Car trip to Canada / Niagara Falls. License/birth cert? Passport card? Passport?

SWMBO and I were talking about a trip to New Orleans later this year, but we just haven't gotten too involved with the planning and costs between plane/hotel.  There's a gem store in northern IN she liked, and the Indiana Dunes are there for cool Star Wars photos.  Then we started talking about what's 4-6hrs from Dayton OH?

She saw the Falls and said well, you don't have a passport.  I said, well, how hard is it to get one?

But friends over the weekend suggested I could still cross the border with my fancy driver's license and birth certificate.  Google has conflicting results that say yes and no.  Then some friends last night suggested a Passport Card (which I had never heard of) that is basically a passport-light and good for Canada/Mexico.  I will likely never travel international again anyway.

Now I'm curious if I should go for the card, or full passport, or just go without?  Thinking late September, or October.  (She's never been, I've been 3 times and wouldn't mind again, last was around 2005 with the ex-wife.)

Aircraft needs passport.  Driving, regular ID used to be OK, but I haven't been south since  covid.

US customs office would be the place to ask.

Technically you could just use the birth certificate and ID. Make sure its an enhanced DL. But be ready for it to be a royal pita, also coming back, a passport is the way to go. 

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html

"All international travellers must carry acceptable identification and a valid visa (if necessary) when entering Canada. A passport is recommended because it is the only reliable and universally-accepted travel and identification document for the purpose of international travel. 

International transport companies, such as airlines, must make sure that travellers have proper, valid travel documents. If you do not have the proper documents, you may be delayed or refused entry into Canada. What you need will depend on where you are from, how you are travelling, and what documents you are travelling with. Consult entry requirements by country.

When you enter Canada, a border services officer will ask to see your passport and a valid visa, if you are arriving from a country for which one is required. Visit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website to learn more about what travel documents are required.

Citizens of the U.S. who are members of the NEXUS program may present their membership card as proof of identification and as a document that denotes citizenship, when arriving by air (when coming from the U.S.), land, or marine modes.

Citizens of the U.S. who are members of the FAST program may use their cards as proof of identity when arriving by land and marine modes only.

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

All visitors arriving from or transiting through the U.S. are encouraged to visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website for information concerning the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and the requirements to enter or return to the U.S."

Streetwise is correct.  Air travel between US and Canada requires passports. 
 

Land entry (driving/ferries) requires:

• U.S. Passport
• Passport Card
• Enhanced Driver’s License
• Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST)
• U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders
• U.S. Merchant Mariner document when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business
• Form I-872 American Indian Card, or (when available) Enhanced Tribal Card.

Source: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

Now I'm confused about the driver's licenses, I could have sworn Ohio offered them a few years ago.  With the various ID you could use to get one, ladies that had remarried had to bring all sorts of crap showing their various names, etc.  But I keep seeing articles that say only a few states that border Canada have them, and Ohio is considering them down the road.

Guess I'm filling out a Passport Card app today.  (EDIT apparently that was a Federal Compliant license, not Enhanced.  And a coworker says he almost got an Enhanced one a few months ago but didn't have the proof of address like a bill.  I just renewed last year for 8 years, I'll just go for the Card.)

I'd recommend going through the trouble of getting a passport. It makes the process of going through any border or getting on any plane that much easier. Plus, they're good for several years.

I just finished the online app for a passport card.  Took a bit trying to figure out the ex-wife's crap (she and both parents are deceased), and had to ask mom where she was born & dad's b'day...

Also just made an appointment at the local library for Saturday to apply & get a photo at the same time.

Same paperwork burden to get the passport card as it is to get the actual passport. Good for 15 years so why would you NOT get the passport?

Can someone explain to me the American aversion to passports? Is there a conspiracy theory that explains why y'all avoid a document that most of the civilized world takes for granted?

The passport card would go in a wallet instead of needing to carry something separate?  It also appears to be about a hundred bucks cheaper:

In reply to NOHOME :

Just time consuming and annoying trying to get to the post office or elsewhere for the picture. It can take 6-9 months from application to actually getting it. 

And most Americans are more worried about keeping the lights on and food in the fridge than traveling internationally.

Edit: although they've started this new bullE36 M3 here called "real id" which is a "more secure drivers license" you need to get into federal buildings and other stuff, that a passport works for, and doesn't need all the extra bullE36 M3 paperwork and DMV visits to get. This is America, we turn everything into a money grabbing, citizen inconveniencing racket

Getting a US passport is not difficult. Seriously, go to the post office. It's about as convenient as it can possibly be. I have more trouble getting my Canadian one renewed.

