Do I need a passport to travel from the US to Canada by car?

Question

I'm planning on going to Canada in September, and I wasn't sure if a photo id and birth certificate still worked or if I need a passport. Thank you!

Answer 1

Yes. As of recently you are required to show your passport if you want to cross Canada or Mexico from United States. I think you can still get away with using an id and your original copy of your birth certificate.  

Answer 2

not yet,but soon

Answer 3

If you are a US citizen, you just need a gov't issued photo id and your original birth certificate.

Answer 4

Not yet. However, I just got my passport, only three weeks after applying for it, so there may still be time for you to get a passport anyways. There's two options, the passport booklet and the passport card. The passport booklet is what you use if you're planning on traveling overseas, or entering the US by air. The passport card is an ID-style card, which allows you to enter the US from adjacent countries such as Canada and Mexico. If you're not planning on leaving the country in the next few years, then I'd only suggest the passport card. If you plan on doing extensive overseas traveling, but not many visits to Canada or Mexico, then get the booklet. If you visit adjacent countries frequently and want to travel abroad in the near future, get both.

Answer 5

no you don't need a passport

Answer 6

You don't say your means of entering into Canada.  If you are making a LAND crossing (i.e. driving) then you are right in assuming that all that is required is valid government-issued photo ID (driver's licence, for example) and your original birth certificate; not one or the other but both.

If you were FLYING from a U.S. city into a Canadian city, a passport would be required.



After June, 2009, a passport will be required for any method of travel between the U.S. and Canada.