Do you need a passport to go to Canada?

Question

I want to go to Canada. I live in new york... do I need a passport?

Answer 1

I am making it a personal mission to educate Americans (and Canadians too, on the current passport law. The passport requirement is an American requirement.

Americans do not now nor will they in the future (unless the Canadian Government changes it's rules) require a passport to enter Canada. The passport issue is simply this. Everyone currently needs a passport to enter the USA if arriving by air from a foreign country. This applies to American citizens as well as all other nationalities. As of June 2009, anyone entering the USA via any mode of transportation will need a valid passport to get into the USA. This includes American citizens. If, after June 2009, you attempt to leave the USA via air and do not have a valid passport airlines will refuse to board you on the aircraft, so in essence you won't be able to leave your own country without a passport. After June 2009, you could still enter Canada by car without a passport, you just wouldn't be able to go back into the United States.

Your rules, not ours.

Answer 2

This is one of the most common questions and perhaps the most confusing judging by some of the answers given in past questions.

The basic ID requirements relating to passports were established by the US Department of Homeland Security and relate to travel into the US.  That being said the same requirements are often enforced at Canadian Border Crossings if for no other reason than the simple fact you have to be able to return to the US.  So if you are travelling to Canada from the US you need to meet the requirements to re-enter the US.  These are:

By Air:  A valid Passport

By Land: A valid Passport, OR, a government issued photo ID (i.e. drivers' license) and an offical birth certificate.  If you are 18 or younger then only a birth certificate is required.

By Sea: Same as for land.

That being said, the easiest form of ID is a passport and it is stated that a passport (or approved alternative such as a passport card) will be required for all travel into the US effective after June 1, 2009.

Answer 3

By air, yes, passport is required.

By car or rail, no, driver's license + birth certificate