Canadian man flashes scanned passport on iPad to gain entry to US

A Canadian man who forgot his passport at home discovered an unusual tool to help him get through US Customs — his iPad. Martin Reisch, from Montreal, presented the US border office with his digital device after realising near the border that he did not have his passport.

Martin Reisch says a border officer let him cross into the United States from Quebec after he presented a scanned copy of his passport on the computer tablet and his driver's licence.
Reisch's entrance into the US without a mandatory, hard copy travel document hints how, in some cases, stricter rules at the thickened American border may still have some flexibility in actual practice.

Reisch said he was about a half-an-hour drive from the Vermont border last week when he realized he had forgotten his passport at home. He quickly remembered that a scanned copy of the document was stored on his iPad, and instead of turning his car around for the two-hour drive home, he decided to give it a shot.

He said he told the official that he was heading to Vermont to deliver Christmas presents. Reisch said the customs officer seemed mildly annoyed when he handed him the iPad. The 33-year-old said he believed that the true story he told, as well as his driver's licence, helped him get across the border to deliver the gifts last week.

"He took the iPad into the little border hut. He was in there a good five, six minutes. It seemed like an eternity. When he came back, he took a good long pause before wishing me a Merry Christmas." Mr Reisch said he knew that the officer had made an exception.

Mr Reisch, who successfully managed to re-enter Canada later the same day, has said he will not forget his passport in the future. However, he hopes one day scanned identification will become the norm.

"I see the future as 100% being able to cross with your identity on a digital device - it's just a matter of time," he said.

From 2009, Canadians need more than a driver's licence as a form of identification for US land border crossings. 

The Canada Border Services Agency says a passport is only one of several documents accepted at customs for returning Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The border officers will also accept alternatives like a Canadian birth certificate and a citizenship card.

When asked Tuesday about Reisch's case, a spokeswoman for the Canadian border agency declined to comment and suggested the question be directed to US Customs.