And for kicks: the US Global Entry machines are set up to know not to accept NEXUS if you are entering the US from a non-Canadian Port of Entry.

For example, if you scan your NEXUS in the GE machines at YVR Preclearance, there's no problem. But if you scan your NEXUS card at the GE machine at say, IAH, it will tell you that your travel document is not valid for this itinerary and to use a different document. (i.e. Passport)

Yeah, but the legal right to enter the US or Canada (under customs and immigration rules), is not the same as having a right to fly on a particular airline at a particular time.

Note that border services can, by scanning your Nexus card, know that you have a valid passport and the associated travel rights. That they may not care to see it doesn't mean it hasn't been examined.

Because passport and Nexus expiry dates can be mismatched, examining the card alone, as airlines do, does not prove you have a valid passport.

When departing Canada, there's no risk to the airline, because you'll be refused entry to the US before boarding.

Departing the US, if you get turned around, the airline pays. I wouldn't expect (nor want) US airline agents to assess my right to enter my destination. If I can't produce a passport and get turned away, that's on me.

The NEXUS is a valid form of entry regardless of the validity of your passport. You can get a NEXUS without a passport. The two are only linked for purposes of using Global Entry on your passport.

NEXUS also expires at a different time than your passport.

Airlines can also deny you boarding for a plethora of reasons. That doesn't make them correct. And as Porter demonstrated, wrongfully denying boarding usually ends up with them paying compensation or refunding the ticket.

Again, this is not true. Your experience does not match the stated regulation.

You're correct in that it doesn't prove the validity of your passport. But as ketherson has mentioned repeatedly, a valid NEXUS card alone is adequate documentation for traveling between the US & Canada by land, sea or air.

That's my experience on every US to Canada trip. The other direction, I use my passport for preclearance, but the airline only sees NEXUS.

SFO is generally pretty good, but I have had the occasional issue where the options seemed to be:

1. Hand over passport
2. Let the agent/concierge fiddle with the system for 10 minutes before issuing boarding pass(es)

I always choose #1

I've had that once. The bolded statement is my opinion too.

I have been EXPLICITLY told by MULTIPLE CBP officers that I must NOT use my NEXUS card in the machine, and I am required to use my passport.

But does the regulation matter if it's not uncommon to be asked for a passport? I don't want to waste an hour at check-in or CBSA/CBP to prove I'm right.

One time departing YOW TB, I was paged to the gate. They wanted to see my NEXUS card. I gave it to them. Ten minutes later, a different agent paged me, and wanted to see my NEXUS card again because the system hadn't accepted it. On the third page, I asked if my passport would make things easier. There was absolutely no doubt when she said "yes it will". And that was the last time they had to page me for that flight.

That's funny because I remember seeing some of the machines had printed out guides/notices on them on how to scan your NEXUS cards in the machine properly, like which corner to use.

For what it's worth, when I recently did my NEXUS interview, the agent told me explicitly that if I were to enter Canada by air, I'd still need to carry my passport. The NEXUS card solely as method of entry applies only by land entry.

Not a hassle for me though, I don't mind bring the passport with me.

I thought the US Global Entry machines would only read passports, but this thread has me curious if it would recognize a nexus card.

During EYW, my experience was that if I use my nexus in the 'known traveler#' field, then AC's system would not accept the same Nexus # as the official travel document. So I then tested a YTZ-YUL-LGA and purposely did not enter a KTN and the system lets me use my nexus # as the travel doc.

I have been on calls where the I could tell the Concierge only asks my Nexus # then seems to have delays checking me in. Now I just explain the above and have them use my passport as the travel doc.

There certainly seem to be a lot of adamant opinions by people not bothering to look up official information: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/faq-eng.html.

If you expect a hassle at the airport, bring a printout and hand it to the airline staffer.

If you are a Canadian or U.S. citizen, and a NEXUS member, you may use your membership card as proof of identification and citizenship when entering Canada by land, air (when coming from the U.S.) or boat when using non-NEXUS lanes.

NEXUS members can use the automated kiosks located in the U.S. Preclearance area and the Canadian inspection services area at participating airports.

NEXUS is adequate documentation for entering Canada or the US when travelling from the other. That much I'm confident in.

However, the US has some additional exit rules which are poorly communicated, poorly understood and can be interpreted by airlines as a passport requirement.

For those of us here confident enough in the rules to travel without a passport, we can fill our boots. If anyone's reading this thread looking for good advice, I say, "Carry your passport."

I'm not saying travelling on NEXUS alone isn't allowed; I'm saying it's ill-advised.

That is good advice.

I think the airline staff have been (mis)advised by their employers, not by the US government. Can you provide a link to any US government rules that might require checking passports vs accepting a valid NEXUS card?

That was not my experience, see my post above. In March 2016 Canadian border agent on arriving at YVR from the USA required my Canadian passport, in addition to Nexus card.

See post #34.

I cannot. If such links were obvious, surely someone else would have cited them by now. Hence the communication problem.

OP in post #12 cited Timatic:

"Passports and other documents accepted for entry issued to nationals of Canada must be valid on arrival.

Warning: if departing from the USA (regardless of any destination passport exemptions), a valid passport and/or accepted departure document is required by the US immigration authorities."

That NEXUS is not explicitly named as an "accepted departure document" is surely not helpful to airlines.

Even CBSA officers and CBP officers will get the NEXUS details wrong.

If you are traveling for reasons outside of B1/B2, you must have a passport or a visa.

You can only use NEXUS only for air travel (as well as ground and marine travel) if you are entering under B1/B2.

I seriously cannot believe I have to do this but the specific legislation is here:

https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/...0-0-15933.html

Anecdotes are really unhelpful because it only helps spread further misinformation.