Border Entry Records - Indigenous & Métis

Travel across the US-Canada border was much easier and more fluid than is currently the case, and many people crossed back and forth on a regular basis, often without going through a formal process. Therefore, records may not always be available.

Online

Ancestry Library Edition includes: “Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935” that covers border entries into Canada at various locations along the US border.  Ancestry also has “Border Crossings from Canada to the U.S., 1895-1956.”

The Ancestry digital resource also includes “Form 30A that in records: from 1919 to 1924”. During this time, the federal government required individual forms be completed and submitted when crossing the border into Canada. 

Microfilm

The library has microfilm records of border crossings from the U.S. to Canada between 1908-1919, organized by date and port. To view a list of ports of entry and the corresponding film numbers, check section 3-41 in the library’s guide: Canadian Family History Resources.