Crossing the border at Buffalo
- Thread starter dj1470
- Start date
You can not get through with a regular drivers license, you need an enhanced drivers license or a passport. What gets you through fast is a passport with a Nexus card.
and enhanced dl or a passport. Although there was a story a year or so ago that a guy pulled up to the booth, realized he didn't have his passport, but he had a scan of it on his ipad, and after conferring in the office, they let him through.
It's covered under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
If you don't have, or want to get a Canadian passport, one can get an Enhanced Driver's License which will let you cross into the states by land or water.
If you fly to the States, you'll still need a passport.
I concur, I am an American who does not have a passport but have been a NEXUS card holder since 2008, I have nearly seamless entry in and out of Canada via Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Detroit/Windsor.
The EDL requires an interview at 1 of 9 locations in the province. The Passport can be applied for by mail and you would receive it in about 2 weeks.
i just went for the EDL and it takes 15 mins to get and it gets mailed to you in 4 weeks.You can only go to the select offices on their website,i went to the 1 at yonge and sheppard and it cost me $40.00.......but the good news about that location is Catherine is a 10 min walk away..
Some international crossings, like the Blue Water Bridge at Sarnia, have a lane reserved for Nexus card holders. People with enhanced drivers licenses and passports have to use the regular lanes, which are crowded and much slower. On a crowded day it used to take me up to an hour to cross the Blue Water Bridge. With a Nexus card it takes less than ten minutes.
The bridge and tunnel between Windsor and Detroit don't have reserved traffic lanes, but they do have separate customs inspection booths for Nexus card holders. The "inspection" is usually a lot faster because applying for a Nexus card involves a background check. They assume the Nexus card holder is trustworthy and ask fewer questions.
Crossing with a Nexus card is usually much faster than crossing with a passport. I don't know if bridges at Buffalo have reserved Nexus lanes or customs booths, but it should not be hard to find out.
The bridge and tunnel between Windsor and Detroit don't have reserved traffic lanes, but they do have separate customs inspection booths for Nexus card holders. The "inspection" is usually a lot faster because applying for a Nexus card involves a background check. They assume the Nexus card holder is trustworthy and ask fewer questions.
Crossing with a Nexus card is usually much faster than crossing with a passport. I don't know if bridges at Buffalo have reserved Nexus lanes or customs booths, but it should not be hard to find out.
I was crossing from Quebec into Vermont a month ago, at a sleepy little crossing. When I was at about Cornwall on the way down, I had a flashing thought I'd forgotten my Passport, although I hadn't.
The US Customs guard was a bit of a hottie, and I was the only car, so we chatted a bit. I told her about my lapse on the way down and asked if I'd shown up without a passport or enhanced license, would they let me in. She told me that they would question me, and review other ID, and as long as everything seemed Kosher, they would let me in, although they didn't need to. (The fact that I am a middle-aged white guy probably helped.). She did however, say that I'd probably have more trouble getting back into Canada... But isn't that always the case...
And again, this was a little crossing that sees about one car every 10 minutes. I suspect that the Peace Bridge would be a different story.
The US Customs guard was a bit of a hottie, and I was the only car, so we chatted a bit. I told her about my lapse on the way down and asked if I'd shown up without a passport or enhanced license, would they let me in. She told me that they would question me, and review other ID, and as long as everything seemed Kosher, they would let me in, although they didn't need to. (The fact that I am a middle-aged white guy probably helped.). She did however, say that I'd probably have more trouble getting back into Canada... But isn't that always the case...
And again, this was a little crossing that sees about one car every 10 minutes. I suspect that the Peace Bridge would be a different story.
Whirlpool bridge is Nexus for cars only.No commercial traffic( transport trucks) are allowed.Also,that bridge is closed at night.
I'm regular, mid-age, white guy, a passport holder, but forgot it on my trip to the auto show in Detroit this year. I presented my regular driver's license + birth certficate. They were able to scan their records for my passport (I made two trips to the states in 2012) and then let me through.
