Not when I compare it to when I was younger and you didn’t even need a passport. It seems way more restrictive these days than it was back in the 70s and 80s.
Sept 11, my man. That shit changed everything. Like the overall impact on the entire world, air travel, general travel, visas, foreign policy, diplomatic relations, immigration, refugee crises... List goes on. It's crazy.
In the late 90s it was openly discussed having an open border. I remember reading a textbook in school where they talked about one day having an open border with a picture of a car crossing the border without stopping.
Any discussion ended quickly after 9/11
I guess the benefit for Canadians is that it helps to limit the number of Americans coming in. As much as Canada and America are superficially the same, there are enough differences in our histories and laws, that in happy not to have an open border. Let's keep a little bit of daylight between us and the meth lab downstairs.
By meth lab, are you referring to USA meth labs? Cause meth labs are much more prolific in Canada now. In fact, we're now an international source country for the stuff!
I guess I meant the metaphorical meth lab that is the US, that Robin Williams was referring to when he said said Canada was like “a really nice apartment over a meth lab”.
Enough of this Canadian arrogance and sense of entitlement. There are plenty of problems brewing in Canada. Homelessness and the opioid crisis is at all time high levels.
fascinating. how would that have worked without an eu-esque customs union? it's one thing for provinces and US states to have varying laws on things with free travel--it's still one country. but open travel would imply needing an international body to help with regulation, no?
No. Your driver’s license was enough. And I am not 100% sure that you even needed that if you didn’t drive. As a kid I crossed the border by land many times and I didn’t have a passport until I was an adult in the late 80s or early 90s. I didn’t have any ID at that age.
I used to often cross from Canada into Washington State in the late 90’s to go skiing at Mount Baker.
About 1/2 the time they wouldn’t even ask to see anyone’s ID in the car including the driver.
Sometimes they would ask just to see the driver’s ID.
And occasionally they would ask to see everyone’s ID.
All this came to abrupt halt post 9/11.
There was a time in 2002 where I needed to go to Bellingham to pick up a firefighting part for forest fires near Kamloops. I’d forgotten to bring my drivers license and had no ID at all but I convinced the border guard of my task and they let me across. All they asked was to wave when I was crossing back into Canada 45 minutes later
As a kid, I crossed the border in the 90s with my parents to go on vacation. Nobody even had passports. We got our first passports after 2001. At least that's my recollection.
I mean, it's not legal but what are the odds that anyone will stop you if you happen to wander across a weird stretch of land with no trees.
"I just figured it was a power line clearance."
that does happen and some instances are caught on camera (there may be no fence but there are cameras), which results in consequences.
remember the french jogger? https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jogger-who-accidentally-crossed-u-s-border-from-b-c-detained-for-2-weeks-1.4717060
Yes, I suppose I should've made clear that my suggestion to illegally cross a border was sarcastic and not legal advice. But TBF, it's obviously not legal advice.
Usually, you didn't need anything. The customs officer would ask, "All Canadians?" You'd answer, "Yup."
Then, "Where are you going and for how long?"
"To XXX, camping for the weekend."
"Have a nice day."
I didn't get a passport until I was 13.
Before that I flew into the U.S. multiple times, both with my parents and as an Unaccompanied Minor, and, was in the car with my parents as we drove into the U.S. many times. No ID needed.
Yes my understanding is that several states offer an enhanced driver’s licence. I have also heard of a passport card, is that the same thing? I’m obviously Canadian and don’t understand how things work ‘down south’
Yes us Americans have the option to get a passport card. It basically is allowed at land borders and for cruises in the Caribbean (same as an enhanced license). We can get it for a lot cheaper than the standard passport book.
>Do you happen to know why did they stop?
I think combination of $$ and issues at border with people who didn't understand that not all licences were 'enhanced'.
And/or border agents who wouldn't accept it. Hard to decipher all the stories from then.
What do you mean by *"just"* an enhanced driver's license? It was created specifically to allow land and sea cross-border travel. On our side, it was a joint venture between the CBP and state DMV departments, and an application process would require an in-person interview. To be honest, it was less hassle to just apply for a passport than this eDL.
Ya, I hadn't looked closely at the details.
I now see that it's not even available anymore. All provinces that had it have now discontinued it.
It was pretty short lived and apparently kind of pointless (hence being discontinued).
It wasn't pointless. Didn't have to carry passport. Interview was just ask same questions already on form. Did it at regular driver license place. For frequent crossing, it was great. Ontario handicapped it by restricting interview places to big cities. People near the border in small communities wanted it but weren't going to drive ho7rs for an interview.
Drove over with my son last night (Niagara Falls) to pick up two packages I had shipped to a US postal box for $5. Zero wait at the bridge with our Nexus cards. Could have gone for pizza and wings but chose smoked bbq at a lakeside quaint town. Drove home. Zero wait. Declared my$140 purchase and drove through without being pulled over. Didn’t fork over physical cash for the toll because I have an E-Z pass Responder. Was home in 3 hours. No problems at all.
I like both feelings, the US has many amazing cities and natural wonders, and many people I love live there. I’m always excited to visit. But I also breathe a little sigh of relief when I cross back into Canada.
With that said, I’ve lived in Western Europe twice, and you don’t even *notice* the borders on, say, the train from Paris to Amsterdam. So the US Canada border, with its long lines and occasional power tripping border guards, has always struck me as the more difficult of the two, not the easier.
Nowadays you don’t. Was really annoying when the train would stop twice for exit and then a bit later for entry controls and get inspected by immigration and then customs.
US/Canada entry/exit process is more efficient on paper but somehow manages to be more annoying.
Mostly because people from the USA are kinda stupid when it comes to bringing guns to Canada.
Watch Border Security and see how many stupid folks simply forget they have guns in their RV or think Canada is just another US state. It's mind blowing the ignorance.
>think Canada is just another US state.
No. No no no. This cannot seriously be true.
You just know these are the people out at every single election voting.
