What Documents Do I Need to Cross the US-Canada or US-Mexico Border?

Crossing the border at a land port (driving or walking, not flying) takes a different set of documents than flying internationally. Most US and Canadian citizens have what they need without realizing it — a driver's license alone, on the other hand, isn't enough no matter what state it comes from. This guide covers what you can use and what you can't, in both directions.

Always verify before you travel. Document rules change, and the official sources are the only ones that matter at the booth: CBP's WHTI page for entering the US, and CBSA's Travel and identification documents page for entering Canada. Information below is accurate as of early 2026.

The 30-second answer

Below is the detail on each row — including the special cases that catch people out, the difference between a passport book and a passport card, and what to do if you show up at the border without acceptable documents.

Why a regular driver's license isn't enough (WHTI)

Since June 2009, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has required US citizens to present a passport or passport-equivalent document when re-entering the US, even from Canada or Mexico by car. Before WHTI you could cross with a driver's license and a birth certificate; that's no longer the case.

A standard driver's license — even a REAL ID-compliant one — is not a WHTI document. REAL ID and WHTI are different programs: REAL ID is about domestic flights and federal buildings; WHTI is about border crossings. Same person, two different document standards, very common source of confusion.

If you're a US citizen

Any one of the following lets you re-enter the US by land or sea (cruise ship, ferry):

• US passport book. Works for everything — air, land, sea, every country. Default choice if you only get one document.
• US passport card. Wallet-sized, $30 cheaper than the book if you don't already have one (~$65 vs ~$130 in fees). Valid for land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda only. Not valid for international flights. Has an embedded RFID chip that works in Ready Lanes.
• Enhanced Driver's License (EDL). A regular state DL plus an embedded RFID chip and citizenship verification. Issued by Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington only. Valid for land/sea border crossings; not valid for international flights. Costs roughly $30 more than a standard DL at renewal time.
• Trusted-traveler card — NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry, or FAST card. All four are WHTI-compliant for land/sea. See our comparison guide for which to get.
• US military ID with travel orders for active-duty service members.

US children

Children under 16 (or under 19 if part of a supervised group like a school trip, sports team, or religious group) can re-enter the US by land or sea with just a US birth certificate (original or certified copy). No passport required. Children 16 and over need the same documents as adults.

If only one parent is traveling with a child, customs officers can ask for a consent letter from the non-traveling parent. It's not legally required, but a notarized letter saying "I consent to my child traveling with [name] from [date] to [date]" can prevent secondary inspection.

If you're a Canadian citizen

Entering the US, Canadian citizens can use:

• Canadian passport (works for everything).
• Enhanced Driver's License or Enhanced Identification Card from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, or Quebec. Valid for land/sea entry to the US; not for flights.
• NEXUS card. Most efficient at the border itself thanks to the dedicated lane.
• Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) — accepted under WHTI for status-card holders entering by land or sea.

Returning to Canada, CBSA requires you to establish your full name, date of birth, and Canadian citizenship — usually with a passport, but a combination of birth certificate plus government photo ID works at land crossings if you don't have a passport. CBSA strongly recommends a passport for any travel where you might end up flying back (e.g., trip gets cut short and you need an emergency flight).

Crossing the Mexico border

WHTI document rules for entering the US from Mexico by land are the same as from Canada — passport, passport card, EDL, or trusted-traveler card (specifically SENTRI for southern crossings).

In the other direction, Mexico has its own rules:

• Day trips within the border zone (~20 km / 12 miles deep on the US-side, generally also the Mexican side) — no Mexican immigration paperwork required for US/Canadian tourists.
• Longer stays or going beyond the border zone — you need an FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) tourist permit, obtained at the border or in advance online from the Mexican immigration agency. A passport book is required for the FMM.
• Crossings like San Ysidro and Pacific Highway have separate pedestrian lanes; if you're walking across, the document requirements are the same as driving.

If you're a permanent resident

US Lawful Permanent Resident (green card holder): show your green card to re-enter the US. To enter Canada by land, the green card alone suffices (no passport needed at the land border). For flights, you need both the green card and your home-country passport.

Canadian Permanent Resident: show your PR card to re-enter Canada at a land border. Entering the US, you'll need both your PR card and your home-country passport (the US treats Canadian PRs as citizens of their original country).

If you're from a third country

Crossing into the US, you need a valid passport plus any required US visa (or ESTA approval if you're from a Visa Waiver Program country, though land entries don't always require ESTA the way air entries do — check cbp.gov for your specific nationality).

Crossing into Canada, most non-US/Canadian citizens need either a visitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) beyond their passport. eTAs are required for most visa-exempt foreign nationals flying into Canada; they're generally not required for entry by land (driving across from the US), but the rule has exceptions — check canada.ca's visit-Canada page before you travel.

Documents that do not work at a land border

• A standard (non-enhanced) state driver's license alone. Even a REAL ID-compliant one. REAL ID is for domestic flights and federal buildings, not borders.
• A US Permanent Resident card without supporting passport when entering the US by air. Land entries are fine.
• Expired documents. The passport must be valid; the EDL must not be expired; cards in renewal limbo (you have the receipt but not the card) are not accepted.
• Photos of documents on your phone. Officers want to hold the document. Bring the physical version.
• Health insurance cards, student IDs, employee IDs. Useful for supporting evidence but never primary documentation.

What if you show up without acceptable documents?

You won't necessarily be turned away — US citizens can't be denied re-entry to the US, and Canadian citizens can't be denied re-entry to Canada. But you'll go to secondary inspection and the officer will spend significant time verifying who you are: questions, database checks, possibly fingerprinting. Expect 1–4 hours, sometimes longer at busy crossings. Bring whatever you have — driver's license, birth certificate copy, anything with your name and photo. The process is slower at busy crossings and at off-hours when fewer secondary officers are on shift.

Non-citizens without proper documents can be denied entry. If you don't have what you need, don't approach the border — the entry attempt itself can create immigration-record problems.

REAL ID vs. WHTI vs. passport

These three things confuse a lot of people. Quick summary:

• REAL ID — A standard for state driver's licenses, used for domestic US flights and entry to federal buildings. Recognizable by a star in the top right corner of the license. Doesn't help with borders.
• WHTI — A border-crossing rule that says "you need a passport or passport-equivalent at land/sea border crossings." Passport, passport card, EDL, NEXUS/SENTRI cards all qualify.
• Passport — The universal document. Works for everything: domestic flights (it counts as a federal ID for TSA), international flights, land borders, sea borders. The only document that universally works.

If you're going to own exactly one document, make it a passport.

Pre-trip checklist

1. Confirm every traveler in your group has a current, unexpired, WHTI-compliant document for both directions.
2. Check at least one document's expiration date — many countries require 3–6 months of remaining validity for entry. Canada doesn't have a strict validity rule for US citizens, but checking is free.
3. If traveling with a minor and you're not their custodial parent, bring a notarized consent letter.
4. If you're a third-country national or a permanent resident, double check eTA/visa status well in advance — these can take days to weeks to process and can't be obtained at the border.
5. Before you leave, glance at the current wait at your planned crossing — peak hours mean longer secondary if anything goes wrong. Find your crossing on the homepage.

Bottom line

For US and Canadian citizens at land crossings, a passport book is the bullet-proof option, a passport card or EDL is cheaper and works almost as well, and a NEXUS/SENTRI card is the smart upgrade if you cross more than a few times a year. For permanent residents and third-country nationals, the rules are more involved and worth verifying with the authoritative sources before any specific trip.

See live waits and historical patterns for every US-Canada and US-Mexico land port on the homepage, or browse our other guides.