Which ID?

Also, if you’re a veteran, you can add it to your license at the same time if it’s like Wisconsin. There’s a form you need to get from the dmv and filled out by the VA to do this.

gimruis wrote:

I have an enhanced ID. I let my personal passport expire and I really have no interest in traveling anywhere other than driving into Canada. The enhanced ID allows me to cross into Canada by land or go on a cruise, should I choose to do that.

I would double check on the cruise part. It may depend on where the Cruise goes and if you want to go on land at any of the stops. When I looked into a cruise last year they said we both needed a valid passport. Nothing about a enhanced ID being acceptable.

fishthumper wrote:

I would double check on the cruise part. It may depend on where the Cruise goes and if you want to go on land at any of the stops. When I looked into a cruise last year they said we both needed a valid passport. Nothing about a enhanced ID being acceptable.

Yes, that’s correct. I should have been more specific. The Caribbean and Bermuda are acceptable with the enhanced license.

Why does it seem this topic is always way more convoluted and misunderstood than it should be?

B-man wrote:

Enhanced for sure if you drive to Canada.
It’s nice leaving the passport at home and not having any “oh $hit” moments on the drive up.

I’m in this category 100%
For 15 bucks you get a way more powerful document. No brainer to me

fishtoeat wrote:

Also, if you’re a veteran, you can add it to your license at the same time if it’s like Wisconsin. There’s a form you need to get from the dmv and filled out by the VA to do this.

Or just present your DD214

Brittman wrote:

Enhanced carries an added fee of $15. Enhanced gets you this: In addition to serving as a typical driver’s license, the card allows a Minnesota resident to re-enter the U.S. at its land or seaports when returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean.

Question for those who have Enhanced DL:

Have you actually used it to ENTER Canada at land crossings? Do the Canadians accept it in place of a passport?

Not much point in using it to re-enter the US if you still need a passport to ENTER Canada. Everything I can find talks about using it to re-enter the US, well who cares that’s of no benefit if you have to have your passport with you anyway.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Brittman wrote:</div>
Enhanced carries an added fee of $15. Enhanced gets you this: In addition to serving as a typical driver’s license, the card allows a Minnesota resident to re-enter the U.S. at its land or seaports when returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean.

Question for those who have Enhanced DL:

Have you actually used it to ENTER Canada at land crossings? Do the Canadians accept it in place of a passport?

Not much point in using it to re-enter the US if you still need a passport to ENTER Canada. Everything I can find talks about using it to re-enter the US, well who cares that’s of no benefit if you have to have your passport with you anyway.

I know people it has worked for, but I get what you’re saying.

Canada could change their stance tomorrow and you’d be looking for a different ID again or passport.

If you have any consideration of leaving the country, I’d get a passport even if that enhanced ID could get you in (for now). A passport is a document that carries legitimacy across borders around the world. I’ll bet on this ID thing and process being changed a minimum of twice in the next decade.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Question for those who have Enhanced DL:

Have you actually used it to ENTER Canada at land crossings? Do the Canadians accept it in place of a passport?

Not much point in using it to re-enter the US if you still need a passport to ENTER Canada. Everything I can find talks about using it to re-enter the US, well who cares that’s of no benefit if you have to have your passport with you anyway.

Is this a serious question? Of course it reciprocates. This is nothing new, I’ve had and used a Minnesota Enhanced DL for 9 years.

Why are people so skeptical of the enhanced drivers license? It incorporates the power of a passport card into the ID 99.9% of us already have and carry every day… unless we’re voting of course.

Same here Tswoboda.

I’ve used my enhanced license for crossing into Canada (and obviously back into the US) since they first came out, and using it yet again Saturday when we cross the border.

It costs $3 a year to have over a normal driver’s licence. It’s worth far more than that (in my opinion) to not worry about remembering a passport, or worry about losing it or having it stolen on a trip.

An enhanced DL fits in your wallet 365 days a year.

As I said before, my passport sits in the safe 99.99% of the time, and I only use it for air travel out of the country. The last time I used it was to fly into Canada in August. A buddy with a float plane is a cool buddy to have

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tswoboda wrote:

Is this a serious question?

Of course it’s a serious question. Nothing about what we in the US do with our driver’s licenses requires Canada (or any other country for that matter) to accept it for entry.

Also, there is constant reference to using the enhanced driver’s license for re-entry to the US, but I found that phrasing odd as it seems to leave out which countries accept it for entry.

The other issue I have encountered is the Canadian’s understanding of their own rules can be highly variable at the border. So I was wondering if anyone encountered a blank stare from Canadian C/I upon presenting a driver’s license for entry.