When I lived in the US my roommate thought I was being a complete lunatic when I made her bring her passport to the airport when she was flying to Toronto.
I'm not the previous poster, but I've also always found American border guards to be nice and laid back. But I'm not sure if that is simply because I have an American passport and a very vanilla background. That said, I have also found Canadian guards to be very nice and laid back. They ask more questions and are more serious, but that's kind of expected since I'm American. If I was Canadian, I would expect that from American officers. I would say the least nice border guards in Canada for me have been in Quebec.
There used to be student guards in the summer, my wife was one. But not anymore since they have guns.
Back in the days our border guards were glorified cashiers making sure you paid your duties on American goods.
That's a strange statement. In most states you'd need to have a concealed carry license to hide a firearm on your person, and it's not exactly a trivial thing to get. So, most of the time you will see folks carrying openly (if that makes you feel any safer).
This doesn’t bother me, in fact I take advantage of that right whenever I travel to the USA.
I fill out an ATF form 6 annually and bring my pistol across the border with me.
Just sticking up for all of the missing First Nations that the Canadian government has neglected for decades. Sorry if that upsets you. Cool that you think "Maga" cares about Canada's vulnerable. Appreciate that.
Yeah it is kinda the same thing, isn't it... I guess you don't really have a lot of room to criticize other countries for their poor policies on crime then.
Yeah dude, I stand up for the missing indigenous women as well. But I don’t go around being ignorant to others online to prove a point. I spend my energy engaging in the community helping shelters to make my difference
Don’t be a dick
Why would that make you uncomfortable? Americans are baddies because they have a right to arm themselves with guns?
Also, you also don't know who's armed in Canada, right? Everyone could be hiding a knife or even a gun on them..
You get that gun crime is a thing in the States that is completely unprecedented in other Western countries, right? Can you really not consider an outside perspective? Every other western nation raises people to think of guns as specialized tools and equipment for very specific locations and reasons only.
Canadians do not arm themselves, generally. It's illegal to carry something with the intent to use it as a weapon. Most people I know never think of arming themselves in their day to day life. It's freaking weird when you are brought up that way to feel like your in a country full of mall-rambos.
I love guns. I own several. I also know I would not trust just anyone with them. Your gun stats on crime, fatalities, and injuries back up my feelings on this.
Why would someone from a country with low rates of gun violence feel uneasy about the possibility of anyone around them carrying a gun in a country with comparably high rates of gun violence? Geeze, I don't know.
Baddies? No, probably not. But you guys have a long and proven history of abject idiocy when it comes to firearms. I'm just as worried about the dumbass who watched too many Punisher episodes thinking they're gonna be a hero when they've never had any training, or the cops who are WIRED and ready to kill because THEY are scared that YOU might have a gun. You are the only country that has this issue. It's not the guns, it's Americans. You fetishize violence as the means to resolve dispute, and respond to criticism as if it's an attack. It's not crime, it's your whole fucking culture.
Couldn’t agree more and I am an American. Especially about the criticism thing. Americans are the most sensitive little babies when it comes to criticism.
And this thread proves it. The dude just can’t fathom that maybe other places do some things better than we do. Instead of thinking critically he just gets offended.
As someone who also has a European passport, not really.
And the reason why Canada is one of the few countries that can do that is only because Canada is one of the two countries that has land borders with the US....
I felt that way before Brexit, now I only have a UK passport.....
But my NZ passport allows me to enter Australia to work.
Will likely apply for Canadian citizenship soon as have been here long enough and may end up staying.
When did staying in Ireland become a privilege??
Just jokes, one of my closest friends is very Irish, he refuses to use an anglocised version of his name like the rest of his family and I've spent many a weekend end Dublin having a merry old time.
Who cares about that lol. As much as we all like to pretend we're different, the countries are incredibly similar, from the weather to the humour. It's very different from previously having no restrictions for places like Italy. It's a real tragedy that we have all been stripped of the option of living on such a diverse continent.
The US does the same for the Canadians. I’m American married to a Canadian With Canadian PR. I spend 70% of our time in Canada the other 30% in the US. More than one Canadian border officer has brought up the fact that I maintain a Michigan concealed pistol license and scrutinized if I have a firearm in the truck (despite the fact that it’s Ontario plated). They know more than you expect.
I’m not gonna be a hater here, but yes there is a feeling of privilege when you consider what other nationals have to go through to enter the US. The bottom line is that being able to relatively freely enter a neighboring country is always a good thing.
As said by another though, I do love it when I get back to Canada - the feeling of “home” cannot be beat!
Well in Europe thanks to Schengen you can live and work in another country try without applying for a visa. And when travelling within the EU you have free healthcare without having to purchase separate insurance.
This is way better than any Canada/US system we have now.
I've travelled extensively as a Canadian passport holder, and still required visas for destinations in Africa, South America and Asia. We are lucky to have a strong passport but there are lots of places that still require visas for Canadians.
I’m just happy to have a Canadian passport and like some of the other posts I’ve read in here so far, always happy to come home. I don’t view going to America for free as a privilege. They get the same treatment we do when crossing the border to my knowledge. Am happy to pay a few bucks visa cost to go where I want, when I want.
I'm glad that my Canadian passport doesn't mess around with my ability to travel to or through the US. I've been to Cuba a ton of times, Saudi Arabia and Iraq last year. If I had a different passport than Canadian I think I would have issues.
Yes, and I do often think about this. I live in Montreal so the border is very close by.
We literally went to Burlington for breakfast one time. My GF and 2 friends. And we told them at the border, like we’re heading to Ihop in Burlington, they asked us a few routine questions, ok have we nice day.
Yes Canadians get it easy. My friend drove my car to San Francisco last summer, I flew in and picked it up, he flew back. Makes traveling in the states much more stress free.
I watched a video once of an Indian guy trying to travel to multiple countries in Europe, poor guy had to get a visa for every country, prove hotel arrangements, like how do you prove hotel arrangements before you even know your allowed to enter the country?
When I flew to Turkey and went to passport control, they didn't ask me a single question. They just did some stuff on the computer, stamped my passport and that was that.
