us/canada border crossing

[kevino]

I know originally Canada passed a law requiring you to carry a passport, effective this past Jan. 1. However, I have also heard that this was revoked again until next Jan. 1. Anyone who has crossed the border, is drivers license and birth certificate still acceptable? Or what? Thanks.

[Choada_Boy]

No PP required yet, but "coming soon". DL and BC still OK, but be prepared to have a US border guard who can barely mumble English tell you you'd better get a passport soon.

[roboboy]

I crossed at Sumas several weeks ago. They said a passport was needed. My rider didn't have one but they let him through with a voter registration card as the only other thing they would accept. They said a driver's license isn't enough. I think there is a good chance that you won't get through without a passport.

[sprocket]

Last I heard you need a BC and DL because there is too much of a back-up in both the US and Canada trying to get passports. This is only for driving, if you fly there I believe you have to have a passport.

[fenderfour]

Just went through the Peace Arch heading North and the Surrey Crossing heading South. One passenger only had a driver's license and was ok. No undue hassle either direction.

[Choada_Boy]

If a passport was needed, why did they let your passenger through?

 

Canada will let you in, no problem, it's coming back when you get at the hassle. If you have a BC and DL, you're fine coming back in for now. I was up there a month ago and my passenger had a DL, BC, and no questions asked.

 

LINK

[roboboy]

I don't know. I was just quoting exactly what they told us. In our case, if we didn't have passport or voter registration, it sounded like we wouldn't get through. It seemed like the VR was a last resort concession. Maybe Sumas is pickier than Blaine.

[Dannible]

I've always gone ready with a DL and BC, and they've never even looked at my BC. Sometimes they don't even care to see my DL. If you say something like "I'm just going to hang out in Vancouver" they are more likely to give you trouble than if you say, for example, "I'm going climbing in Squamish."

[Dannible]

Of course it helps to be white, clean shaven, and have short hair too.

[Sherri]

Also helps to take the booth on the far left(at the Truck Crossing). Both times I've gone thru that one, the officer didn't even look at my ID(and I'm driving an old Westy van with foil covering all the windows on his side of the vehicle ). The Seattle folks I was meeting in Squamish said they went in that lane and got the same apathetic wave-thru from the same guy. Weird.

[Dannible]

I've gone through that one without even having to give the guy my DL, but then the next time got searched going through the same one.

[mythosgrl]

I cross the border at the peace arch a lot and half the time someone in the car doesn't have a passport. Sometimes they give us stern looks coming back into the US but they have never just not let us through. Bring everything you have- drivers license, birth certificate (not a photocopy), and voter's registration card. You should be just fine.

[Jens]

I often get waved through without any questions or ID requests.

[rob]

they always make me squeal like a pig

 

maybe that's cause I'm crazy though

Edited August 7, 2007 by robmcdan

[Crack]

some ass neck that i met off of this line last summer convinced me that he would get through the border without his passport...it turned out to be the only time i've been shut down.

 

proof of citizenship is what you need! a passport works great because it has a picture, a birth certificate or voter's registration works too -but you need something to accompany it that has your picture. technically, a driver's liscense alone will not work.

 

 

 

 

[No. 13 Baby]

Ditto. As the crossing jerk snarked to me a few months ago, "A driver's license tells me where you live, not where you were born." Made me glad I had 230 pounds of dogs barking at him from the back seat.

 

DL + birth certificate always works fine for me.

[John Frieh]

bump

 

Anyone tried the DL + BC recently?

[Choada_Boy]

They are pushing the passport requirement back to Summer '09 at this point (as I heard on the radio 2 days ago) as well as trying to get a WA "enhanced license" fired up, so DL/BC is still fine.

[John Frieh]

WA "enhanced license" = CA driver's license?

 

Thanks... just confirmed with a few others

[summerprophet]

Damn,I was really hoping Washington would stick to its guns and go against the federal government on the "enhanced licence".

 

For those of you not in the know, an enhanced licence (or Federal identification), is an ID card with a radio transmitter similar to the tags you find on DVD's or CD's. Therefore, your personal information is available to anyone with a reciever to interpret the radio signal.

 

Essentially, the ID can inform the state of your location and whom you associate with without having to question you personally. A patrol car outfitted with the reciever can list everyone in your home, or everyone in your car simply by driving by.

So the next time you pass by a patrol car with a bunch of your pothead friends, guess who gets pulled over for a random search?

 

Last I had heard, Washington declared not to require enhanced Drivers Licences, although a similar ID would be required to enter federal lands (parks, courthouses, etc.)

 

 

[Clavote]

Passport- I never travel out of the country without it anymore.

It's a must-have when returning to the US. Smooth sailing.

[TREETOAD]

Just wrap the license in tin foil.