Getting US citizenship, on the other hand, requires a lot more inconvenient trips :) 

RevRico said:

In reply to NOHOME :

It can take 6-9 months from application to actually getting it. 

This is not accurate. I received my renewal, both card and book in 3 weeks (did it two months ago) and a complete new application took about the same time. 

I think at most it would take 6 weeks if you don't pay for the expedite fee. 

In reply to Slippery :

That's also a few years old. I have no passport, but it took my parents the better part of a year to get theirs when they started traveling. 

WRT drivers license- the only one that can cross the Canadian border by itself is the enhanced one. NOT the Real ID version, but the enhanced version. And a quick google search suggests it's not available in Ohio. 
 

So you will need either a passport or a birth certificate and DL. And +1 to get the PP book. We recently renewed ours and the time was pretty short. 
 

BTW- look into birth certificate requirements. It's possible you will need to get a more recent one that have. Maybe not likely, but possible. Should know that before you get to the border or send you PP forms in. It's all up to you to know this. 

NOHOME said:

Same paperwork burden to get the passport card as it is to get the actual passport. Good for 15 years so why would you NOT get the passport?

$65 vs $165?  Plus at 57 and already traveled in the Navy, I highly doubt I'll be going international ever again.  Including not a fan of flying.

Jerry said:

NOHOME said:

Same paperwork burden to get the passport card as it is to get the actual passport. Good for 15 years so why would you NOT get the passport?

$65 vs $165?  Plus at 57 and already traveled in the Navy, I highly doubt I'll be going international ever again.  Including not a fan of flying.

That's a fair argument. Either way, I hope you get to enjoy Canada once you receive the necessary IDs in the mail!

At one point you only needed a birth certificate and DL to go to Canada from the US.  

Once I didn't feel like looking for my birth cert for a work trip so I grabbed my voters card - that should work?

Canada waived me in at Port Huron, Michigan and on the way back the US reamed me a new one for not having the proper documents.  Bad idea but I was young and dumb.  I now have a passport. 

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

I watched that happen at Windsor/Detroit. Two cars in front of me were questioned for a long time , and subsequently sent in for secondary inspection. I get my turn, hand in my green card and Canadian passport and get a "Welcome home Mr. Martin" from the agent. So I asked him how come I get through that readily and the two Ohio plated vehicles before me got the third degree?. Turns out they didn't have proper documentation and gave the agent hell when he asked them to prove they were US citizens , and they couldn't. Two lessons there....don't jack around the customs agents....have proper ID. The Canadian agents are generally more lenient at letting Americans in, but the US guys can be sticklers for letting you go home, and if Belinda is in the booth be extra courteous....

If you dress in camo and consider a nighttime crossing, there are thousands of miles of entry points that do not require a passport. 

SV reX said:

If you dress in camo and consider a nighttime crossing, there are thousands of miles of entry points that do not require a passport. 

I used to make sales calls at BASF in Wyandotte, Michigan and I'd stop to catch up on my emails at a park on the Detroit River.  I'd tell myself I could swim to Fighting Island then swim more and be in Canada in minutes.  

Not sure why I thought this but it was in my head. 
 

Don't forget to leave your gun at home.

An acquaintance is a Canadian border guard and apparently a large number of visitors from the USA don't realize that you can't just bring your toys with you.

I cross the "Border" without any ID every time I go fishing in the St Clair river! Get to about 50 ft away from some of the docks on the  American side. Fishing is better on the Canadian side ;-)

I have had a passport since I was about 15. It has been the fall-back indisputable piece of ID in many countries and situations. Banks, borders and Booze vendors all accepted the document.

Regardless I do hope you make it to Niagara. It is a pretty part of the world. Niagara Falls is worth the visit and between the wineries, rides and restaurants, you should find lots to like. The Welland canal is just a short drive away and if you like watching ships up close worth the drive. Spending US dollars in Canada is also a bonus.

Pete

ps. I also miss the days when the guys in the border booth did not look like Darth Vader  and "Spend time and money!" was an acceptable answer to "Purpose of your trip?".

Once I saw a TV show about customs and they turned away a guy who had a DUI 20 years prior.  Not sure if you need to check it. 
 

BTW, there's an app called ArriveCan which might help you figure out what you need to go there.  Doesnt' help much getting back in the US, though.

ShawnG said:

Don't forget to leave your gun at home.

An acquaintance is a Canadian border guard and apparently a large number of visitors from the USA don't realize that you can't just bring your toys with you.

I know there have been some tourists busted in the Caribbean  that did not have a gun but did have some Ammo ,  so I would assume that Canada would not be happy if you had a few bullets in your car.