Documentation required to get in to US?

[riu girl]

I was wondering what documentation is required to get into the US from Canada. We will be driving from north of Toronto. We do not have passorts but DH and I have drivers licences and birth certificates. DD(7) and DS(4) have birth certificates and SIN cards but no documentation/ID with photo.
Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I e-mailed passport office but they never returned e-mail.
Suzy V.
Omemee, ON

 

[Cruisin]

riu girl

What you have is sufficient to cross the border into the US.

As long as you have proof of citizenship (birth certificate) and picture ID (drivers license) for anyone over the age of 18 then you will be fine. The children need birth certificates but picture ID is not necessary for them.

Have a good trip.

 

[lawgs]

just noticed a blurb on the buffalo news station tonight, they ( canadian officials ) will also be checking cars going to the USA on the canadian side at the request of the US Homeland Security Dept

do not know if this will be all the time or just at "critical" border times......this will increase the time needed to cross the border

1. they may check your id in canada

2. this might create backups on the canadian side all border entrances

will post again later .... since we go by the area of the peace bridge all the time

 

[SKFamily]

Just a couple of things:

- My FIL went through without proper documentation on the July 4th weekend -- no problem on either side in spite of "increased checks" of vehicles.

- Someone else I know with a criminal record has been through a couple of times in the last year.... no problem there, either.

The documentation you have is fine... that's all we had last month.

 

[nathansmom]

We drove across the border in May, we did not have passports. I had my driver's Liscence and birth certificate, DH had his birth certificate and his health card(the one with the picture) and DS 7 only had a birth certificate. We did not have a problem. They only asked to see our ID going into the states and we did not have to show it at all coming back. I thought we were going to have a problem because of DH's health , no one said a word. I am going to say that you should be fine.

 

[PoohBWV]

I came back from a cruise into Miami in May this year and was told by US Immigration that I had to have a passport by October 2004. Not sure if this officer was misinformed or not, but I'll sure make sure to have my passport with me next time.

 

[SKFamily]

There've been a few comments like that but no "official" notice. When I asked before we even left (June sometime) I was told by a US Custom official that he hadn't heard that, and if that were true then notification would have been given already then. Canadian Passport office knew nothing about it, either. Sometimes the customs guys are just on a power trip, who knows. Or somebody was speculating because of the US election in November.

 

[lawgs]

just read in the newspaper about the increased scrutiny they were doing at the peace bridge and other border entry points on the canadian side.....

seems it was at the request of Homeland Security as an added layer due to the democratic national convention going on in Boston ...they did not have any additional "checking" this morning when i went over to get gas


on an additional side note,

expect delays coming back into canada this weekend as the customs will be doing the "extended" checks of people coming back into canada to make us all secure.....read this as.....they are still in wage dispute and are working to the letter of their mandates