epiphani

I traveled without my passport to the US once, on nexus alone. I did it only because my passport was at an embassy getting done up for a visa and I needed to (and thought I could). It could have very well turned out badly for me. I booked AC specifically, because they know how to handle Nexus, and managed to do the trip without incident.

As recently as last week I was harassed at the gate by US border control when I tried to board using a Nexus. The gate agent didn't care to see my passport, but border control was there and gave me a hard time until I showed them I was carrying my passport.

(Hard time in the sense of being very much "don't talk back to me, you'll do as I say" while tapping his badge after I mentioned that nexus is issued as valid ID by the US government.)

Now I will not travel to the US without my passport.

FlyerGoldII

There is also the option that you can say that your document does not work, you type in your name and other information, and then the GE machine will work.


The question is whether the GE machine will take nexus (as an alternative to the passport) at any other airports besides YYZ - eg other Canadian airports?
US airports?

canadiancow

The new machines will take it, but CBP officers have told me not to use it.

yyzgigi

Am I the only one that finds this ridiculous? The GE machine works with Nexus and I have used it probably at least 30 times and the someone says they don't like. Why would the machine be programmed to work if you're not supposed to use it that way?

I did pretty extensive research when I had my passport in Visa purgatory and am very sure you can travel to the U.S. Via air with just a nexus card and no passport. However, Canada requires a passport for air travel but land crossing. Given that I expect the Nexus folks are telling us Canadians that we need to travel with a passport along with nexus to satisfy Canadian entry requirements that don't need to apply in the other direction.

epiphani

Ok, flat out rules, thanks to a bit of research:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/faq-eng.html

Entering the US:

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is a U.S. law that requires all travellers, including U.S. and Canadian citizens, to present a valid passport or other acceptable secure document, such as a NEXUS card, when travelling to or through the U.S. from within the western hemisphere.

OR. So you technically do not require your passport to enter the USA.

However...

Entering Canada:

NEXUS members who are permanent residents of Canada or the U.S. must travel with a passport and proof of permanent residence. You may be asked to present these documents to the officer upon arrival at the border.


So... there is a disparity. Hence why the folks in the US want to make sure you have your passport. If they let you onto the flight and you're denied entry due to documentation gaps, the departing station (or?) airline is fined, and has to fly you back. Now, granted, as a Canadian, it's basically impossible for them to deny you entry - but, not everyone carrying nexus is canadian, and rules...

TL;DR: Carry your passport. If you don't, you risk all kinds of problems - and will probably lose your Nexus if you run into any of them.

yyzgigi

Thanks for confirming what I said. Only time I traveled without a passport, my passport was in the U.S. waiting for a visa and I did a land crossing to Canada and flew back to the U.S. from Toronto completely aligned with the rules above.

ffsim

That 'rule' applies to permanent residents of Canada. I didn't look at the whole FAQ page, but that excerpt doesn't imply that Canadian citizens must travel with a passport.

epiphani

Bleh, you're right. Now we're back to finding some proof that traveling with only a nexus is verboten.

weiwei2

Foe safe side, always along with your passport.

Tax Dude

On another page, the CBSA website states:
Citizens and permanent residents of Canada, who are members of the NEXUS or FAST programs, may present their membership cards to the CBSA as proof of identity and as documents that denote citizenship, when arriving by land or marine modes only.

ffsim

Indeed, that's the CBSA statement that comes up regularly on the massive Nexus thread as evidence that Canadians require a passport when travelling by air. There have been some suggestions that this recently changed, but I guess it hasn't.

Thanks for the link and quote ^