iPad helps Canadian man enter USA sans passport

Published January 5, 2012 2:05pm

A Canadian man who forgot his passport still managed to enter the United States with nothing more than his iPad tablet computer.

Martin Reisch told the Winnipeg Free Press a border officer let him cross into the US from Quebec after he presented a scanned copy of his passport on his iPad.

"I figured I'd try, and in the worst case, I would have to go home," said Reisch, 33.

US Customs' clarification

But the US Customs and Border Patrol clarified using only a scanned image of a passport is not enough to be admitted into the US.

“The assertion that a traveler was admitted into the U.S. using solely a scanned image of his passport on an iPad is categorically false,” tech site Mashable quoted a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) spokesperson as saying in an emailed statement.

“In this case, the individual had both a driver’s license and birth certificate, which the CBP officer used to determine identity and citizenship in order to admit the traveler into the country,” the spokesperson added.

Official form of travel document

Reisch, who said he travels to the U.S. about a dozen times a year, added that he hopes border officials eventually make digital identification an official form of travel document.

"It's a recognized form of checking in (on airlines), so I see the future as 100-per-cent being able to cross with your identity on a digital device — it's just a matter of time," he said.

The Winnipeg Free Press noted Canadians have had to present more than just a regular driver's license at US Customs for the last couple of years.

In his case, 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.

'Mildly annoyed' customs officer

But he remembered having a scanned copy of the document on his iPad, and thought of using it instead of having to drive home for two hours.

He also said he explained his situation to the customs officer, who he said "seemed mildly annoyed" when he handed him the iPad.

"He kind of gave me a stare, like neither impressed nor amused," he said.

But the agent took the iPad and the driver's licence into the border office for about five minutes then gave Reisch the green light - and wished him happy holidays.

"He was very nice about it. I think a good part of it had to do with the fact that it was the holidays and I seem like a nice-enough person," Reisch said.

The Winnipeg Free Press said a spokeswoman for the department did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday on whether scanned passports are also commonly accepted at US points of entry. 'Wiggle room' at the border

Heather Nicol, a border-security expert from Trent University, said Reisch's experience shows some "wiggle room" at US border crossings.

Nicol said a customs officer may consider factors such as the credentials of the traveller and how frequently they enter the US.

But New Democrat MP Brian Masse, who represents the Ontario border city of Windsor, said Reisch's crossing without a mandatory travel document is likely an isolated case.

"I think this guy just got lucky," he said.

Security questions

Masse also said this may raise troubling security questions because information and photos on scanned passports can easily be altered.

"Basically, any kid in grade school can pretty well do something with it," said Masse, who is open to digital passports as long as their security is assured. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: apple, appleipad, canada, passport, unitedstates