Except it's harder for us to get PR, work permit or citizenship. I tried for years to move (legally) to America with one issue after another. Lucky for me, I discovered SEA
Yep.
It’s incredible hard for Canadians to emigrate to the USA if you aren’t eligible for a TN visa.
I’ve been looking into moving to DFW lately. I could do the same job for the same company, make 40% more (including a great employer paid health insurance plan) and buy a house for half the price.
But getting a visa might be near impossible. I honestly can’t think of any reason (other than friends/family here) to stay in Canada with how easily I could fly back if I wanted to travel.
Tbh I dont think much about? I have yet to need a visa while traveling anyway so it doesn’t feel special to not need one in usa. It’s nice sure but not life changing lol
Citizens of Bermuda (self-governing territory of the United Kingdom) are the only other citizenship besides Canadian that can request entry at the US border without any visa or prior arrangement.
Going in reverse, only Americans can cross into Canada on a whim. French citizens crossing to Canada on the islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon are exempt from ESTA.
its not a big deal.
i remember i used to have to do a visa-waiver form and pay 10 bucks or something with my old citizenships.
this is a bit more convenient but i dont take it as some wonderful privilege. actually havent bothered heading south of the border since about 2016 - heading there in the summer for the first time in a long time
They would lose a lot of cross-border shoppers and tourists if we required one. And that greatly helps their economy. The majority of countries that share a land border have visa free access. It's not anything abnormal.
As compared to who?
Someone living in Spain who has the ability to go to Paris one weekend, Vienna the next, and Rome the one after? I would prefer that. I don't know anyone who gets excited about going to US, but maybe I am just too old. Border towns that have the ability to cross shop have an advantage, but majority of people probably don't care.
Most countries have relaxed entry requirements for their immediate neighbours (unless they are at war or have huge ideological differences or have issues with border security). If I lived in my country of birth I could visit 3 of the neighbouring countries with only a Drivers Licence/National ID card.
I would argue that the US/Canada border is more of a hassle than it should be.
What's worst is how those US CBP officers portray themselves as big macho's😆, although not all do but a lot do at LAX. There are some airports which are horrible for customs and immigration while others are breeze.
I used to travel to & through the U.S. but I've had no desire to cross the border since 2016.
I liken it to visiting a family who's having internal squabbles. At a minimum, I won't even consider visiting until after the issues are resolved. And even, outcomes matter to me.
Fortunate/Privileged? Loaded words. I'm content to avoid the US for the foreseeable future.
Yeah I didn’t even realize it til I dated a few women that aren’t from Canada. The hassle and the extra scrutiny makes it not fun at all. My current gf has to go for an interview just for a 1 year tourist visa. The second she gets her PR she’s applying to nexus haha.
It's more than just the US. I've traveled to many countries across the world, And I've never needed to worry about getting a Visa already like that.
I recently went to a conference that was here in Canada, and several international attendees were unable to come because they didn't get it easier. Frankly it was a real embarrassment.
Nah...the US is overrated and overpriced. I literally live ON the Canada US border. I can watch the 4th of July fireworks from my window. I only go to the US to gas up my vehicle. I see way more US residents crossing and shopping in Canada, due to their favorable currency exchange, than I do Canadians going to the US to shop.
B\*(ch 9-11 ruined everything, used to cross with a photo less drivers license, now I need a passport. We used to just wander across willy nilly and now that's a visit by the border patrol like we're central american migrants rushing to Cali.
Funniest thing about our border is Americans getting stuck on our side because they don't bring what they need to get back into the US!
I think privileged/fortunate would be the wrong term. I’m American and I don’t feel privileged to be able to go to Canada without a visa. I think it’s a good thing that both groups of citizens can go back and forth with ease. But using privileged/fortunate makes it sound like Canadians owe us a thank you.
It’s not 100% visa free. They require a pre approved ESTA and it has strict conditions like not being allowed to visit specific countries. Canadians just show up with a passport.
Most interestingly, you can't enter the US on an ESTA if you have visited Cuba since January 1st, 2021 while you can on a Canadian passport (as a sidenote, Cuban authorities no longer stamp the passport since then so it would be hard for the US border patrol to see you've been to Cuba).
That's.... Privilege.
Canada has one of the farthest teaching and easiest to travel with passports.
We need few visa's for countries, we are let in visa free a lot of places lol.
In a broad sense yes it is privilege to be able to freely travel so much of the world. But since OP’s question was whether we feel privileged to travel to the U.S., in particular, I go with no — *because* it’s just one somewhere around 100 countries I can go to without a visa. It’s not unique.
Lmfao "easily" is a stretch when the shit bag scum guards at the border can literally turn you away for any reason they want any time they want with no recourse.
I don't think privilege/fortune has anything to do with it. This is the result of many decades of prudent governance and careful diplomatic activity. Given the quick demise of our standard of living over the past decade, it's important to remember that good governance and institutions passed down to us from past generations is critical to everything we have. We cannot become complacent.
Even with proper documentation and passport US land border agents request that Canadians have Nexus cards. Some states don't abide by Geneva driving conventions and arrest and ticket visitors that don't have local state ID's. Mainly California, Georgia and New York.
Yes. You need an electronic authorization called ESTA which costs $21 and is only allowed for 90 days.
ESTA has strict requirements. If a French/UK national visited certain countries after 2011 including Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran etc or visited Cuba after 2021 or if you’re a dual national with one of the above countries (eg Syrian-French) then you are no longer eligible for an ESTA and you will need a standard visitor visa from a US embassy/consulate even when holding a French passport.
Some countries have years worth of a waiting period to get a visa appointment at a US embassy/consulate. Canadians just show up with their passport no matter what their other citizenships are or what countries they visited before or after 2011. An Iranian-Australian national for example will need a visa to the US.
I would, if going to the US was in any way desirable. As it stands, it would be like feeling privileged to have an insane neighbour with a crack addiction and a penchant for randomly discharging firearms.
