Can you travel to Canada by road with an expired US passport?
Is it possible to leave and re-enter the US through the land border with Canada with an expired (US) passport? My passport expired in December and I didn't realize that until now. In addition to the expired passport, I have my naturalization certificate and Tennessee issued drivers license to prove citizenship and residency. Re-entry will be by road from Canada.
UPDATE: I made some calls and was told that I needed a passport -- I was told to contact the regional passport agency in New Orleans (about 6 hours by road for me) get an appointment and show up in person with proof of imminent travel outside the country. After searching on the web, I located a few agencies who claimed that they could help with this for a charge of around $199. I picked the one that had good reviews and they helped take care of the problem. On Monday they walked me through different documents they needed, asked me to go to a "Passport Verification" agent in a post office to get everything verified and sealed in an envelope, had to FedEx the package to them. On Tuesday they got it, processed the passport and shipped it back to me. I got it Wednesday. In all it cost me $170 (Govt Passport Fee) + $25 (Verification fee at the post office) + $199 (Agency charge) + $90 (Shipping). Glad i got this taken care of. Thanks to everyone who helped with responses.
Best Answer
Please see the "Update" section in the question regarding what i ended up doing. Anyway, I had also posted a question in Customs and Border protection (CBP) info center on 7/21/13 that was answered today (8/7/13). I asked if someone could reenter the US from Canada with the following documents --
- Original Naturalization certificate proving that she is a US citizen
- Tennessee State issued drivers license
- Expired US Passport (expired in Dec 2012)
In their response which arrived today (18 days after my enquiry), it states
Based on your inquiry, your daughter is allowed to travel by land with the documents mentioned. Thank you again for contacting the CBP INFO Center.
Oh, well
Pictures about "Can you travel to Canada by road with an expired US passport?"
Can I enter Canada from US with expired passport?
Answer: By law, U.S. citizens are required to exit and re-enter the United States with their U.S. passports. While you may enter Canada with your expired U.S. passport as proof of your citizenship, you need a passport book, card or any other WHTI-compliant document to re-enter the United States.Can I drive across the border with an expired passport?
An expired passport is simply not acceptable for international travel. If your passport is expired or is expiring within the next 6 months, you need to renew your passport.Do you need a passport to get into Canada by car?
Canadian law requires all persons entering Canada from the U.S. by car present proof of citizenship and identity. A passport fulfills both of these requirements for U.S. citizens. It is also possible for a U.S. citizen to use their Nexus card to fulfill both of these requirements.Can U.S. citizens enter Canada without a passport?
Entry into Canada: Canadian law requires that all persons entering Canada carry proof of citizenship and identity. A valid U.S. passport, passport card, or NEXUS card satisfies these requirements for U.S. citizens. Children under 16 only need proof of U.S. citizenship.Can You Travel With An Expired Passport?
More answers regarding can you travel to Canada by road with an expired US passport?
Answer 2
Since you don't have an enhanced driver's licence, your documents are not enough to enter the United States.
The basic requirements are regulated in the Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 215(b):
'Except as otherwise provided by the President and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may authorize and prescribe, it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport.'
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the following WHTI compliant documents are accepted if you enter by land or sea:
- U.S. Passports
- U.S. Passport Cards
- Enhanced Driver's Licenses
- Trusted Traveler Cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST)
- Military Identification Cards (for members of the U.S. armed forces on official orders)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Document (for U.S. citizens on official maritime business)
Answer 3
This is an old question, but I just traveled to Canada with a friend who had an expired passport, and we had no issues whatsoever. My friend's passport expired in January 2018, and our trip was in March 2018. We went on a 2-day trip from Detroit to Toronto.
Entering Canada, we told the border guard that one of our passports had expired, and he responded "don't care".
Returning to the U.S., we told the same thing to the U.S. border guard, and he said "doesn't matter." The border guard was more interested in the random details of our trips (i.e., why we made the trip, why my friend was visiting me, etc.)
No extra identification was needed in either case. We handed over my friend's driver's license just in case it was necessary, but, in both crossings, the border guard returned it to us without even looking at it.
Of course, this is personal experience, and it's possible that the border guards were just friendly that day. Nonetheless, from what I can tell:
(1) Canada doesn't care if your passport is expired.
(2) I think the U.S. border guard just needs to establish citizenship. When you apply to renew your passport, your old passport serves as sufficient proof of citizenship, so I imagine it also works for re-entering the U.S.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ken Cheung, Enric Cruz López, Kendall Hoopes, Mark G