Re: [84attendees] passport cards and such, was YVR Checkin Counter

[Andrew Sullivan <[e-mail]>]

On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 08:16:50AM -0700, Randall Gellens wrote:

> I thought that you can use the card in lieu of a passport to both
> enter Canada and return to the U.S. when using a land or sea border
> crossing (not an airport).  Since it's been *many* years since I've
> done that, I have no personal experience, but that's my
> understanding from when they imposed the passport (or card) rule a
> few years back (before that your driver's license worked).

If the GE card functions as a "U.S. Passport Card", then it would let
you into Canada (although not in the NEXUS lane).  

The requirement that US Citizens have a passport when entering Canada
is, last I checked anyway, just an administrative convention and not
yet the law.  US Citizens always had a waiver on entry to Canada.
When the US imposed its passport requirement _from_ Canada, however,
the Canadian Immigration people had to start requiring passports into
the country -- not because of any tit-for-tat impulse, but because
we'd end up with all these stranded people in Canada, annoyed that
they couldn't carry around their guns [1].  So USians are required to
have a passport-like thing when entering Canada now.  If the CBP agent
is sure you'll be able to return to the US, you're golden.  (None of
this counts for air travel, where for some reason the real live
passport is considered necessary in a way that it isn't needed at land
or sea ports.  If someone can explain to me why it is safer to let
someone across the border in their giant SUV with 12,000 tons of cargo
space using just a card, than to let someone into the country in an
airplane with their permitted 3.14159 picolitres of permitted no-fee
luggage using just a card, I'd be delighted to know.)

For my part, I'd just carry the passport.

[1] http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/us-cop-blasted-for-wishing-to-carry-gun-in-calgary-park-165699436.html

Best,

A

-- 
Andrew Sullivan
[e-mail]