but Canadians and Americans need freaking passports to cross the longest undefended border in the world. Asinine.
I'm fine with it, but if you let folks in from Canada without a passport then let them in from Mexico as well.
btw ... you need passports all over Europe. I don't know when you last traveled to Europe but you can't enter in any of the countries without a passport. At least I needed to show my passport to go from Switzerland to France and then from Switzerland to Italy.
People from outside the Schengen Area need to get visas. But people from any of the Schengen countries can move back and forth freely. Just like citizens of the USA and Canada used to be able to move back and forth across them freely.
Before the implementation of the Schengen Agreement, most borders in Europe were patrolled and a vast network of border posts existed around the continent, to check the identity and entitlement of people wishing to travel from one country to another.
Since the implementation of the Schengen rules, border posts have been closed (and often entirely removed) between participating countries. The Schengen Borders Code requires participating states to remove all obstacles to free traffic flow at internal borders.[43] Thus, road, rail and air passengers no longer have their identity checked by border guards when travelling between Schengen countries, although security controls by carriers are still permissible.[44]
Eh, it just seems insane to me that the U.S.-Canada border is not what it was. A pity, really.
I suspect that we agreed to the Canadian/U.S. thing specifically because of the Mexican/U.S. thing. If one border is controlled, then the other has to be as well, might well be how the argument was made.
but Canadians and Americans need freaking passports to cross the longest undefended border in the world. Asinine.
I'm fine with it, but if you let folks in from Canada without a passport then let them in from Mexico as well.
btw ... you need passports all over Europe. I don't know when you last traveled to Europe but you can't enter in any of the countries without a passport. At least I needed to show my passport to go from Switzerland to France and then from Switzerland to Italy.
People from outside the Schengen Area need to get visas. But people from any of the Schengen countries can move back and forth freely. Just like citizens of the USA and Canada used to be able to move back and forth across them freely.
Before the implementation of the Schengen Agreement, most borders in Europe were patrolled and a vast network of border posts existed around the continent, to check the identity and entitlement of people wishing to travel from one country to another.
Since the implementation of the Schengen rules, border posts have been closed (and often entirely removed) between participating countries. The Schengen Borders Code requires participating states to remove all obstacles to free traffic flow at internal borders.[43] Thus, road, rail and air passengers no longer have their identity checked by border guards when travelling between Schengen countries, although security controls by carriers are still permissible.[44]
Eh, it just seems insane to me that the U.S.-Canada border is not what it was. A pity, really.
Is Switzerland outside? Because I'm telling you for sure, in 2007 and again in 2008, that to get into France or Italy from Switzerland required a visa. I did it 3 times - once taking a bus from Geneva, Switzerland to Chamonix and they stopped the bus at the border and French customs guys came on asking for visas. Again taking a train from Geneva to Paris, and then a year later a train from Geneva to Milan I was required to show a visa.
And if you open up the Canadian border because we are a friendly nation, why not Mexico? Are we any less friendly with Mexico?
The border with Canada used to be pretty much wide open. Circa 1990 or so, I recall the California border being a bigger deal with the agricultural inspection stations. At one point where we crossed the Canada border, they had a station which we tried to stop at assuming some kind of check would be needed, but they just waved us on through with a look like, "what are you thinking?" As for Mexico, they used to check everyone but I believe US citizens could enter and leave Mexico without even a passport. Sad that things have gone so far backwards.
Last edited by Arthur Dent on August 18 12, 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When I went back and forth across the US/Canada border back in 88-89 I only got asked if I had any fruit. Except for the one time I was with a black guy.
Arthur Dent wrote:As for Mexico, they used to check everyone but I believe US citizens could enter and leave Mexico without even a passport. Sad that things have gone so far backwards.
Welcome to the post-9/11 world. The Canadian border was specifically identified as a crossing point for terrorists entering the U.S. Don't know why exactly (was it easier to sneak into Canada?) But after 9/11, passports are the norm
MDCardsFan wrote:Welcome to the post-9/11 world. The Canadian border was specifically identified as a crossing point for terrorists entering the U.S. Don't know why exactly (was it easier to sneak into Canada?) But after 9/11, passports are the norm
Which just goes to show how much irrational fears rule us ten years later. All the 9/11 hijackers entered the USA legally with their own valid passports and visas.
