Canada and the United States share the longest (some even say the friendliest) international border in the world. So much so that Americans commonly get confused in the rules on how to fly let alone road trip efficiently there. At Canadian airports, you comically see signs like this.
On land, it gets even more confusing…
- Do I need a passport?
- What’s NEXUS? Can I use that instead?
- Will my global entry work in the car? Do I need to “activate” it?
- Which lane do I go to at the Land Border?
Today’s post shall answer these questions from an American (who might not realize they are foreigners) perspective.
Driving into Canada
Similar to Global Entry, NEXUS is Canada’s jointly run program where you can get expedite entry into its country between the United States. When you road trip, there are dedicated “NEXUS lanes” where you can skip the ports of entry line and breeze into the country. Global Entry cards will not work going into Canada.
The NEXUS card can be used in place of a passport by land. However when you travel by air, you should still bring your passport to the airport just in case.
Driving back to USA
There’s an obscure hack going back to USA without going thru the normal ports of entry line with your passport.
Step 1: Use your Global Entry Card instead of your passport
Step 2: Activate your Global Entry Card online
Step 3: Drive thru the “NEXUS lanes”
If you miss one of these steps, you’ll be asked to park on the side into a “secondary screening” area to get clearance into the United States. How do I know all this? Well… thru personal experience of course 😅
(Customs officer looking at everyone’s Global Entry Cards)
5 out of 6 cards work. Hmm… uh oh… who’s Paul Chai
Answer: “That’s me officer! This is my second global entry card, are you sure you scanned my new one?”
Yes, I scanned your new card. It’s not working. Did you ever activate this card online?
Answer: “Yes, for sure my global entry card works. I literally just came back from Japan.”
Yes, that’s because you used your passport which is linked to your global entry account. When it’s by land, you need to activate it so the card’s identification chip can be used.
Answer: “Oops.”
Since it was a honest mistake, the secondary screening area was easy and pleasant. Nevertheless, it was quite an adrenaline rush when we got the “PASS” stamp for approval back into the United States. Whew!
Overall, it’s quite easy doing a US-Canada road trip especially if you have NEXUS and/or Global Entry. Just remember…
- If you have a NEXUS card, you skip the port of entry lines going into Canada.
- If you have NEXUS and/or (activated) Global Entry card, you skip the port of entry lines going into United States.
Hope these friendly fun facts help the next time you road trip to the Maple Leaf country 🙂
Chai Bear World 