All persons, U.S. Citizen or foreign nationals must present a valid passport or alternate approved travel document to enter or depart from the United States by air. Additional information is available below.
- General Travel Information at the U.S. State Department
- Department of Homeland Security
- List of Countries in the Caribbean Region
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was mandated by Congress in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for citizens and legitimate international visitors. WHTI requirements for air travel took effect on January 23, 2007.
Since implementation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has and will continue to exercise its current authorities in unique circumstances to allow individuals subject to the WHTI requirements into the United States based on other evidence of identity and citizenship.
Travel document security remains a top priority for the U.S. Government. Both the 9/11 Commission and the U.S. Congress urged strengthening of travel documents to prevent entry of terrorists across our borders, reduce use of fraudulent documents, and speed up entry procedures.
It is strongly recommended that all citizens of both Canada and the United States carry passports when crossing the U.S. / Canada border.
For additional information, please see: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Effective January 31, 2008 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will no longer accept oral declarations of U.S. or Canadian citizenship from those traveling by land or sea.
U.S. and Canadian travelers will be required to present:
- A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license and
- A birth certificate or other proof of citizenship;
- Or - for youth 18 and under - a birth certificate alone
Or one of the following from the list below:
- A valid Passport*
- NEXUS Card
- SENTRI Card
- FAST Card
- U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner's Card
- Military ID and Official Orders
- I-551 Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) for U.S. legal residents
At a date yet to be determined, U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials will begin to require that all travelers, including citizens of both Canada and the United States, present either:
- A valid passport
- The passport should be unexpired and good for the duration of the intended trip - it does not have to be valid for any specific duration
- Or other WHTI compliant document as shown below
- Or a Passport Card when entering the United States by car, bus, rail, ship, or ferry (this card is not valid for air travel)
U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for the new U.S. Passport Card beginning February 1, 2008, in anticipation of land border travel document requirements. The new cards are expected to be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008. The passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea Ports of Entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The card may not be used to travel by air.
The general information above applies to both American and Canadian citizens. For more detailed and up-to-date information please refer to the U.S. State Dept. web page linked below.
And here are links to additional related information:
- Know Before You Go - an online brochure for Americans from U.S. Customs
- NEXUS - Frequent Traveler Program - for low risk pre-screened travelers between USA and Canada
If you need to apply for a U.S. Passport then use the link below for detailed information.
Printable Summary of RequirementsClick on the following image for a full size printable version in Acrobat format
