SEATTLE -- Border agents are starting to remind travelers they will need identification and proof of citizenship in order to cross the U.S.- Canadian border beginning Jan. 31.

Washington State Department of Licensing Director Liz Luce told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that travelers without a passport are encouraged to get a new “enhanced driver’s license.”

Border agents will begin accepting the new license in lieu of a passport as a proof of citizenship.

The new license includes a Radio Frequency Identification Device that transmits a sizeable distance.

“You need to understand it’s not your personal name or anything, so the RIFD chip goes to a unique number. That unique number then bounces to the most firewalls I’ve ever seen of any IT project, and this is really the state of the art,” Luce said.

The license is optional, but beginning Jan. 31 proof of identification such as a regular driver’s license and proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate is mandatory to re-enter the United States from Canada by land or sea.

“As an international ferry operator, and a major operator of hotel packages in British Columbia and Washington, we value the efforts being made by DHS and the state of Washington in providing solutions for smooth transition,” Clipper Navigation CEO Darell Bryan said.

Border agents will accept a number of different ways to prove ID and citizenship.

For more information, visit FAQ on Border Crossing Procedures or the U.S. Dept. of State web Site.