Guide · United States

Travel documents for entering the US by land: WHTI, EDL, REAL ID and I-94

General information, not official or legal advice. Customs, immigration and border rules change and every situation is different. Check the linked official sources and the agency’s current page before you travel. This site is not affiliated with CBP, the CBSA, DHS or any government.

Steps

1. CBP says travelers should present a WHTI-compliant document for their citizenship and that travelers without one are likely to be delayed.^[1]
2. CBP says that for a vehicle or group to be Ready Lane eligible, every traveler aged 16 or older must carry a Ready Lane-eligible card.^[3]
3. Children: US and Canadian citizen children under 16 (or under 19 with a youth group) need only a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship.^[1]
4. Visa Waiver Program travelers must obtain ESTA before arriving at a land border; I-94s are issued electronically at the land border.^[4]
5. CBP's WHTI list does not include a standard state REAL ID; check CBP's current list before relying on one.^[2][1]

The WHTI list

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires all travelers, US citizens and foreign nationals alike, to present a passport or other acceptable document showing identity and citizenship when entering the United States.^[1] For land and sea, CBP lists for US citizens: a valid U.S. Passport, Passport Card, Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST), U.S. military identification on official orders, a merchant mariner document for official business, or a Form I-872 American Indian Card or Enhanced Tribal Card when available. For Canadian citizens: a valid passport, Enhanced Driver's License or Trusted Traveler card. Bermudian citizens need a valid passport; Mexican citizens need a passport with visa or a Border Crossing Card.^[1] Permanent residents continue to present the Permanent Resident Card.^[1]

Enhanced driver's licences

CBP describes an EDL as a state-issued license that proves identity and citizenship and includes technology that makes travel easier, as a low-cost alternative for land or sea entry from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.^[1] The Ready Lanes page lists the places where EDLs are available: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington, and the Canadian provinces British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. A receipt or temporary notice while waiting for an EDL is not a Ready Lane-eligible card.^[3]

Ready Lanes

Ready Lanes are dedicated lanes for vehicle passengers and pedestrians using RFID-enabled cards: Passport Cards, EDLs, Enhanced Tribal Cards, Enhanced Border Crossing Cards, Enhanced Permanent Resident Cards and NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry or FAST cards. For a vehicle or group to be eligible, all travelers 16 or older must carry an eligible card. Look for signs at each port; additional information is on the Border Wait Times website.^[3]

Children and groups

US and Canadian citizen children under 16, or under 19 when travelling with a school, religious group or other youth group, need only a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship.^[1] CBP's return guidance for US citizens says groups should carry a letter on organizational letterhead naming the group and supervising adults, listing each child with address, phone, date and place of birth and a parent or guardian, plus a signed statement from the supervising adult that they have parental or legal guardian consent.^[5]

REAL ID: what the official page says

TSA says enforcement of REAL ID began May 7, 2025. Its page describes REAL ID as needed to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities, and says a passport is an acceptable alternative.^[2] It does not list land border crossings. The WHTI page above is CBP's statement of what is accepted for entry by land.^[1]

Visitors to the US: ESTA and I-94

CBP says that for Visa Waiver Program travelers an approved ESTA is now required for entry and must be obtained prior to arriving at the US land border, and that travelers at the land border are issued I-94s electronically with no paper stub. Travelers who need an I-94 number can use the CBP Link app or the I-94 website, and a paper form can be requested during inspection but will be accommodated in a secondary setting.^[4] CBP's international visitors page describes ESTA as an automated system that determines eligibility under the Visa Waiver Program, noting authorization does not determine admissibility, which officers decide on arrival.^[6]

Documents you cannot substitute

CBP's WHTI page says travelers without WHTI-compliant documents are likely to be delayed while officers verify identity and citizenship.^[1] We did not find a CBP statement allowing a state REAL ID driver's licence (without an enhanced marking) as a land border document, so this guide does not list it as one. Having a listed document does not guarantee entry; CBP officers decide admissibility on arrival.^[6]

About this guide

Officers decide at the border; this is general information, not official guidance. travel.tnaado.ca is not affiliated with CBP, CBSA, DHS or the Government of Canada.