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Canadian uses iPad to enter US after forgetting his passport
Forgot passport ... Martin Reisch used his iPad to gain entry to the US.

Forgot passport ... Martin Reisch used his iPad to gain entry to the US. Photo: AP

It remains a mystery as to whether a scanned copy of a passport would be accepted as an appropriate method of identification in Australia following a Canadian using such a copy on his iPad to gain access to the US from Canada.

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service declined to comment, referring to matter to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which also declined to comment, referring to the matter back to Customs.

Canadian Martin Reisch said a slightly annoyed US border officer let him cross into the United States from Quebec after he presented a scanned copy of his passport on his Apple iPad. Reisch was a half hour from the border when he decided to try to gain entry rather than turn back and make a two-hour trek back home to Montreal to fetch his passport, which he had forgot.

He told the officer he was heading to the US to drop off Christmas gifts for his friend's kids. He said that true story, the scanned passport and his driver's licence helped him get through last week.

He said the officer seemed mildly annoyed when he handed him the iPad.

"I thought I'd at least give it a try," Reisch said. "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."

Reisch said the officer made an exception.

Canadians began needing more than a driver's licence for identification for US land border crossings in 2009. US Customs and Border Protection says it only accepts a passport, an enhanced driver's licence or a Nexus pass from Canadian citizens entering at land crossings. The list doesn't mention facsimiles, like scans and photocopies.

A spokesman for the department did not immediately respond to questions on whether scanned passports are also commonly accepted at US points of entry.

Reisch, 33, said he took a scanned photo of his passport years ago in case it was ever lost or stolen while traveling. He said he also successfully used the passport on his iPad to get through Canadian Customs on the way home later that day.

He said he doubts he'd get away with it again and will bring his passport next time. But he hopes border officials will eventually make digital identification an official form of travel document. He noted that many airlines now accept digital boarding passes stored on smartphones.

"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.



資料來源:  http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/canadian-uses-ipad-to-enter-us-after-forgetting-his-passport-20120104-1pk4w.html
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