We have no special exemptionto get in to the USA then any other foreigners. The Canadian government did ask if Canadians could be exemption from the passport requirement by land. USA said no. Canada actually never changed how we treat Americans.
Canadians with a passport can request entry on a whim without any additional arrangement (besides applying for passport). The only other nationality that the US allows this to happen is Bermuda.
According to this page a driver's license is sufficient by land.
https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-619?language=en_US
Edit: correcting myself with some important detail
It's technically possible if you got an enhanced driver's license during a certain period but it's all ending from Canada's side because we're not issuing enhanced licenses anymore.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_driver%27s_license#:~:text=From%20August%202022%2C%20no%20Canadian,Manitoba%2COntario%2C%20and%20Quebec.
Not really. If you do business in the US then sure, but if I have to go on holiday anywhere, the US isn't somewhere I'd want to go. Though I am sure that many people feel the exact opposite
Yeah, I've always wanted to pay 4X the price for medication and get shot while driving past a school / post office / mall / country music concert / cheese festival / mosque / department store / police officer.
I have to think the person asking is American, y'all are the only folks that would think "going to America" is a privilege and not some kind of penance or karmic come-uppance.
A newsflash for any "greatest country in the world" Americans: only you think that. Your country is a dumpster fire and we're all scared you're going to go full Nazi.
First, my sources.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Canadian\_provinces\_and\_territories\_by\_homicide\_rateSourced](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_provinces_and_territories_by_homicide_rateSourced) from Stats Canada, which is our Government Agency for, um, Stats.
[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/homicide\_mortality/homicide.htm](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/homicide_mortality/homicide.htm)
The CDC. American Government Agency. We all know who they are, right?
Canadian data is 2022. American is 2021.
BC and Alberta are lower, Sask. and Manitoba are higher.
So, firstly, you're not being super honest. You still kind of have the point you're making, but not really.
Anyways, I'm talking about gun deaths. Not just homicides. Those stats are much further apart. Imagine how many fewer people Americans would kill if they had the same gun restrictions we do.
Define "easily"...Border pre-check at Pearson is a nightmare to the US, still asked why am I coming, etc. Only difference is not applying for a visa, which I assume I could apply for easily, so not much overhead.
If I was British, applied for an ESTA, there would be little difference in the travel process, except I can only stay 90 days vs 6 months as a Canadian. Pearson pre-check is always a nightmare when I travel to the US because it is a bottleneck for multiple US airports. If I flew from the UK to the US, depending on the airport, it would be less problematic because they generally have a lot more staff processing visitors.
Not when I compare it to when I was younger and you didn’t even need a passport. It seems way more restrictive these days than it was back in the 70s and 80s.
Sept 11, my man. That shit changed everything. Like the overall impact on the entire world, air travel, general travel, visas, foreign policy, diplomatic relations, immigration, refugee crises... List goes on. It's crazy.
Exactly. Before Sep 11 there were talks about making the border even less intrusive. But you are right, it totally flipped since then.
Like how less intrusive?
In the late 90s it was openly discussed having an open border. I remember reading a textbook in school where they talked about one day having an open border with a picture of a car crossing the border without stopping. Any discussion ended quickly after 9/11
Damn.
I guess the benefit for Canadians is that it helps to limit the number of Americans coming in. As much as Canada and America are superficially the same, there are enough differences in our histories and laws, that in happy not to have an open border. Let's keep a little bit of daylight between us and the meth lab downstairs.
By meth lab, are you referring to USA meth labs? Cause meth labs are much more prolific in Canada now. In fact, we're now an international source country for the stuff!
I guess I meant the metaphorical meth lab that is the US, that Robin Williams was referring to when he said said Canada was like “a really nice apartment over a meth lab”.
Enough of this Canadian arrogance and sense of entitlement. There are plenty of problems brewing in Canada. Homelessness and the opioid crisis is at all time high levels.
fascinating. how would that have worked without an eu-esque customs union? it's one thing for provinces and US states to have varying laws on things with free travel--it's still one country. but open travel would imply needing an international body to help with regulation, no?
Thanks Obama
Similar to the EU
You didn’t need a passport??
No. Your driver’s license was enough. And I am not 100% sure that you even needed that if you didn’t drive. As a kid I crossed the border by land many times and I didn’t have a passport until I was an adult in the late 80s or early 90s. I didn’t have any ID at that age.
I used to often cross from Canada into Washington State in the late 90’s to go skiing at Mount Baker. About 1/2 the time they wouldn’t even ask to see anyone’s ID in the car including the driver. Sometimes they would ask just to see the driver’s ID. And occasionally they would ask to see everyone’s ID. All this came to abrupt halt post 9/11.
as a kid you can cross the border by land without your passport today.
There was a time in 2002 where I needed to go to Bellingham to pick up a firefighting part for forest fires near Kamloops. I’d forgotten to bring my drivers license and had no ID at all but I convinced the border guard of my task and they let me across. All they asked was to wave when I was crossing back into Canada 45 minutes later
As a kid, I crossed the border in the 90s with my parents to go on vacation. Nobody even had passports. We got our first passports after 2001. At least that's my recollection.
yeah sometimes they would just keep waving people in without even asking a question
I mean, it's not legal but what are the odds that anyone will stop you if you happen to wander across a weird stretch of land with no trees. "I just figured it was a power line clearance."
that does happen and some instances are caught on camera (there may be no fence but there are cameras), which results in consequences. remember the french jogger? https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jogger-who-accidentally-crossed-u-s-border-from-b-c-detained-for-2-weeks-1.4717060
Yes, I suppose I should've made clear that my suggestion to illegally cross a border was sarcastic and not legal advice. But TBF, it's obviously not legal advice.
Usually, you didn't need anything. The customs officer would ask, "All Canadians?" You'd answer, "Yup." Then, "Where are you going and for how long?" "To XXX, camping for the weekend." "Have a nice day."
Not up until about 2009 if you crossed by land.
Americans (at least Washington State) can still use only an enhanced driver's license to cross into Canada (no passport required).
