• Visitors to Canada
• US Visitors to Ontario
• Other Visitors to Ontario
• Customs Office
• Passport Issue
• Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
• Changes in U.S. Entry Requirements
• U.S Department of Homeland Security

 

Ontario has been working with like-minded U.S. legislators to find an alternative to requiring a passport to enter or re-enter the United States – and getting results.

 

This is evident in the recent announcement that the land travel passport requirement would not apply to children under the age of 16 and for groups aged 16-18. The Ontario government advocated these changes in official submissions to U.S. authorities.

 

Ontario believes a more secure drivers’ licence with a citizenship designation should be an alternative to a passport at our land crossings into the United States. Minister of Tourism Jim Bradley has met with U.S. officials and been told that Vermont is seeking to test high-tech drivers licences as a border crossing document.

 

Washington recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to test its own updated driver’s licence at the border. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said high-tech drivers’ licences could be adopted elsewhere if the test works.

Ontario is planning to devise new drivers’ licences by the end of the year with increased security measures.

 

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VISITORS TO CANADA

 

Welcome to Ontario! ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada will be required to present a valid passport. Find out ... More

 

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US Visitors to Ontario

 

Travel by Air

ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, travelling by air between the United States and Canada (including in transit passengers who are transferring planes in the US) will be required to present a valid passport or Air NEXUS card to enter or return to the U.S.

Travel by Land and Sea

Visitors can continue to use such documents as their birth certificates and drivers’ licences to cross the Canada-U.S. border by land and sea (including ferries) for at least another year.

 

American visitors may be asked to verify their citizenship with such documents as a passport or a birth certificate. Naturalised U.S. citizens should carry a naturalisation certificate. Permanent U.S. residents who are not citizens are advised to bring their Alien Registration Receipt Card (Green Card).

 

For more information visit the U.S. Department of State at  www.travel.state.gov or the Canadian Border Services Agency.

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All Other Visitors to Ontario

Citizens of other countries, except Greenland, and residents of St-Pierre and Miquelon, must have a valid passport (some also require a visitor's visa).

Travellers under the age of 18 and unaccompanied by a parent need a letter of permission to travel in Canada from a parent or guardian. If you are travelling with children, you should carry identification for each child. Divorced parents who share custody of their children should carry copies of the legal custody documents.

Non-residents of Canada visiting Ontario are allowed to bring in any reasonable amount of personal effects, a reasonable supply of food and a full tank of gas. (Reasonable means enough for personal use for the length of the stay.) Please note that any unreasonable amounts are subject to duty.

Many agricultural items are restricted or prohibited entry to Canada. Canadian law requires that you declare all agricultural products you bring into Canada to Customs officers when you arrive, whether it is by land, water or air. Permission is required to import plants to Canada, with the exception of houseplants from the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency provides more information.

Learn more about Customs information for Visitors to Ontario at Canada International, at Canada Border Services Agency and at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

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Customs Offices

To locate your nearest customs office, please call the Border Information Service (BIS).
From within Canada, call: 1 800 461-9999 (toll free)
From outside Canada, call: (204) 983-3500 or (506) 636-5064 (long-distance charges apply)

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PASSPORT ISSUE

• October 28, 2008
  MORE PROGRESS TOWARD SECURE, FREE-FLOWING BORDER
  
  
• August 26, 2007

  U.S. Administration Accepts Passport Proposal Changes Advocated By McGuinty Government

  
  
• UPDATE FROM MINISTER OF TOURISM, JIM BRADLEY, ON U.S. PASSPORT ISSUE
  

   

• May 4, 2006
  Special to the Ottawa Citizen - Minister Bradley addresses Passport Issue.
  The article also appeared in the Kingston-Whig Standard, Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, Windsor Star, Montreal Gazette, Buffalo News and the Detroit News.

 

• March 6, 2006
  U.S. Border ID Plan Worries Tourism Industry - Washington Post

 

• October 2005
     The Impact of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on Travel to/from Ontario

 

• October 31, 2005
  News release – State and Provincial Legislators Urge Washington to Reject Passport Proposal for Border Crossings

 

• October 28, 2005
  News release – Ontario Government Voices Concern About U.S. Passport Proposal
  Backgrounder – The Ontario Government is proposing the following in response to the U.S. Passport Proposal

 

• October 27, 2005
  Passport Submission

 

• October 14, 2005
     Special to The Toronto Star – Minister Bradley addresses Passport Issue.
  The article also appeared in the Niagara Falls Review, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Buffalo News.