PASSPORT Required?

We have been asked many times if it is really true that American Citizens need a passport when driving to Canada.
Everyone seems to know that it is always required when flying, but many are under the impression that a drivers licence or birth certificate is sufficient when crossing the border in an automobile.

While the latter may be sufficient to get INTO CANADA, it may NOT be sufficient to get back into the USA.

Our information to-date has been based on verbal communications with Officials in both the Canadian Government and the US Government, who essentially said that an up-to-date passport was recommended. That's why we put the note on our home page. Still many were not convinced.

We also checked the US Government Customs & Border Protection website.
It says:

U.S. Citizens Returning from Canada and Mexico
U.S. citizens returning from abroad must present a valid passport for entry into the United States unless returning from an adjacent country, territory, or island (excluding Cuba) such as Canada and Mexico. See 22 CFR 53.2. Due to heightened security it is strongly recommended that U.S. citizens also present their passports even when returning from travel only to Canada or Mexico.

Below is the official US DOCUMENT which states that you DO NEED a passport to be able to return home.
But, again, it all hinges on how they apply 22 CFR 53! So, you're taking a chance!
(If you click on it, you will get the whole pdf file of 155 KB)