I'm a US citizen and need to go from the USA to Canada and back for a funeral. My passport's at home and not with me but I have an iPhone pic of my passport. Can I use this and my driver's license to cross borders? Also I have an iPhone pic of my birth certificate.
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1Are you driving?– phoogCommented Aug 21, 2018 at 4:28
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22I love the innocence radiating from this question. Look, I know you are an honest person but this world is full of less honest folk who would fake a passport if this would be a thing. In reality, your passport contains more than a few security features to avoid forgery and none of them work when looking at your iPhone -- that's the very of point of them, to avoid copying. gizmodo.com/…– user4188Commented Aug 21, 2018 at 6:08
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1If someone is at home you can have your passport overnight shipped to you. That's less than $20– HilmarCommented Aug 21, 2018 at 11:23
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1 Answer
Unfortunately, no. Pictures on an iPhone of travel documents are not travel documents and won't be accepted. It's possible they could help get you back into the US as a citizen (after a long process at the border), but not to start your trip. You need the actual documents.
One possibility: if your driver's license is an "Enhanced Driver's License" issued by a couple of states, that will work for crossing the land US-Canada land border (not if you're flying).
Otherwise, you could have someone send you your passport from your home with overnight shipping.
answered Aug 21, 2018 at 3:54
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2"Unfortunately, no." Fortunately, no. Otherwise forging them would be way too easy.– MastCommented Aug 21, 2018 at 8:35
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6@Mast Unfortunately for the OP, and there's honestly no good reason an electronic passport couldn't work between two closely allied countries that share databases like the US and Canada, but yes, fortunately for the overall system as it is today. Commented Aug 21, 2018 at 8:41
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@ZachLipton: Actually, if one was to accept storage of biometrics signatures by the US/Canadian governments, then the very concept of passports would become useless. Just scan hands/eyes at the border, check claimed identity vs database, go on your way. Commented Aug 21, 2018 at 10:11
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@MatthieuM. Ha, and there goes the forging of irises using (expensive, intricate) lenses, and we all know the simple wax-on trick for fingerprints.– rubenvbCommented Aug 21, 2018 at 10:13
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@rubenvb: If you can forge fingerprints and irises, shouldn't you be in position to either forge a passport or use a stolen passport with forged fingerprints/irises? No system is perfect, which is why there are so many custom officers I guess. Commented Aug 21, 2018 at 10:20