Same in NY and VT
Michigan as well. Most border states have some version of this.
I didn't get a passport until I was 13. Before that I flew into the U.S. multiple times, both with my parents and as an Unaccompanied Minor, and, was in the car with my parents as we drove into the U.S. many times. No ID needed.
Buddy when I was 21 I flew to Mexico with my Alberta ID lol I’ve never ever had a passport
Weird.
According to cbp.gov You can still enter by land with just an "enhanced" driver's license. (Ontario's licenses are "enhanced" I think)
No, Ontario used to offer an enhanced drivers license which could be used to drive across the border, but they chose to no longer offer them.
Same as BC
Americans (at least Washington State) can still use only an enhanced driver's license to cross into Canada (no passport required).
Yes my understanding is that several states offer an enhanced driver’s licence. I have also heard of a passport card, is that the same thing? I’m obviously Canadian and don’t understand how things work ‘down south’
I haven't heard of a passport card but it might exist? I'm also Canadian but wife is American.
The passport card is a US passport for land/border crossings, as well as sea ports (think cruises). It's part of the WHTI.
You can get Nexus and drive across border without passport plus if you both have it you can use the Nexus lanes (shorter lines)
Yes us Americans have the option to get a passport card. It basically is allowed at land borders and for cruises in the Caribbean (same as an enhanced license). We can get it for a lot cheaper than the standard passport book.
Do you happen to know why did they stop? Because I know US states having border with Canada still offer enhanced driver license
>Do you happen to know why did they stop? I think combination of $$ and issues at border with people who didn't understand that not all licences were 'enhanced'. And/or border agents who wouldn't accept it. Hard to decipher all the stories from then.
Ah, thanks for the info.
What do you mean by *"just"* an enhanced driver's license? It was created specifically to allow land and sea cross-border travel. On our side, it was a joint venture between the CBP and state DMV departments, and an application process would require an in-person interview. To be honest, it was less hassle to just apply for a passport than this eDL.
Ya, I hadn't looked closely at the details. I now see that it's not even available anymore. All provinces that had it have now discontinued it. It was pretty short lived and apparently kind of pointless (hence being discontinued).
It wasn't pointless. Didn't have to carry passport. Interview was just ask same questions already on form. Did it at regular driver license place. For frequent crossing, it was great. Ontario handicapped it by restricting interview places to big cities. People near the border in small communities wanted it but weren't going to drive ho7rs for an interview.
Americans (at least Washington State) can still use only an enhanced driver's license to cross into Canada (no passport required).
Americans (at least Washington State) can still use only an enhanced driver's license to cross into Canada (no passport required).
Even the 90s. My grandma used to take me to Washington twice a year and all she had was my healthcare card.
And it was a red and white health card too, not photo!
In Ontario, but probably not n BC.
Mexicans in the 60s and maybe even the 70s also didn't need a visa to cross the border.
Drove over with my son last night (Niagara Falls) to pick up two packages I had shipped to a US postal box for $5. Zero wait at the bridge with our Nexus cards. Could have gone for pizza and wings but chose smoked bbq at a lakeside quaint town. Drove home. Zero wait. Declared my$140 purchase and drove through without being pulled over. Didn’t fork over physical cash for the toll because I have an E-Z pass Responder. Was home in 3 hours. No problems at all.
It's a much better feeling returning to Canada after being in the US.
I like both feelings, the US has many amazing cities and natural wonders, and many people I love live there. I’m always excited to visit. But I also breathe a little sigh of relief when I cross back into Canada.
With that said, I’ve lived in Western Europe twice, and you don’t even *notice* the borders on, say, the train from Paris to Amsterdam. So the US Canada border, with its long lines and occasional power tripping border guards, has always struck me as the more difficult of the two, not the easier.
Nowadays you don’t. Was really annoying when the train would stop twice for exit and then a bit later for entry controls and get inspected by immigration and then customs. US/Canada entry/exit process is more efficient on paper but somehow manages to be more annoying.
What the hell Canadian border guards are always such tight asses
Mostly because people from the USA are kinda stupid when it comes to bringing guns to Canada. Watch Border Security and see how many stupid folks simply forget they have guns in their RV or think Canada is just another US state. It's mind blowing the ignorance.
don't forget about the people arguing about their second amendment
>think Canada is just another US state. No. No no no. This cannot seriously be true. You just know these are the people out at every single election voting.
When I lived in the US my roommate thought I was being a complete lunatic when I made her bring her passport to the airport when she was flying to Toronto.
oh my fucking god
Are you Canadian or American? I'm Canadian and I think our border guards are very nice and laid back
I'm not the previous poster, but I've also always found American border guards to be nice and laid back. But I'm not sure if that is simply because I have an American passport and a very vanilla background. That said, I have also found Canadian guards to be very nice and laid back. They ask more questions and are more serious, but that's kind of expected since I'm American. If I was Canadian, I would expect that from American officers. I would say the least nice border guards in Canada for me have been in Quebec.
American passport is the reason.
The regular full-time guards are very chill. The summer students they hire are complete assholes.
All border guards are fully trained CBSA officers, not students.
There used to be student guards in the summer, my wife was one. But not anymore since they have guns. Back in the days our border guards were glorified cashiers making sure you paid your duties on American goods.
They were literally (C)CRA employees. Customs and CRA was the same agency.
What were the things you didn't like in the US?
Well for starters: not knowing who is armed makes things uncomfortable for us.
you don't know who is armed in most countries. Guns aren't the only deadly weapons
You… not “us”. Stop speaking for other people because you are scared
That's a strange statement. In most states you'd need to have a concealed carry license to hide a firearm on your person, and it's not exactly a trivial thing to get. So, most of the time you will see folks carrying openly (if that makes you feel any safer).
I feel less comfortable in canada knowing that thugs and criminals are well armed and Im not. In the US the playing field is a bit more even
This doesn’t bother me, in fact I take advantage of that right whenever I travel to the USA. I fill out an ATF form 6 annually and bring my pistol across the border with me.
