US Citizens Planning Vacations in Canada

The requirement to show enhanced identification to enter the United States, such as a Passport, Passport Card, Enhanced Drivers License, NEXUS Card, SENTRI Card, or FAST/EXPRESS Card commenced June 1, 2009. There is no requirement for US citizens to show passports when entering Canada, and no requirement is being contemplated by the Canadian government. Normal citizenship and identification documents are acceptable for Canadian border services. Implementation of the US passport requirement has been delayed numerous times, but it does look like it will eventually be done. There are other departments in the US and Canadian governments that are looking at secure diverse licenses for border crossing and access to government services, but there is no consensus on how to do this yet so this initiative will take a while. In the mean time there is no doubt passports make crossing the US-Canada border much easier and faster.

You do not need, and will not need, passports for children under 16 for crossing the US-Canada border by land. US Home Land security has already decided that passports will not be required by US and Canadian citizens under 16 to enter the US. This does not mean that children are allowed to cross the US-Canada border without proper authorization and documentation. Both the US and Canadian border are part of Child Find and part of their job is to assure that children crossing the border are doing so legally and that they are in the custody or have the permission, of their legal parent or guardian, or that their legal parent or guardian has given permission for the child to cross the border. This precaution is of course to help children that have been abducted or are being transported illegally so these children can be returned to the safety of their legal parent or guardian. The requirements to insure child safety are not onerous but they are important, especially with younger children who cannot speak for themselves adequately. If you are a child's parent a document such as a birth certificate proves it. If you are the child's permanent guardian you should have the documents to prove this.If you are traveling with a child for whom you are not the legal guardian, you should have one of the previous documents as well as a letter from the legal parent or guardian stating that the child is traveling with you with their permission.
There are restrictions on what you can bring into Canada. Besides items that are illegal to possess in Canada or the US, Canada also has more stringent gun regulations. Handguns are are very restricted in Canada. If you routinely carry a firearm you can leave it with Canada Customs when you enter Canada. If you are exiting Canada at a different border crossing, Canada customs will also transport your firearm to the other border crossing free of charge.

There also restrictions on bringing food, alcohol and cigarettes into Canada. Although you are allowed to some food in to Canada, it is only supposed to be enough for a couple of days consumption and some foods such as potatoes and some meat products are not allowed. Our recommendation is that buy all of your food in Canada. It saves delays and aggravation at the border and we have very good grocery stores here. If you are going to our resort you will probably be crossing the border at Sault Ste Marie. Sault Ste Marie has quite a number of grocery stores, including 3 that are open 24 hours. In Wawa just before Hawk Junction, the Value Mart has a good selection of groceries.

Alcoholic beverages are a different story. Beer and Alcohol is very highly taxed in Canada. You are allowed to bring one case of beer or one bottle of liquor per adult without paying tax. This fairly well known. What is generally not known is that you can bring up to 10 cases of beer or ten bottles of liquor into Canada per adult if you are willing to pay the taxes on it. The taxes are 15% which is considerably lower than the 113% the government normally charges on alcohol. We do not want to encourage people to drink irresponsibly and you should only purchase the amount of alcohol you will need to enjoy your vacation safely and responsibly. However, if you are on an extended holiday in Canada we prefer that you spend your money on our great Canadian food, services and entertainment rather than taxes. You can buy your liquor and beer at the duty free store before you enter Canada. There is not a lot of difference between Canadian and US liquor, but Canadian Wine is very good and Canadian beer has a well deserved reputation for high quality and great taste. And yes it does tend to have a slightly higher alcohol content than US beers.

Cigarettes are also very highly taxed in Canada. Whether there is any difference in quality or taste between US or Canadian cigarettes I don't know, since I don't smoke. I do sympathize with you smokers though. The government does really take advantage of your addiction. Again, you are allowed to bring one carton (not just one package) of cigarettes in to Canada per adult.