Traveling to Canada by car from Los Angeles
I live in Los Angeles, and my wife and I would like to travel to Vancouver on August 3 this year. We plan on being in the Seattle area a few days before this. We do not have passports. What is our best and cheapest option to travel to/from Canada?
I looked at NEXUS, but it requires an in-person interview near the Canadian border (looks like a missed a mobile enrollment in L.A. last year, wish I had known about it at the time). Can I schedule an interview on or around July 30, and get a card in time to travel on Aug. 3? It looks like they mail the card to you after approval, can I have it mailed and expedited to a hotel in Seattle?
If this is not feasible, is Global Entry my only other option, other than getting a passport? Is the time frame (less than 5 months away) even feasible for us to be able to do this?
It seems that a birth certificate and a driver's license (even a RealID) is not sufficient for entry back into the U.S. from Canada, is this correct? And California does not have enhanced driver licenses like those available in Vermont and Washington state, right?
Dan
Best Answer
Your cheapest and simplest option is to get a passport card. It costs $65, is valid for 10 years, and you can apply at a post office or similar location near your home. It will probably take 1-2 months for the card to arrive, so you have plenty of time.
However, the passport card only allows you to travel into Canada, Mexico, and certain Caribbean nations by land or sea. It will suffice for the trip you have in mind, but if there is any significant chance that in the next 10 years you may want to travel internationally by air, or to travel beyond North America, you may want to just pay the extra and get a regular passport instead ($145).
Global Entry does not help because you have to already have a passport in order to apply for Global Entry. As for NEXUS, if it is anything like Global Entry, they will only mail the card to your home address and it takes several weeks to arrive.
You are correct that a birth certificate and driver's license are not sufficient to enter Canada and come back to the US. And California does not issue enhanced drivers licenses. As of this writing, NY, MN, MI, VT and WA are the only states that do.
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All you need to do to drive into Canada is pick a crossing and drive to it (check as there are some crossings that have specific restrictions). You may be waved right through, stopped for a more thorough check or go through a full on vehicle inspection.Road trip from Vancouver, Canada to Los Angeles, USA | 20 hour drive | Hwy 5
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