Quebec and Vermont will work together on alternatives to passports for travel between the state and province.
Governor Jim Douglas and Quebec Premier Jean Charest announced yesterday they will work with their federal governments to provide enhanced driver’s licenses. Quebecers would be able to use the documents instead of a passport for travel to the United States.
Douglas says the enhanced driver’s license would provide security at the border and allow ease of entry.
Both the governor and Charest agreed at a meeting in Quebec that a secure border is important, but it shouldn’t harm border communities or be a barrier to trade and tourism.
Rules that go into effect next year would require anyone entering the Unied States by land or sea to present a passport. The enhanced driver’s license program is designed to provide an alternative for people who don’t have a passport, and who are only interested in travel to Quebec.