The iPad has been used for all sorts of interesting and crazy things, but this one stretches credulity. According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Martin Reisch was driving into the US from Canada. About half an hour from the border, he discovered that he had forgotten his passport. Fortunately for him, he happened to have a scanned image of the document on his iPad 2.
Reisch reports that when he explained his situation, the American border agent grudgingly let him in. Normally a photo of a passport is not an acceptable form of identification, but Reisch credits the holiday season and his own pleasant demeanor.
The story doesn’t quite end there, however. In a statement to Cult of Mac, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that Reisch’s story of getting across the border with only an iPad image of his passport is false. They claim that Reisch was also carrying a driver’s license and birth certificate, and that it was these documents – not his iPad image – that got him across the border.
The truth of this one is a little hard to sort out. Maybe Reisch embellished the story to the media, or maybe U.S. Customs is covering for a kindly-meant but serious breach of protocol. Either way, one thing is certain. If you try to cross the border, make sure you have the documents you need. The iPad is a pretty cool gadget, but don’t expect it to get you past customs.