What documents are needed to cross the US-Canadian border these days? My mom is coming to visit me in Seattle, and she would like to see Vancouver. She has a driver's license, but she does not have a birth certificate or passport. (She was born in a small town in Mississippi in the late 1920s, and the MD failed to fill one out for her.) Information and suggestions would be greatly approeciated!

It is harder these days to cross the border with just a driver's license, in either direction. It depends partly on how you are travelling - for example, Horizon/Alaska Airlines would not let my boyfriend on a flight to the US (we are Canadian) with just his driver's license, as it alone is not proof of citizenship. However, the Victoria Clipper web site advises that US citizens must have at least a valid driver's license for entry into Canada, and a passport is recommended.

There is a discretionary factor to the Customs and Immigration process, however. An individual officer may decide that a DL is sufficient. Or not. The government of Canada Immigration Officer's manual states this is the process to be followed with US citizens visiting Canada:


6.5.1 U.S. citizens
The U.S. passport as well as the Certificates of Citizenship and Naturalization are
considered prima facie evidence and are acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship.
The birth certificate and the U.S. voter�s registration card, when accompanied by
another document bearing a picture of the holder, are considered indicators and may
be an acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship.
The U.S. military identification card, although a good supporting document, is not prima
facie evidence of U.S. citizenship; you do not have to be an american citizen to be in
the military.
Sometimes a verbal declaration will be sufficient to satisfy you that a person is an
American citizen. In the end, it is up to you to decide whether a verbal declaration or,
when deemed necessary, which documents will satisfy you as to a person�s claim to
citizenship. For example the following documents, driver�s license- health card-school
records-credit card, although not prima facie evidence, have been used along with a
verbal declaration to satisfy an officer that a person was an American citizen.
To assist the travel industry, airlines and travel agents have been supplied with the
following information:
a) a U.S. passport is the ideal identification for U.S. citizens travelling to Canada,
b) U.S. citizens may travel to Canada without passports if they have other means of
establishing their citizenship, such as a U.S. birth certificate or naturalization papers,
c) U.S. citizens travelling directly to Canada from the U.S. may be able to satisfy
claims to U.S. citizenship by presenting identification documents such as a U.S.
voter�s registration card, medical card, credit card or educational records, and one
other identification card containing the holder�s photograph, such as a driver�s licence.
Diplomatic, consular, official and service passports meet the passport requirements for
visitors.

(From www.cic.gc.ca - look under Publications, Manuals, POE, Chapter 1)

If your mom is going to be doing some other travelling in the future, it might be worth while to track down a birth certificate and obtain a passport for her. There must be a process to do so...

Else, I would advise that she bring along something other than her driver's license, maybe a voter registration card or property tax statement or social security info. The officer may be satisfied with her driver's license, but if not, she will at least have some supporting documents.

And if you are flying, make sure that you know what ID the airline will require! My boyfriend would not have made it on that flight if he had not been able to produce further documentation of citizenship.

Pre September last year, your mum would most likely not have been asked for proof of citizenshp but I would not risk that these days. It's usually not a problem going into Canada but re-entering the U.S. where I.N.S. is a lot stricter.

see:
http://www.ins.gov/graphics/hditravelcanada.htm
http://www.ins.gov/graphics/howdoi/legadmit.htm

There must be some register in her home town where she can obtain some proof?

http://travel.state.gov/vital_records_services.html

Voter registration card is insufficient proof these days.

This has been my experience. I always now carry my passport w/me to/from Canada. I was actually shocked when trying to cross the border for the first time post 9.11 that I was "hassled" for "only" having a DL. After mucho questioning I was let back into the US w/a stern warning that my DL would not be accepted next time. While I find this hard to believe, I have not tested it.

Abby, Terenz, and Sweet Willie:

Thanks for the information. It is really helpful. I must admit, though, that I am dismayed by the (assumed) necessity to patrol this border so strictly.

My mom (who will be 76 this summer) has not been outside the US since 1963, and it's unlikely that she will travel outside the US, other than this proposed trip to Canada. I feel certain that she has a voter registration card. If that would work, it would be grand.

I wanted to run another thought past those of you with border crossing experience. My stepdad is a retired federal magistrate, and I suspect that he could get a court declaration that my mom is a citizen. Do you think that would work?

Again, thanks for your help.

Voter registration cards are not accepted by INS as proof of citizenship. However, it that is the best that you've got, in combination with a driver's license or photo ID, that will have to do.

It is very unlikely that you would be in a position to get a court declaration. However, she could try and register her own birth.