Crossing the Canada-U.S. border: Bring your valid passport and secure status card
Find out about using your status card to cross the Canada−U.S. border if you are registered under the Indian Act.
On this page
By land or water
Valid passport strongly recommended
Acceptance of all status cards is entirely at the discretion of U.S. officials. While you may have previously crossed the Canada-U.S. border with only a secure status card, ISC now strongly recommends also carrying a valid passport when travelling outside of Canada.
Persons registered under the Indian Act, regardless of where they are born, have the right to enter and remain in Canada. The requirements to enter Canada may be different than the requirements to enter the U.S. or any other country.
As of February 1, 2019, all new and renewed secure status cards are issued with a machine-readable zone to facilitate Canada–U.S. border crossing. Although any valid version of the status card can be presented to enter Canada, ISC strongly recommends using a valid Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS), also known as the secure status card and carrying a valid passport to cross the Canada-U.S. border.
If you don't have a secure status card or it's no longer valid, find out how to apply at Get, renew or replace a status card. To find out which cards are currently valid, visit Is your status card valid.
If you arrive at a Canadian port of entry without a status card, the border services officer must confirm that you are allowed to enter the country. An officer can make a decision based on what you say and any documents you provide. If the officer is satisfied that you are registered under the Indian Act, you would be allowed to enter Canada.
To find out more about border-crossing or if you need help, visit:
By air
The secure status card and the status card aren't official travel documents and can't be used to cross the Canada−U.S. border by air.
To enter the United States by air, you must have a valid passport or a document that complies with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. For urgent passport services in Canada, visit Canadian passports.
What you should know about living and working in the United States as a registered person
As a person registered under the Indian Act entering the U.S. to live or work, you may be asked to provide documentation to prove the percentage of Indian blood required under U.S. law.
That documentation must come from either your First Nation or ISC:
- To request a letter of First Nation membership, contact your First Nation office.
- To request a letter of ancestry from ISC, visit Get help researching your ancestry.
- A letter of ancestry is an official document confirming registered ancestors, but, it does not list a person's blood quantum. You may be asked for more documentation.
- Letters of ancestry are sent by priority mail within 2 weeks from when a complete request is received. We cannot guarantee or estimate delivery times for priority mail crossing the border.
To find out more about obtaining permanent residency in the United States based on First Nations ancestry, visit Green Card for an American Indian Born in Canada.