Passports – Travelling to Canada and Back to the US
Americans travelling to foreign destinations are required to have a valid passport. Soon Americans returning from Canada will also need a passport or Nexus identification card to be allowed back into the US. Currently, all persons returning via air must display a valid passport. As of January 1, 2008, all persons, including US citizens, traveling between the US and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries) will be required to show a valid passport.
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These documents are relatively easy to obtain with the proper identification. Don’t let a simple process prevent you from obtaining these documents and enjoying all of Toronto's terrific attractions. A Toronto vacation is well worth the effort of getting a passport.
Obtaining a US Passport
To obtain a US passport for the first time, you must visit a passport acceptance facility
in person. There are more than 8000 acceptance facilities located throughout the United States. The application process requires two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo identification such as a driver’s license.
The Nexus ID Card
The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the U.S. Customs Service (USCS) and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (USINS) are co-operating in this venture to simplify border crossings for pre-approved, low-risk travellers.
The benefits of the Nexus ID card are: the use of NEXUS-dedicated lanes in Canada and the U.S. as long as you meet the program requirements for both countries; and the crossing of the border without routine customs and immigration questioning.
The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced, in October 2006, a federal rule proposing the development of a card-format passport for international travel by U.S. citizens through land and sea ports of entry between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. This ID card would be a wallet-sized card, utilizing cutting-edge technology, designed to address the operational needs of land border-crossings. The proposed passport card itself will not contain any personal information. Instead, it will use long-range radio frequency identification (RFID) to link it to a secure U.S. government database containing biographical data and a photograph.
Learn more about passport requirements at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.