Traveling to Canada by Land? Here’s What you Need to Know

If you haven’t travelled to Canada from the United States since 2009, you are in for a nice little surprise. In recent years, border control has been drastically tightened. In the past, a driver’s licence and a birth certificate were all that was required to get into Canada, however, laws changed in America and you are going to need different ID. We are going to assume that you are a US citizen crossing into the country via land.

You will need at least one of the following pieces of ID:

• US Passport
• NEXUS or FAST card. You will need to be pre-approved for this. You will only be allowed one of these cards if you are deemed to be a ‘low risk’ traveller.
• US Passport Card
• Enhanced Driver’s Licence or EDL for short. This is, currently, only available from a few different states.

When you cross over the border, it is likely that you will be interviewed by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). Not everybody will be interviewed. In many cases, citizens of the United States are just waved on through. If you are asked a couple of questions, don’t worry about it. They will be simple questions which you should be fairly easy to answer. This means asking where you come from, how long you will be in Canada etc. As long as you answer the questions honestly, this will be one of the easiest interviews you have ever undergone!

The only real people who may have issue getting into Canada are those who currently have criminal convictions, in particular DUIs. The Canadian Government is particularly strict when it comes to this. You should be prepared to answer a number of questions about your conviction. If you have court documents, you may want to bring them with you as it will make the process a whole lot easier to get through. Generally speaking, those with just one conviction should be able to get through the border just fine. You may also be able to travel into Canada without issue if your last conviction was more than a decade ago. However, you do have to be aware that the Canadian Border Control can turn you away if they wish. This normally happens if the agent is unable to verify all of your information or, in some cases, if they deem your crime to be so serious that you would be a risk to Canada (DUI offences do come under this category!).

It is worth noting that most weapons are illegal in Canada. You should not plan on taking weapons over the border otherwise it may be seized. If you try to take a prohibited weapon into Canada and do not declare it, you will have to pay a $500 fine. In these situations, you may find that your entry into Canada for the foreseeable future will be jeopardized. This is why it is so important that you answer every question honestly at the Canadian border.