The short answer: from Seattle most drivers take I-5 north to the Peace Arch crossing (Douglas on the Canadian side, then BC Highway 99) or the Pacific Highway crossing next to it; both stay open around the clock, and Lynden and Sumas are the backups. At the Canadian booth you show a passport (a US citizen has a few other options), and you do not need an eTA, because it is a document for flying in. If part of your trip is a flight into Canada, you can apply for a Canada eTA online. One catch: a passport from a country that may use an eTA only by air needs a visa on this drive. That link leads to a paid private service, separate from the Government of Canada.
If you are planning a longer trip that mixes planes and cars, our page on which legs of a fly-and-drive trip need an eTA covers the flights. And if you are wondering whether the train is easier, taking Amtrak Cascades instead of the car has its own rules.
Which border crossing should you use from Seattle?
Four crossings serve the drive between Washington and the Vancouver area. The hours below come from the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) directory, with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) as a cross-check. Hours are for travellers entering Canada.
| Crossing (US / Canada name) | Route from Seattle | Open for travellers | NEXUS lane into Canada | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace Arch, Blaine / Douglas, Surrey | I-5, then BC Highway 99 | 24 hours | 7:00 to 23:00 daily | Downtown Vancouver, Richmond, the airport (YVR), the Tsawwassen ferry |
| Pacific Highway, Blaine / Pacific Highway, Surrey | State Route 543 to 176 Street | 24 hours | 7:00 to 23:00 daily | Surrey and Langley; also takes trucks, in a separate lane |
| Lynden / Aldergrove | State Route 539 to BC Highway 13 | 8:00 to midnight (Mar-Nov), 9:00 to 1:00 (Nov-Mar), per CBSA | 12:00 to 20:00 daily | Aldergrove, Langley; not a round-the-clock crossing |
| Sumas / Abbotsford-Huntingdon | State Route 9 to Sumas Way | 24 hours | 10:00 to 18:00 daily | Abbotsford, the Fraser Valley and points east |
For most trips into the city, Peace Arch is the straightest line, and trucks cannot use it. If the queue looks bad, Pacific Highway is a short hop away. Lynden and Sumas make sense when your destination is Langley, Abbotsford or somewhere further up the valley.
What hours do the crossings keep, and when are NEXUS lanes open?
Travellers can use Peace Arch, Pacific Highway and Sumas at any hour; Lynden closes overnight. The NEXUS lanes are a different matter: they are not open around the clock, and the windows in the table are shorter than the crossing hours. At Peace Arch and Pacific Highway that is 7:00 to 23:00, at Lynden noon to 20:00 and at Sumas 10:00 to 18:00.
CBSA sets a few rules for those lanes. The card has to be activated, and carry your passport as well. Everyone in the vehicle, children included, must hold a NEXUS card, and the driver is responsible for that; if one person does not, the whole car joins the regular line.
How do you check the wait before you leave Seattle?
Going north, CBSA publishes a wait-times page for the Douglas, Pacific Highway, Aldergrove and Abbotsford-Huntingdon crossings. It notes that the figure does not count traffic on the approach roads, so a short posted wait can still mean a slow last stretch. On the US side, WSDOT runs signs on I-5 north of Bellingham showing the current wait, and cameras you can look at beforehand.
Southbound, live times are at bwt.cbp.gov. CBSA and CBP publish live wait times rather than averages, so treat blog figures with caution.
CBSA’s own tips are simple: avoid crossing on a weekend evening or on the Monday of a long weekend, think about a less busy crossing, and compare the fastest and the shortest route in your navigation app, since they are often different. If your trip falls in December or winter, check road conditions on DriveBC before you set out.
What do you show at the Canadian booth?