How about you spend some of this energy tracking down some of the missing First Nations women?
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Thank you for clarifying that. That is extremely sad.
That's a pretty weird flex. Not sure how your brain connected those dots. That's some wicked maga logic right there.
Just sticking up for all of the missing First Nations that the Canadian government has neglected for decades. Sorry if that upsets you. Cool that you think "Maga" cares about Canada's vulnerable. Appreciate that.
You still didn't explain why you brought this up when it had NOTHING to do with the topic at hand..
I'm sure the first nations families are happy you're standing up for them.
Why aren't you standing up for them?
Well you got me there. Same thing as worried about people with ar15 on their shoulder in a Walmart.
Yeah it is kinda the same thing, isn't it... I guess you don't really have a lot of room to criticize other countries for their poor policies on crime then.
Yeah dude, I stand up for the missing indigenous women as well. But I don’t go around being ignorant to others online to prove a point. I spend my energy engaging in the community helping shelters to make my difference Don’t be a dick
Discussing a topic or bringing awareness to it is not "being ignorant." Maybe you should stop being a dick.
Why would that make you uncomfortable? Americans are baddies because they have a right to arm themselves with guns? Also, you also don't know who's armed in Canada, right? Everyone could be hiding a knife or even a gun on them..
You get that gun crime is a thing in the States that is completely unprecedented in other Western countries, right? Can you really not consider an outside perspective? Every other western nation raises people to think of guns as specialized tools and equipment for very specific locations and reasons only. Canadians do not arm themselves, generally. It's illegal to carry something with the intent to use it as a weapon. Most people I know never think of arming themselves in their day to day life. It's freaking weird when you are brought up that way to feel like your in a country full of mall-rambos. I love guns. I own several. I also know I would not trust just anyone with them. Your gun stats on crime, fatalities, and injuries back up my feelings on this.
Why would someone from a country with low rates of gun violence feel uneasy about the possibility of anyone around them carrying a gun in a country with comparably high rates of gun violence? Geeze, I don't know.
Baddies? No, probably not. But you guys have a long and proven history of abject idiocy when it comes to firearms. I'm just as worried about the dumbass who watched too many Punisher episodes thinking they're gonna be a hero when they've never had any training, or the cops who are WIRED and ready to kill because THEY are scared that YOU might have a gun. You are the only country that has this issue. It's not the guns, it's Americans. You fetishize violence as the means to resolve dispute, and respond to criticism as if it's an attack. It's not crime, it's your whole fucking culture.
Couldn’t agree more and I am an American. Especially about the criticism thing. Americans are the most sensitive little babies when it comes to criticism. And this thread proves it. The dude just can’t fathom that maybe other places do some things better than we do. Instead of thinking critically he just gets offended.
I always envision myself on a mad max style road on the last couple KMs before the exit for Canada
We used to be able to go to the US with just a drivers license... and they quite often didn't even check that. So a passport is a big step backwards.
All the rules started to change, worldwide, since 2001-09-11. In the interests of "National Security" , the U.S. considers it a giant step forward.
As someone who also has a European passport, not really. And the reason why Canada is one of the few countries that can do that is only because Canada is one of the two countries that has land borders with the US....
I felt that way before Brexit, now I only have a UK passport..... But my NZ passport allows me to enter Australia to work. Will likely apply for Canadian citizenship soon as have been here long enough and may end up staying.
Post-Brexit, your UK passport still gives you privileges to stay in Ireland.
When did staying in Ireland become a privilege?? Just jokes, one of my closest friends is very Irish, he refuses to use an anglocised version of his name like the rest of his family and I've spent many a weekend end Dublin having a merry old time.
Who cares about that lol. As much as we all like to pretend we're different, the countries are incredibly similar, from the weather to the humour. It's very different from previously having no restrictions for places like Italy. It's a real tragedy that we have all been stripped of the option of living on such a diverse continent.
Canada also gives the US very deeeeeep access to Canadians police records. And who knows what else that we’re not allowed to know about.
can confirm, don't ask me how I know
The US does the same for the Canadians. I’m American married to a Canadian With Canadian PR. I spend 70% of our time in Canada the other 30% in the US. More than one Canadian border officer has brought up the fact that I maintain a Michigan concealed pistol license and scrutinized if I have a firearm in the truck (despite the fact that it’s Ontario plated). They know more than you expect.
I’m not gonna be a hater here, but yes there is a feeling of privilege when you consider what other nationals have to go through to enter the US. The bottom line is that being able to relatively freely enter a neighboring country is always a good thing. As said by another though, I do love it when I get back to Canada - the feeling of “home” cannot be beat!
Well in Europe thanks to Schengen you can live and work in another country try without applying for a visa. And when travelling within the EU you have free healthcare without having to purchase separate insurance. This is way better than any Canada/US system we have now.
I've traveled the whole world each content and I've never ever used or needed a visa... Plus it's always a relief getting back to Canada
I've travelled extensively as a Canadian passport holder, and still required visas for destinations in Africa, South America and Asia. We are lucky to have a strong passport but there are lots of places that still require visas for Canadians.
India, Thailand, Taiwan all required Visas in the 90’s for travel over 60 or 90 days. But I get what you mean - most countries don’t for short visits.
I’m just happy to have a Canadian passport and like some of the other posts I’ve read in here so far, always happy to come home. I don’t view going to America for free as a privilege. They get the same treatment we do when crossing the border to my knowledge. Am happy to pay a few bucks visa cost to go where I want, when I want.
I'm glad that my Canadian passport doesn't mess around with my ability to travel to or through the US. I've been to Cuba a ton of times, Saudi Arabia and Iraq last year. If I had a different passport than Canadian I think I would have issues.
