Enhanced driver's license will ease travel to Canada

January 16, 2008
	If other American states follow suit, a new initiative in the State of Washington could bode well for rubber-tire and cruise-ship travel to Canadian destinations. According to Joseph Turner in the Tacoma News Tribune, Washington will start issuing its "super" driver's license in January, mostly to ease travel across the Canadian border while complying with the federal government's need to know who is coming into the United States. The super license will be an accepted form of identification - all by itself - for Washington residents returning from Canada by land or sea. The new license, with its enhanced features, will cost $40 ($15 more than the fee for a standard driver's license) and it's good for five years. That's cheaper than a passport, but Americans returning to Washington by airplane from any country, including Canada, will still need a US passport to satisfy federal Homeland Security workers at airports; the passport requirement for air travel from outside the US is already in effect. After Jan. 31, people coming back into Washington from Canada who don't have a passport or an enhanced license will need a standard license plus a birth certificate.
	Author: TOURISM staff Organization: Canadian Tourism Commission