we decide to cross into Canada .

pnichols wrote:
You can get a U.S. passport real fast if you pay a premiun rate for acclerated processing.

You should have seen how fast I got my first passport while I was working for NASA.

They needed me to go to Switzerland that week. I walked in to a local passport center, had a picture taken by them and walked out in about an hour with a new passport. My first one.

A passport makes getting BACK INTO the US easier.