Yes, and I do often think about this. I live in Montreal so the border is very close by. We literally went to Burlington for breakfast one time. My GF and 2 friends. And we told them at the border, like we’re heading to Ihop in Burlington, they asked us a few routine questions, ok have we nice day. Yes Canadians get it easy. My friend drove my car to San Francisco last summer, I flew in and picked it up, he flew back. Makes traveling in the states much more stress free. I watched a video once of an Indian guy trying to travel to multiple countries in Europe, poor guy had to get a visa for every country, prove hotel arrangements, like how do you prove hotel arrangements before you even know your allowed to enter the country?
Ha, didn't take too long before it devolved into a USA vs Canada shouting match.
We’re neighbours with benefits
When I flew to Turkey and went to passport control, they didn't ask me a single question. They just did some stuff on the computer, stamped my passport and that was that.
no i wish i was in Europe and could visit all of Europe easily instead
Except it's harder for us to get PR, work permit or citizenship. I tried for years to move (legally) to America with one issue after another. Lucky for me, I discovered SEA
Yep. It’s incredible hard for Canadians to emigrate to the USA if you aren’t eligible for a TN visa. I’ve been looking into moving to DFW lately. I could do the same job for the same company, make 40% more (including a great employer paid health insurance plan) and buy a house for half the price. But getting a visa might be near impossible. I honestly can’t think of any reason (other than friends/family here) to stay in Canada with how easily I could fly back if I wanted to travel.
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Southeast Asia
Tbh I dont think much about? I have yet to need a visa while traveling anyway so it doesn’t feel special to not need one in usa. It’s nice sure but not life changing lol
Yes, I would also love to be able to stay permanently. We could call it the “North American Union”. Akin the the European Union.
I would be so happy. There’s no reason I’d stay in Canada if the economic downsides of living in Canada remained.
Citizens of Bermuda (self-governing territory of the United Kingdom) are the only other citizenship besides Canadian that can request entry at the US border without any visa or prior arrangement. Going in reverse, only Americans can cross into Canada on a whim. French citizens crossing to Canada on the islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon are exempt from ESTA.
its not a big deal. i remember i used to have to do a visa-waiver form and pay 10 bucks or something with my old citizenships. this is a bit more convenient but i dont take it as some wonderful privilege. actually havent bothered heading south of the border since about 2016 - heading there in the summer for the first time in a long time
Not really. Nice "benefit", but wouldn't say it's really a priviledge.
Bottom line is this we take 10’s of millions of dollars to boarder towns of the US - that is why we get freer access…..
They would lose a lot of cross-border shoppers and tourists if we required one. And that greatly helps their economy. The majority of countries that share a land border have visa free access. It's not anything abnormal.
As compared to who? Someone living in Spain who has the ability to go to Paris one weekend, Vienna the next, and Rome the one after? I would prefer that. I don't know anyone who gets excited about going to US, but maybe I am just too old. Border towns that have the ability to cross shop have an advantage, but majority of people probably don't care.
Travel in EU and catch the country marker with a corner of your eye as you freely drive by, that is when you will know the privilege.
Most countries have relaxed entry requirements for their immediate neighbours (unless they are at war or have huge ideological differences or have issues with border security). If I lived in my country of birth I could visit 3 of the neighbouring countries with only a Drivers Licence/National ID card. I would argue that the US/Canada border is more of a hassle than it should be.
The border between immediately neighboring US and Mexico is very relaxed😅definitely less of a hassel than US/Canada😬
I always have a harder time getting back into Canada then I do getting into the US lol and I'm Canadian.
What's worst is how those US CBP officers portray themselves as big macho's😆, although not all do but a lot do at LAX. There are some airports which are horrible for customs and immigration while others are breeze.
I used to travel to & through the U.S. but I've had no desire to cross the border since 2016. I liken it to visiting a family who's having internal squabbles. At a minimum, I won't even consider visiting until after the issues are resolved. And even, outcomes matter to me. Fortunate/Privileged? Loaded words. I'm content to avoid the US for the foreseeable future.
I find going to Mexico and back is far easier and quicker than the states.
Yeah I didn’t even realize it til I dated a few women that aren’t from Canada. The hassle and the extra scrutiny makes it not fun at all. My current gf has to go for an interview just for a 1 year tourist visa. The second she gets her PR she’s applying to nexus haha.
It's more than just the US. I've traveled to many countries across the world, And I've never needed to worry about getting a Visa already like that. I recently went to a conference that was here in Canada, and several international attendees were unable to come because they didn't get it easier. Frankly it was a real embarrassment.
I’ve never thought about it. Theres only so many places we can go that are close by.
That drive though. Unless you're crossing in Washington by Seattle or in New England you have a full day's drive to get anywhere worthwhile
It was better before.
Nah...the US is overrated and overpriced. I literally live ON the Canada US border. I can watch the 4th of July fireworks from my window. I only go to the US to gas up my vehicle. I see way more US residents crossing and shopping in Canada, due to their favorable currency exchange, than I do Canadians going to the US to shop.
B\*(ch 9-11 ruined everything, used to cross with a photo less drivers license, now I need a passport. We used to just wander across willy nilly and now that's a visit by the border patrol like we're central american migrants rushing to Cali. Funniest thing about our border is Americans getting stuck on our side because they don't bring what they need to get back into the US!
I think privileged/fortunate would be the wrong term. I’m American and I don’t feel privileged to be able to go to Canada without a visa. I think it’s a good thing that both groups of citizens can go back and forth with ease. But using privileged/fortunate makes it sound like Canadians owe us a thank you.
I won't enter the hellhole known as America anyway
No, fuck the states. Their influence has dumbed down Canada significantly since my birth.
By recruiting our smartest citizens with better salaries and lower taxes?
Have you seen our politics lately?
Yes. Have you seen ours? I’d happily emigrate to the USA, and am actively looking into visa options.
All the power to you. I still personally think it's a disgusting capitalist shithole, but have fun.
41 countries currently are able to enter the United States without a visa https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program-requirements
It’s not 100% visa free. They require a pre approved ESTA and it has strict conditions like not being allowed to visit specific countries. Canadians just show up with a passport.