The officer at the booth asks to see your documents, where you are going and how long you will be in Canada. What counts as a document depends on who you are.
| Who you are | What to carry | Note |
|---|---|---|
| US citizen | Passport; CBSA recommends it | A combination such as a birth certificate with photo ID, a naturalization certificate or a US enhanced driver’s licence can work; with no photo on the document, you may be asked for photo ID |
| US green card holder | Green card | CBSA accepts it on its own at a land crossing coming straight from the US; carry your passport anyway |
| Passport from a country that gets an eTA for flights | Passport only | No eTA is needed on a drive, because the eTA is a flight document |
| Passport from a country that may hold an eTA only for flying (for example Mexico or Brazil) | Passport and a Canadian visa | An eTA does not work for a land entry |
| Passport from a country that needs a visa | Passport and visa | Same for road, bus, train or boat |
Green card holders can find more in what green card holders carry into Canada. A US citizen does not need an eTA at all, and CBSA recommends the passport above everything else.
Each child needs identification too. If a child is travelling without both parents, bring a consent letter, and CBSA suggests having it notarized.
Why doesn’t the eTA apply on this drive?
The eTA is built for visa-free visitors who arrive by plane, or who connect through a Canadian airport. Nobody asks for it when you arrive by car, bus, train or boat, a cruise ship included. That is why this trip is a passport trip for most visitors, and you may see claims that a non-US traveller needs an eTA to drive over the border; for a drive, that is not the rule. For more, see a closer look at the eTA rule for land arrivals.
The catch applies to seventeen countries whose citizens may hold an eTA instead of a visa, but only for air travel. A driver from one of them needs a visitor visa for the land crossing, even if the eTA was approved.
The eTA comes back into the picture if the same trip includes a flight into Canada. Drive from Seattle to Vancouver, return the car, and fly in a month later from Europe: that second entry is by air, so you need the eTA before boarding.
What will the officer ask you to declare?
CBSA’s checklist for land travellers lists what you should be ready to declare: purchases and gifts, food, plants and animals. Cash or monetary instruments worth CAN$10,000 or more are not banned, but you have to report them. Most weapons are prohibited, and that includes stun guns and pepper spray. Cannabis cannot cross the border in any form without a Health Canada permit or exemption, CBD oils included.
Advance Declaration in the ArriveCAN app is an option only when you fly into one of ten Canadian airports. On a road crossing you answer the officer’s questions at the booth.
Can you take a rental car from Seattle across the border?
Often yes, but the rules belong to the rental company and differ between them, and there is no government rule to point to. Tell the company before you book that you plan to enter Canada, ask whether it needs an extra insurance card for Canada, and keep the rental agreement and insurance papers in the car.
What changes on the drive back to Seattle?
You are now dealing with US Customs and Border Protection. CBP says US citizens may show a passport, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s licence or a Trusted Traveler card such as NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST. Permanent residents show the green card and do not need a passport. Canadians show a passport, an enhanced driver’s licence or a Trusted Traveler card.
Visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries should hold an approved ESTA before they come to a US land crossing, and the I-94 can be completed electronically.
The short version
- Peace Arch (Douglas) is the usual choice for Vancouver, with Pacific Highway beside it and Lynden or Sumas for the east.
- Peace Arch, Pacific Highway and Sumas are open 24 hours; Lynden is not.
- NEXUS lanes run on shorter hours, and everyone in the car needs a card.
- Carry a passport; a US green card holder can show the card alone, but take the passport anyway.
- No eTA is needed for a drive, but a passport from a conditional-eTA country needs a visa.
- Check the CBSA wait page before you leave and DriveBC for road conditions.
FAQ
Can you drive to Vancouver from Seattle without a passport? A US citizen may be able to, using the document combinations CBSA lists, but CBSA recommends the passport and the passport is the safe choice. A green card holder coming directly from the US can show the card. Everyone else needs a passport.
Which is the best border crossing from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada? It depends on where you are going and how long the line is. Peace Arch suits downtown Vancouver and the airport, Pacific Highway is the nearby alternative, and Lynden or Sumas work for Langley and Abbotsford.
How long does it take to cross the border at Peace Arch? CBSA and CBP publish live waits rather than averages, so look at the live figure from CBSA going north and from CBP going south. The NEXUS lane there runs from 7:00 to 23:00.
Can you cross a rental car from Seattle to Vancouver? Usually, but it is the rental company that sets the conditions, so check with the company before you drive off.
Does Canada have a digital arrival card? There is an optional Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN, but only for arrivals at ten airports. At a land crossing you speak to the officer at the booth.