Traveling into Canada

Passport card is a valid passport in the format the same size as a credit card. It comes with an RF blocking sleeve in which one keeps it. It can be acquired at the same time as the booklet style passport or separately. Mine resides in my wallet so I always have it whenever I have my wallet.

I'm not wanting to argue....you just got me curious and wanting to understand the situation completely. The link seems to indicate that the Enhanced DL is not the same as Real ID.

Five states – Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington – currently offer residents the option of receiving either a standard driver’s license or an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). These states all border Canada, and see a lot of land traffic across the border.

In certain states, you may also have to bring additional documentation if you want to acquire an Enhanced Driver’s License which may be used like a passport card to cross land borders between the US, Canada, and Mexico.

In the US, Enhanced Driver’s Licenses are available only to US citizens, who must prove citizenship by showing a valid US passport, naturalization certificate, or birth certificate showing birth in the US. This is different than REAL ID driver’s licenses, which are available both to US citizens and to legal US alien residents.

Another difference between EDLs and REAL ID licenses is that Enhanced Driver’s Licenses are slightly more expensive than standard licenses, and REAL ID licenses do not have additional fees. Additionally, Enhanced Driver’s Licenses contain an RFID chip, just like a biometric passport, but other REAL ID licenses do not.

https://passportinfo.com/enhanced-driver-license-and-real-id/

Maybe your State is going to start offering EDLs?????

The way it sounds to me, you could re-enter the U.S. with just Real ID (as it meets our Federal Government standards) but, Canada may not let you enter with only Real ID.

Again, just want to make sure I understand the situation.

Originally posted by Leo B My understanding is that the real ID has nothing to do with the border or the ability to cross it. It is just a License with proof that you are a us citizen or real person etc. The enhanced drivers license is in the catergory with the passport which allows you to cross the border to Canada or Mexico only ( by driving). We have passports and no enhanced license. We have the real ID license. My son didn’t want to pay for a passport so he purchased the enhanced license to cross back and forth to Canada.

+1 - that is kind of my understanding. Real ID is an Uncle Sam/Homeland Security/TSA thing to keep them happy and satisfied that I am a real person and citizen. I have not stopped looking but, I have not found anything yet indicating that any foreign government would recognize/accept in lieu of a passport.

Originally posted by Leo B Will give a buddy from Border Patrol a call and get the straight scoop.

Great! If anyone would know, it would be him.

Upon pondering the matter....Glue Guy is in CA. Maybe, given their proximity to Mexico, maybe they are coming out with an EDL????