172pilot

Another good reason to carry it is if the NEXUS machine is down on the way to the US. With your passport you can use the GE machine instead.

tryinginvain

I crossed back to Canada at Ogdensburg last week and since there was nobody waiting behind me I specifically asked the CBP agent this question after he cleared me to leave. He said I didn't need my passport and the nexus card was sufficient.

That said, I always bring it and probably will continue to do so until this is more clearly stated. I've not been asked for it on the 10 or so land crossing (back & forth) I've done since I received my nexus.

eman384

With TSA you only need a drivers licence, When I used mine (Alberta DL) the last time in LGA, TSA agent pulled a book to see if it was listed and he found the information at the end of the books for all Canadian provincial DL with pictures and details. then I was cleared to go.

fin 645

The rules are different for land crossings and airports. The info you received is correct for a land crossing but at an airport, you must have your passport with you.

nowinyow

I remember making a phone call about this issue while my passport was being held by the Indian High Commission for a Visa application. It was explained to me that Nexus will suffice. However, the Canadian Border guard I was talking to added that many people in the chain of gaining access to airports/airplanes do not always understand. I ended up driving across the border and then flying to California, then flying back to NY state and drove home.

He commented that Nexus requires far more information, plus one on one interviews and therefore should be recognized. He was right though about US security and airline employees not being as well versed in the security of Nexus over a general passport.

rumblefox

I would read over the NEXUS entry and egress requirements carefully. There are different requirements for land sea and air. Also depending on what you'll be declaring and whether you'll use the NEXUS lanes you have different procedures. For example, paying duty on goods.

becreative

I had left my passport at home once and (un)luckily got sent for a secondary at the US immigration on my outbound. The immigration officer was wondering how I got my boarding pass without showing my passport to the airline. Web check in or kiosk check in didnt seem to work as explanation. After a 20 minute discussion he let me through but told me to carry my passport with me at all times.

For my return flight I had a US domestic segment on UA connecting to an AC flight to Canada. The UA agent wouldn't check me in as he didn't know what Nexus was (this was in Vegas). After pleading with him he checked me in for the domestic segment and left me to try my luck with AC for my next flight. Same thing at AC but atleast after 10 minutes they were able to pull up the documentation that listed acceptable travel documents and Nexus was there. So they let me on.

I am sure you can travel with Nexus without carrying your passport but its just too much of a hassle so I just carry it with me when I fly.

Land crossings are different as nexus is recognized as an acceptable travel document without your passport.

Drivers Licenses are always interesting. I have no experience with the enhanced drivers license so take this with a grain of salt. The drivers license does not require you to be a Canadian Citizen. So you can be a permanent resident and get a drivers license. However the entrance to the US is based on the entry requirements for the country of your citizenship and the drivers license (as it stands and maybe it is different for the enhanced drivers license) does not tell what Citizenship you carry and if you have a valid visa to enter the US. The nexus card on the other hand means you have travel documents to travel to the US.

mapleg

At my nexus interview last month, I was told that while I could easily drive into the US with only my nexus card, I should bring my passport if I was heading "far" from the US/Canadian border (say I drove to Florida and then had to fly back on an emergency basis to Canada). They said "bring your passport if you are far enough from Canada if there is a chance, any chance, of having to fly home on an emergency basis".

wirez666

This is the problem that Enhanced Drivers Licenses were looking to solve. They are not automatically issued, there is a fee for it, and it is only issued to citizens. In my view it is useless as it costs the same as a NEXUS card, and you cannot use it to fly.

beef

I researched this last year when I had to submit my Canada passport for 10 weeks while applying for my UK passport.

For travel to the US, a nexus card is all you need under WHTI regs.

For travel to Canada, you can present the nexus card but must be in possession of a valid citizenship doc as well. I used a birth certificate. A drivers license is not acceptable.

AMRivlin

Thanks everyone, I applying to renew my passport and read the part about a passport card for Canada USA border crossings.

Is there any point to getting a US Passport Card, if I already carry a Nexus Card?

cavitron

Nexus alone is OK at Canada/US *LAND* crossings. You wouldn't need the US passport card for that. However, the passport card can be used for Caribbean and Mexico which Nexus cannot.

flyquiet

Sorry that I don't have any US Passport-holding experience, but you might find information in the NEXUS Information Thread rather than this sort-of-inactive thread.

anotheran2

back in 2011, when the Nexus machines broken (yeah, i know, doesn't happen often), had to talk to a US customs officer. The officer did not accept the Nexus card and demanded passports from all of us. I would never travel without the passport.

llutman

I forgot my passport once and was able to travel on just Nexus alone. If you are in the situation and forgot your passport, the airlines can accept Nexus instead of a passport, but in the US, UA had trouble figuring out how to do it, UA at YVR figured it out pretty easily and I had no problem with AC at all. With web check in, you can avoid most of the issues. Your biggest problem would likely be customs, if they asked for it. YMMV. It was a hassle in the end, and now I always triple check that I have my passport!