hoffage123

Just wondered if anyone had hopped across the border recently ... I am thinking of booking a two/three night trip at a Hotel near Niagara Falls, but I wanted to check if it was ok to just have my green card as proof of US residency, as this would be my first time out of the US since March 2014 when I arrived. I have read that from March 2016 some sort of ETA will be needed as well?

Should I take my UK passport as well, even though it is likely to have expired by that point?

Hoffage

sir_eccles

Americans need passports or passport cards, I would suspect you might need yurt passport too.

kins

You don't have a current passport at all?

hoffage123

It is current, currently. I just read somewhere that I can show my green card and don't need to have my passport, but I was thinking about renewing it anyway before the time comes (it would make me nervous travelling without a passport).

Hoffage

neill

You need your passport.

Travellers - Visitors to Canada

Philk

I go through Canada a lot to get from MI to MA and only take my green card - last visit was September. I do also take my passport with me just in case but never had to show it

( though once I forgot it and tried my driving license and was turned back - the Canadian officer explained that the problem would be getting back into the US, no green card would mean a fine and big trouble )

Niagara Falls is awesome - if you can, splash out and get a room with view of the Falls

kodokan

I drove into Canada in July - it was passport for going into Canada, and then GC for getting back into the US. The woman scanned the passports; it seemed an important and necessary part of the process.

Philk

Huh - did you give the passport straight away, did she ask for it or did you offer your green card and was asked for your passport?

kodokan

From memory, we said something like 'we've got GCs and UK passports, what would you like to see?', and she replied that's she'd take the passports, and that 'the GCs are no use here, but hang onto them, you'll need them to get back in!'

Oakvillian

Why would a Canadian border officer give a stuff about a US Green Card? It offers no right of entry into Canada.

On a UK passport you can visit Canada under the Visa Waiver program, but your status in the US holds absolutely no interest to Canada - except that they won't want to be stuck with you if the US doesn't let you back in again on your way home

I'm sure there are other options to identify yourself to CBSA's satisfaction - enhanced driver's license and so on - but I've travelled enough that I can't imagine a circumstance in which I'd be comfortable crossing an international border without a valid passport...

rpjs

This was a few years back, but when we went to Niagara Falls we crossed by foot and the CBSA agent *only* looked at my GC, and didn't even open my passport. The other two times we've crossed the Canadian border (most recently in April) was by train at Lacolle 223, and I handed over passport and GC and both were inspected. One time I had my passport stamped, the other not.

rpjs

I second that - especially if you'll be staying one of the evenings when they do a fireworks display.

NB it's the Canadian side that's awesome. Niagara Falls NY is sketchy.

Vimto

On a trip over the Rainbow Bridge in August my USC wife and I both had our passports stamped and my green card was scrutinized by the Canadian immigration officer, returning via the Peace Bridge the US immigration requested both my passport and green card as well as my wife's passport neither of which were stamped (guess we were scanned in)

Bob

From the link above, all you need is a Greencard.

We entered Canada from Sault Ste Marie, MI and all they asked and looked at was my greencard. Also all I needed when we entered the US a couple days later over Niagara Falls, over the bridge.

This was in the middle of August.

I did have my passport, just in case though. The kids travelled with just their birth certs.

Side note, the fireworks display, not bad, but not worth a special wait around for if the weather is remotely not lovely.