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Jan 18, 2021 10:31 PM -

Cost, other options, prompt B.C. to phase out enhanced driver's licence and ID cards

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The U.S. port of entry into Blaine, Wash., is seen in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The British Columbia government says it is phasing out two types of travel identification cards that allowed easier entrance into the United States. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The BC government says enhanced driver's licences and enhanced ID cards for non-drivers will be phased out over the next five years.

A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General says the program has not been offered since ICBC curtailed services as the pandemic began last March, and interest in the specialized cards was already plummeting by then.

The travel cards allow Canadians to enter the United States at land or marine crossings without presenting a passport but the ministry says other travel documents such as the NEXUS card are more popular, cost less and remain valid longer, making enhanced licences obsolete.

BC says enhanced licences and ID cards will be gone by September 2025, when currently valid cards finally expire.

The ministry points to Canada's simplified passport application process and 10 year passport option as well as the growing popularity of the NEXUS expedited border control card which covers all methods of entry into the United States.

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