Do American citizens have to have a passport when flying to Canada? #2 Do you go thru customs in US on?

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CanTexan

If you are a citizen of US, Canada, or Mexico and:
- - traveling by air after 01 January 2007, you will require a passport.
- - traveling by land or sea before 31 December 2007, you must have proof of citizenship (which may be passport, birth certificate, and/or naturalization papers) AND photo ID (which may be passport, US or Canada driver's license, or military ID).
- - traveling by any means after 01 January 2008, you must have a passport.

If not a citizen of US, Canada, or Mexico you must have passport (and probably visa).

All of above are actually to enter the US ... but if your trip originates in the US and goes to either Canada or Mexico, your papers are checked on the way out of the country (since it's presumably a round-trip). So you have to have the documentation to both enter the US and the neighboring country.

On entering Canada (or Mexico), you pass through their customs and immigration checkpoint ... at the airport, if you're flying. Bascially they'll want to know where you're going, why you're going, how long you'll be there, and what you're bringing in with you. You then have to go through US customs on the way back (either at the Canadian airport before you leave, or at the US airport when you land), asking you pretty much the same set of questions.

tonalc1

Passport, yes.
Customs/immigration, yes, both ways (go through Canadian customs when you land, go through US customs when you return).

JuanB

Yes, you need a passport to fly.

There might be some variance for some smaller airports, but Generally you go through customs in the Canadian Airport, going both ways. Coming to Canada you go through Canadian Customs when getting to the Canadian Airport, leaving Canada you go through US Customs leaving the Canadian Airport.

That's experience for traveling to/from Vancouver airport and 6 or more US airports in the last 10 years.

tuppenybitz

yes yes and yes

Jeff H

All US citizens require a passport to fly from the US to another country or back into the US. That now includes Canada. For trips ending by Sept 30 there was an exemption made as long as you had proof that a passport had been applied for. You will have to clear Customs coming into Canada and US Customs going back into the US, same as if you were driving. As long as you are a US citizen with appropriate ID there are no immigration requirements although you may have to go through the same line as international travellers.

For the present if you decide to drive you will need your birth certificate and a government issued photo ID.

cat_blue_canberra

Yes of course.

Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore!

You Need A Passport when Flying to canada, if you drive all you need is your birth certificate.

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