So excuse me for asking who has actually used it.

Sorry Grouse it’s just been around for a long time now, yet seems to get questioned like it was just released. Multiple people in this thread have said they use their enhanced DL for years and leave the passport at home. Do you have a passport card? So many people bought those and use them without any skepticism all while they are the same thing as the enhanced DL – *without* the added benefit of also being a Drivers License.

Enhanced DL was on the arriveCan app or whatever that thing was called. Which says Canada obviously recognizes it. Ontario and Manitoba both used to offer Enhanced drivers licenses, but don’t anymore. So maybe the program will come to an end, but I’ll keep paying the extra $15 until that happens.

tswoboda wrote:

Multiple people in this thread have said they use their enhanced DL for years and leave the passport at home.

Read the thread again. Before my post several say they have it. Only one poster makes specific reference to USING the Enhanced and even then with reference to re-entering with the inference they also used it for entry.

So my serious question has everything to do with the difference between having it and real experiences actually using it for entry. I know what the EDL does in theory. I also have had 40 years of international travel, so I know theory and reality can be very far apart when they are in the hands of a border agent.

Why I always have both Passport and EDL with me.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Read the thread again. Before my post several say they have it. Only one poster makes specific reference to USING the Enhanced and even then with reference to re-entering with the inference they also used it for entry.

Well there’s at least 2 of us in this thread. Citing that we leave the passport at home would infer that we use the EDL for entry, no?

Canada/US land border crossing is a lot different than overseas travel for US Citizens.

Do you have a passport card?

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Enhanced ID, passport and passport card. My way on not being “that guy” at the border.

Yeah the enhanced drivers license is actually more powerful than a passport card since it doubles as your drivers license. I have not personally used it solely for entry to canada and re-entry but I know a lot of people who have without any issues.

The Enhanced License, not only verifies your Citizenship of the United States (which is what a passport does) but it also verifies your place of residence. In other words, with an Enhanced license, Our or any Government knows where you live… with a Passport, they only know you live in one the 50 states.

I have an enhanced, and used it last year to drive into Canada with no issues. I do also have a passport.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Yeah the enhanced drivers license is actually more powerful than a passport card since it doubles as your drivers license. I have not personally used it solely for entry to canada and re-entry but I know a lot of people who have without any issues.

Thank you for answering my question

B-man wrote:

Same here Tswoboda.

I’ve used my enhanced license for crossing into Canada (and obviously back into the US) since they first came out, and using it yet again Saturday when we cross the border.

It costs $3 a year to have over a normal driver’s licence. It’s worth far more than that (in my opinion) to not worry about remembering a passport, or worry about losing it or having it stolen on a trip.

An enhanced DL fits in your wallet 365 days a year.

As I said before, my passport sits in the safe 99.99% of the time, and I only use it for air travel out of the country. The last time I used it was to fly into Canada in August. A buddy with a float plane is a cool buddy to have

Does your buddy live in canada ? If not, can he fly internationally without going through their customs ? So many questions, as I have always wanted to fly from MN to N. Manitoba, skipping Winnipeg

big_g wrote:

The Enhanced License, not only verifies your Citizenship of the United States (which is what a passport does) but it also verifies your place of residence. In other words, with an Enhanced license, Our or any Government knows where you live… with a Passport, they only know you live in one the 50 states.

The Enhanced License is not proof of citizenship. They make you sign a form that acknowledges that when you apply.

big_g wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>B-man wrote:</div>

Does your buddy live in canada ? If not, can he fly internationally without going through their customs ? So many questions, as I have always wanted to fly from MN to N. Manitoba, skipping Winnipeg

No, he’s a Minnesota resident too.

As the pilot, he did all of the prerequisite stuff (submitted images of our passports on ArriveCan, gave a flight plan, reason for staying, estimate time of arrival to the border, declaration of goods etc). Basically all of the same stuff you need to do when traveling by land, but all on an app a few hours ahead of time.

We packed the plane and left from a lake near Eveleth, MN and had to land on the Rainy River in Fort Frances to “go through customs.” Which as it turned out was super easy since we were already cleared.

We docked the plane, called a number to confirm we were now in Canada, had to wait 15 minutes, and were cleared for take-off if an agent didn’t show up in that timeframe (which they didn’t).

It might sound like a pain in the ass, but in reality was very simple, other than landing a plane on a river and taking back off just to get minnows and beer lol

All you need is a voter ID. Easy to get but somehow it’s racist.