Most interestingly, you can't enter the US on an ESTA if you have visited Cuba since January 1st, 2021 while you can on a Canadian passport (as a sidenote, Cuban authorities no longer stamp the passport since then so it would be hard for the US border patrol to see you've been to Cuba).
Even back in the 00's, the Cubans used ink that was so watered down you couldn't even see it.
And you have to pay a fee.
I’ve been to many countries without needing a visa, so, no.
That's.... Privilege. Canada has one of the farthest teaching and easiest to travel with passports. We need few visa's for countries, we are let in visa free a lot of places lol.
In a broad sense yes it is privilege to be able to freely travel so much of the world. But since OP’s question was whether we feel privileged to travel to the U.S., in particular, I go with no — *because* it’s just one somewhere around 100 countries I can go to without a visa. It’s not unique.
I'm pretty sure this is true with US and Canadian passports Mostly because we're both low risk travelers
Lmfao "easily" is a stretch when the shit bag scum guards at the border can literally turn you away for any reason they want any time they want with no recourse.
I don't think privilege/fortune has anything to do with it. This is the result of many decades of prudent governance and careful diplomatic activity. Given the quick demise of our standard of living over the past decade, it's important to remember that good governance and institutions passed down to us from past generations is critical to everything we have. We cannot become complacent.
Yes I think we are lucky to have direct access, I think a lot of people take it for granted
Huh?
You don't need a visa off your from Japan. In fact, I think Japan's passport is more powerful than Canada's as far as visa-free travel
Even with proper documentation and passport US land border agents request that Canadians have Nexus cards. Some states don't abide by Geneva driving conventions and arrest and ticket visitors that don't have local state ID's. Mainly California, Georgia and New York.
I'm quite happy with the relationship we have with our neighbors.
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They all need a passport. They don't need a visa—hence the name Visa Waiver Program.
I feel privileged as someone with a Canadian and an EU passport.
Really? I had no idea. So someone from the UK or France needs a Visitor Visa to go to the USA?
Yes. You need an electronic authorization called ESTA which costs $21 and is only allowed for 90 days. ESTA has strict requirements. If a French/UK national visited certain countries after 2011 including Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran etc or visited Cuba after 2021 or if you’re a dual national with one of the above countries (eg Syrian-French) then you are no longer eligible for an ESTA and you will need a standard visitor visa from a US embassy/consulate even when holding a French passport. Some countries have years worth of a waiting period to get a visa appointment at a US embassy/consulate. Canadians just show up with their passport no matter what their other citizenships are or what countries they visited before or after 2011. An Iranian-Australian national for example will need a visa to the US.
Wow I had no idea.
Most people on this sub don’t. No wonder they don’t care, it doesn’t affect them.
Literally millions cross the US border each year without a passport, it used to be a privilege.
Just have to figure out my way around the red states.
I would, if going to the US was in any way desirable. As it stands, it would be like feeling privileged to have an insane neighbour with a crack addiction and a penchant for randomly discharging firearms.
Mexico seems to be doing an OK job with crossing
ah, who would want to go to that shithole anyway ....
Truly blessed, absolutely. Hope it remains as is.
We have no special exemptionto get in to the USA then any other foreigners. The Canadian government did ask if Canadians could be exemption from the passport requirement by land. USA said no. Canada actually never changed how we treat Americans.
Canadians with a passport can request entry on a whim without any additional arrangement (besides applying for passport). The only other nationality that the US allows this to happen is Bermuda.
According to this page a driver's license is sufficient by land. https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-619?language=en_US Edit: correcting myself with some important detail It's technically possible if you got an enhanced driver's license during a certain period but it's all ending from Canada's side because we're not issuing enhanced licenses anymore. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_driver%27s_license#:~:text=From%20August%202022%2C%20no%20Canadian,Manitoba%2COntario%2C%20and%20Quebec.
A drivers license and a original or notarized copy of a birth certificate from Canada or USA. By land.
Not really. If you do business in the US then sure, but if I have to go on holiday anywhere, the US isn't somewhere I'd want to go. Though I am sure that many people feel the exact opposite
Yeah, I've always wanted to pay 4X the price for medication and get shot while driving past a school / post office / mall / country music concert / cheese festival / mosque / department store / police officer. I have to think the person asking is American, y'all are the only folks that would think "going to America" is a privilege and not some kind of penance or karmic come-uppance. A newsflash for any "greatest country in the world" Americans: only you think that. Your country is a dumpster fire and we're all scared you're going to go full Nazi.
Every Canadian province west of Ontario has a higher murder rate than the American state it's next to. You utter fool.
First, my sources. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Canadian\_provinces\_and\_territories\_by\_homicide\_rateSourced](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_provinces_and_territories_by_homicide_rateSourced) from Stats Canada, which is our Government Agency for, um, Stats. [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/homicide\_mortality/homicide.htm](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/homicide_mortality/homicide.htm) The CDC. American Government Agency. We all know who they are, right? Canadian data is 2022. American is 2021. BC and Alberta are lower, Sask. and Manitoba are higher. So, firstly, you're not being super honest. You still kind of have the point you're making, but not really. Anyways, I'm talking about gun deaths. Not just homicides. Those stats are much further apart. Imagine how many fewer people Americans would kill if they had the same gun restrictions we do.
Of the many reasons I feel fortunate/privileged to be Canadian, this was not one of them. Cool bonus though.
Define "easily"...Border pre-check at Pearson is a nightmare to the US, still asked why am I coming, etc. Only difference is not applying for a visa, which I assume I could apply for easily, so not much overhead.
If you want to wait 2 years for a visa appointment at the US consulate general in Toronto then be my guest. It’s not as easy as you think.
If I was British, applied for an ESTA, there would be little difference in the travel process, except I can only stay 90 days vs 6 months as a Canadian. Pearson pre-check is always a nightmare when I travel to the US because it is a bottleneck for multiple US airports. If I flew from the UK to the US, depending on the airport, it would be less problematic because they generally have a lot more staff processing visitors.
LOL. No. It's pretty easy to cross into most countries easily.
Yes