To cross the U.S.-Canadian border, a driver’s license alone won’t cut it anymore. Starting Jan. 31, you will need to have a passport or similarly secure document, or a combination of two other documents.
According to the Associated Press, you will need the following documents to make your way across the border:
Single document option:
* U.S. or Canadian passport.
* U.S. passcard (these won’t be available until spring).
* So-called “trusted traveler card,” which includes NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST cards (These are typically used only by people who cross the border frequently, often for work).
* State or province issued “enhanced” driver’s license (states are only beginning to produce these, so they are not available in most places).
* U.S. military ID with travel orders.
* U.S. merchant mariner document.
* Native American Tribal Photo ID card.
* Form I-872 American Indian Card.
* Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Card.
If you don’t have a passport or one of these other IDs, there is a two-document option, the most likely combination being a driver’s license and a birth certificate.
Border crossers can present a driver’s license or ID card, or a U.S. or Canadian ID card, along with one of the following:
* Birth certificate.
* U.S. Consular report of birth abroad.
* U.S. Certificate of Naturalization.
* U.S. Certificate of Citizenship.
* U.S. Citizen Identification Card.
* Canadian citizenship card.
* Canadian certificate of citizenship without photo.
18 and under: U.S. and Canadian citizens 18 and younger need a birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county, or municipal authority.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security