Lol Another Passport/Border Question..

Question

This is the last one, I promise.. Im still mixed up between everyone telling me Yes I need a passport to travel by land to Canada from the US and people saying I just need my Drivers License and Birth Certificate..

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html#entry_requirements

The URL above is the gov site and They have to be up to date right?

It says I can have my Birth Cert and Drivers License to get in by land.. So when I fly to Vermont and get a ride to Montreal, If I present these 2 items I should be fine?

Answer 1

Yup...and see this site...I read it every day and I promise you it is the be-all and end-all authoritative site and is the first place any changes are posted.  There are old, out dated sites still on the web, but THIS is the authority.

Answer 2

I live in Windsor, Ontario and cross the Windsor-Detroit border all the time.

The posters telling you that you just require valid government issued photo ID (i.e. driver's licence) and your original birth certificate are correct.  If you are entering Canada by land, those are the requirements. At present, it is when you fly from an American city to a Canadian city (or vice versa) that you require a passport.  These requirements are due to change in June, 2009, when any method of entry into Canada, or the United States, will require a passport.

Regarding paying to cross, I am assuming you mean an actual fee to cross.  Here is Windsor, they are two ways to enter into Michigan (a tunnel and bridge over the Detroit River).  I don't know at the point you're crossing whether your entry involves a tunnel or bridge, but you should assume that if it does you will likely pay some sort of toll (it varies, but here it runs about $4.00 each way).

Answer 3

No you do not have to pay to cross.  You may have to pay duty on the way back, if you buy stuff in Canada though.  But there is no "toll" to cross the border.

Yes, you can use your drivers license and birth certificate to come to Canada by land.  (and fly to Vermont, then drive up)  A lot of Canadians do that in reverse...drive to the USA and then fly from a city in the USA.  (if they dont have their passport)

Enjoy your stay...and remember to relax.  ;)

Answer 4

Yes you will be fine, I answered your last question with a link to the Canadian Border Services.

You need original birth certificate and government issued photo id(drivers license) for LAND travel into Canada!

LOL  you will not need to jump the border, but be prepared to answer some questions concerning your travel plans and how you know your girlfriend and her family etc. They worry about people coming into Canada and then not having money to go back home type thing.

Edit: You do not have to pay to cross the border, but at some of the crossings they have a bridge that you have to cross in order to get the border and then they hit you with a toll but that is for the bridge not the actual border crossing.