Driving into Canada- travel doc question

We may be driving to Canada on short notice and I can't locate my passport. I do have copies of my birth certificate and marriage license (both with raised seals) . According to a Canadian government travel site (linked from the us customs site) , I can drive into Canada without the PP, using birth cert. as proof of citizenship.

Has anyone done this recently, like in the last 3-6 months? Thanks.

I am pretty sure that is not allowed. I grew up in Michigan and they use to be flexible around this but not any more.

suzanne, also look into what you would need to get back into the US, could be different from what Canada requires for entry.

Can't vouch for this website, but it seems to indicate you need passport or some kind of special? driver's license.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s602/Canada:Crossing.The.Border.html

Here's info from Dept of State. Still not sure what an "enhanced" d.l. is.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/canada.html

I don't think NJ issues enhanced drivers licenses. You don't need a full passport to return from Canada, just a passport card (I got one when I renewed my passport, I think it only added a few dollars. It's that or a Global Entry/Trusted Traveler card thingee.

Dang, then I need to do a thorough search of the house. NJ does not issue these enhanced drivers licenses. I have my expired pp.

Drove up last summer, my Canadian friend told me PPs are required; at the border, I felt like it was the inquisition...my son still has the runs just thinking about that fright night, being asked purpose of trip, where you are staying, etc. I half expected her (or him, we couldn't tell... PAT!) to make me provide hotel docs. You have been warned

You definitely need a passport now to enter Canada. When I was in Detroit, I could go to Windsor any time with just my drivers license (20 years ago), but no more...

You can get a 1 passport in one day. The fees are high but it can be in NYC. I too have suffered through the inquisition at the Canadian Border .. HUGELY ironic given that the southern border is WIDE OPEN.

SOguy said:
You can get a 1 passport in one day. The fees are high but it can be in NYC. I too have suffered through the inquisition at the Canadian Border .. HUGELY ironic given that the southern border is WIDE OPEN.

What makes you think the southern border is "WIDE OPEN"??

I was in Texas near the border this past Christmas. Although we never went into Mexico at all, we passed through several border patrol checkpoints on the Texas highways and the traffic reports in El Paso mentioned long backups on the bridges from the Mexican side.

Having gone to school in Buffalo and at some points making monthly visits to Toronto, this is a brave new world. I don't recall ever showing ID except the rare times I travelled by bus or train. On top of that, we never declared our trunk filled with two-fours of Brador and other beer that was of a quality and strength unavailable in thr States. Being white, we never once got pulled over for secondary inspection. The import limit was (and is) 1L, or 2.93 bottles of beer. Guess we owe a bit in back duties and sales tax. But I digress as usual.

Folks have it right on documents. You can get into Canada with a birth certificate and photo ID, but you can't get back into the US without a Passport or enhaced driver's license. The place with the easiest to understand info is here, with a handy list of compliant documents...

http://www.fdfa.ca/border-id-requirements.html

When an international trip was a possibility, we used the Millburn PO, where they had ample available appointments and couldn't have been more helpful, as I had to run home for a missing document. Sorry to say I can't remember how long it took to get the passports, but think it was less than a month. Of course, your documents go with your application, so if you need them, that's clearly an issue.

My husband took my daughter and some friends to Canada last August and passports were required for all.

Found it !!!!!!! Yay! It was in a portfolio type thing that AAA gave us for our cruise last summer. I had tucked the portfolio in a bin on top of a cabinet . Thanks for all the info in getting a replacement.

I've never gotten the inquisition at the border. We usually cross at a tiny local one, near Mooers, NY , which is near our friends' place (visiting them is usually our reason for driving to Canada) , rather than the main one in Champlain, ny (off I-87).

At night, you have to beep the car horn and wait for the agent to get dressed to come out and check your paperwork. Husband always gets questioned, and occasionally has to go inside the building for further questioning.

I went through a tiny border crossing by "Sandy Bay Township" Maine. I put the name in quotes because I had to look at a map to find where we crossed (route 201) and can't confirm that is the name of the town that we actually drove through, and it is hours away from any significant body of water so the name just seems silly. It took us well over an hour to be cleared to enter Canada. They made us empty our pockets, counted all our cash, threatened three times to search our car for drugs telling us it would be easier for them if we just turned around and went back to the US, then when we didn't leave they finally did search our car for drugs, threatened to call my mother to tell her I was entering Canada (she already knew where I was), they separated us into different rooms to question us about our reasons for going and if we were smuggling drugs into Canada. I almost got the feeling they were bored and just killing time. This was back in 1993 so who knows if things have gotten better or worse since then. The scenery was breathtaking though and we even saw a moose on the drive up, so the border hassle was worth it.

I was stopped at the border entering Canada once. Pulled us out of the car an went through it with a slightly ridiculous level of detail that included a dog.

When we finally got back into the car my friends girlfriend said "I guess dogs can't smell acid."

The Canadians don't mess around with border crossings.

I was detained by immigration officials at the Toronto Airport for several hours 20 years ago. It was a business trip and the Canadians were very protective of their domestic businesses. If it could be done by a Canadian, US citizens were not welcome. The CFO of the company I was visiting had to fill out an affidavit that I had been invited to do business with them. The next time I met the CFO (now Pres of another company), 10 years ago, or so, he was the one that regaled the group with the story of my incarceration and how he secured release.