Connecticut does not issue an enhanced driver’s license, and the state has no plans to start. Only five states offer EDLs — Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington — and all of them border Canada.1Department of Homeland Security. Enhanced Drivers Licenses: What Are They? If you live in Connecticut and want to cross the U.S. border by land or sea without carrying a passport book, your practical options are a U.S. passport card or a trusted traveler program card such as Global Entry or NEXUS.
Why a Connecticut REAL ID Won’t Get You Across the Border
This is where most people get tripped up. Connecticut has issued REAL ID-compliant licenses since October 2011, and since May 7, 2025, you need a REAL ID (or another federally accepted document like a passport) to board a domestic flight or enter federal buildings.2CT.gov. Get a REAL ID3Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID The card carries a gold star in the upper right corner.4USAGov. How to Get a REAL ID and Use It for Travel
A REAL ID is not a border-crossing document. It cannot be used to enter or re-enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, or anywhere else, by land, sea, or air.5Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions It’s a domestic credential. Drive up to Montreal on your Connecticut REAL ID and you won’t get back in without another accepted document.
What an EDL Would Have Done
An enhanced driver’s license doubles as proof of U.S. citizenship at land and sea ports of entry from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative It contains an RFID chip so Customs and Border Protection can pull up your record before you reach the booth.1Department of Homeland Security. Enhanced Drivers Licenses: What Are They? EDLs don’t work for international flights. Connecticut residents need to replicate that land-and-sea function using one of the alternatives below.
What Connecticut Residents Use Instead
Four documents cover the same ground for people who live in states without EDLs:
- U.S. passport card. Wallet-sized, valid for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries. First-time applicants pay $65 ($30 plus a $35 acceptance fee); renewals are $30. Not valid for international flights.7Travel.State.Gov. Get a Passport Card8Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees
- U.S. passport book. The universal option. First-time adults pay $165 ($130 plus the $35 acceptance fee); renewals cost $130. Required for any international air travel.8Travel.State.Gov. Passport Fees
- Trusted traveler cards. Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST are all accepted at land and sea crossings and at TSA checkpoints. Global Entry and NEXUS each cost $120, non-refundable even if you’re denied. Expect a background check and an in-person interview, so plan ahead.9U.S. Customs and Border Protection. How to Apply for Global Entry10U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Non-Refundable Application Fee
- U.S. military ID. Active-duty and dependent IDs are accepted at TSA checkpoints and border crossings.11Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
For most Connecticut residents, the passport card is the closest match to what an EDL does elsewhere. It’s cheaper than a passport book, fits in a wallet, and handles the Canada drive or the Caribbean cruise.
Picking the Right Document
Match the credential to how you actually travel.
- If you only fly domestically and never leave the country, a Connecticut REAL ID is enough.
- If you drive to Canada or cruise the Caribbean but don’t fly internationally, a passport card at $30 to $65 covers you.
- If you fly internationally at all, you need a passport book. Nothing else substitutes.
- If you cross the border often and want expedited processing at airports too, Global Entry or NEXUS is worth the $120 and the interview.
You can carry more than one. Many Connecticut residents hold a REAL ID for daily use and a passport card for the occasional trip north, which together cost less than a passport book and handle everything short of an international flight.