http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html
BC is now doing a test on a new "enhanced drivers license" which can be used instead of a passport to cross into the US. Hopefully we can get this card into full production for the rest of the country soon. The US already has these cards too.
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/media/nr/2008/nr20080121-eng.aspx
I was thinking about when passports will become mandatory to cross the boarder. I haven't had mine done yet. Here is an article on the current state of passports.
ReplyDeleteBefore June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens do not necessarily need a passport entering Canada by land or sea, but need valid ID that proves identity and citizenship.
Currently, everyone arriving in Canada by air needs a passport or equivalent travel document, such as a NEXUS Card.
Best Advice: If you haven't already, apply now for your U.S. passport or an equivalent travel document.
In Depth: Passport requirements have been a complicated and everchanging issue for U.S. travellers to Canada for the past few years due to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which was introduced in 2004 by the U.S. government to strengthen U.S. border security and standardize travel documentation.
Visitors from any country other than the U.S. need a passport to enter Canada. On the other hand, because of a friendly border crossing agreement between Canada and the United States, Canada Border Services does not require U.S. citizens to present a passport to enter Canada. This friendly border crossing agreement used to be mutual; however, now the WHTI requires that U.S. citizens have a passport to return home. In this way, passport requirements for Canada and U.S. borders are different on paper, but, are in practice, the same. Does it make sense to allow someone into the country who does not have the proper documentation to return home?
One thing is certain about passport requirements: the trend for essential travel documents, even between neighbouring countries like Canada and the U.S. and Mexico, is toward increased security and standardization. A passport - or equivalent travel document - is becoming a must.
Don't wait! The U.S. application process is already backlogged. Apply online for your American passport now (PDF file) or learn what travel documents are acceptable substitutes for a passport.
source: www.about.com
I think that passports are now becoming mandatory soon, due to tightening security at the boarder. It feels like it has taken a long time for the passports to become mandatory to cross the boarder. Why is it being done now, and not a long time ago? I wonder how much identification and information is given out about me through different forms of identification. There is my health card, driver's liscence, my student ID, birth certiifcate, SIN, and credit cards. I don't always think about how much information there is about my identity that the public and government has access to. I wonder if in the future how much information about a person will be shared, with new technologies constantly emerging. What does everyone else think about the access that the government has on details of our identities?