ScarletHarlot From Canada, joined Jul 2003, 4240 posts, RR: 67 Reply 3, posted (3 years 4 months 1 week 1 hour ago) and read 1832 times:
Even now you will be saving yourself trouble if you have a passport when you visit Canada. The problem isn't getting into Canada - it's getting back into the States.
AirCop From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1798 times:
If you don't have one now, order one now, expect a rush in a month or two as the deadline approaches, but then again the Bush administration has put it off once already.
FutureSDPDcop From United States, joined Feb 2006, 1264 posts, RR: 8 Reply 6, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1795 times:
Whats the price on a passport nowadays? I guess it would be good to have. I had one when I was 14 when I went to Europe. I guess if I'm gonna go down to Mexico for lobster dinner, I need to get one in the next 5 months.
Falstaff From United States, joined Jun 2006, 3682 posts, RR: 27 Reply 10, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1770 times:
Yes and no. I recently read an article in the Detroit Free Press stating that the date had been pushed back 14 months, so that would put it in 2008 that you will need a passport. If you are coming before that just a drivers license and birth certificate will do.
Quoting ScarletHarlot (Reply 3): The problem isn't getting into Canada - it's getting back into the States.
This guy is dead on. The Canadians are easier than the Americans on letting you in.
The last several times I went to Canada they did not even ask to see my ID. It pays to be VERY specific about where you have been in Canada. For example:
border agent: what is your citizenship?
me: United States of America
border agent: where do you live?
me: Taylor, Michigan (always say the actual town, not metro area)
border agent : What were you doing in Canada?
Me: I went to lunch at the Kildare Pub at Kildare & Wyndotte street. Then I had two beers at the Walkerville Brewery and did a bit of shopping at the mall.
Border agent: Did you buy anything and do you have sales slips? (to show I paid taxes)
me: yes sir, here they are.
border agent : have a good day!
They usually ask for your paper work somewhere in that conversation.
They can search your car if they want. I came off the Ferry on the St. Clair river last year and they looked in my spare tire holder. The guard was impressed that I had road flares, flashlight, and first aid kit.
I once even drove a car I bought in Canada across the border with no insurance, license plate or anything. That was the only time I was stopped at the Detroit-Windsor crossing.
If you show a birth certficate and they ask where you were born, you better know. Mine says Pontiac, Michigan. I had a friend who was born in Dearborn (which on his certificate), but he said he was born in Inkster, which is were his parents lived. The guard gave him some trouble.
This is probably more than you wanted to know, but I hope I answered your question.
TACAA320 From Costa Rica, joined Aug 2004, 7307 posts, RR: 51 Reply 11, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1770 times:
"Passport Information
Passport Planning on traveling internationally? Visit the U.S. State Department's website* for passport services and information.
Because documentation requirements vary based on the countries included in your travel, we strongly recommend that you contact the nearest applicable Consulate(s) for the latest updates.
Please note the following:
* Many countries no longer accept hospital-issued birth certificates as acceptable documentation.
* Minors traveling outside of their country of residence without both parents/guardians may require additional documents. For additional details see www.aa.com/children.
* U.S. and Canadian citizens require a valid passport for travel to Costa Rica.
* Passports issued by countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program (see below for more information) must contain digital photographs. However, anyone issued a machine-readable passport prior to October 26, 2005, will be "grandfathered in" and allowed to visit the U.S. until the passport expires. Additional VWP information* is available at the U.S. Department of State website.
* Effective December 31, 2006, all nationals, including U.S. citizens, will be required to hold a valid passport to enter the United States by air and by sea. This also applies when coming from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The new passport requirement means that all travelers, including U.S. citizens, who are departing the U.S. and intend to re-enter the United States are required to hold a valid passport upon departure from the U.S."
Cadet57 From United States, joined Jul 2005, 8050 posts, RR: 39 Reply 12, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1764 times:
Quoting Falstaff (Reply 10): es and no. I recently read an article in the Detroit Free Press stating that the date had been pushed back 14 months, so that would put it in 2008 that you will need a passport.
Nope. There are signs all over AUA airport that say you need a passport for Canada and mexico as of Dec 31st 06
Doors open, right hand side, next stop is Springfield.
Photopilot From Cuba, joined Jul 2002, 1693 posts, RR: 18 Reply 13, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1764 times:
Quoting Cadet57 (Reply 1): As of dec 31st 2006 they will. They will need one for Canada, Mexico, Aruba, and the Bahamas.
The problems is that the new UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT RULES will require that you will need a passport to get back into the USA.
So even if you're an American citizen, once you leave the USA without a passport you can't get back in. Isn't it nice to know that you're so wanted by your own government.
The USA is planning to build a wall along the southern and northern borders. Gee, I wonder how long it will be before all people in the USA will be required to carry and produce ID and an Internal Passport whenever requested. Search on Demand. Freedom? ha, ha, ha, not in the name of National Security.
Welcome to the brave new world where Big Brother will know everything.
DesertJets From United States, joined Feb 2000, 6935 posts, RR: 29 Reply 15, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1762 times:
Having a passport makes things easier, though by no means is it required. When I was in Niagara Falls I made the crossing once, over Rainbow Bridge by foot. The Customs Canada guy actually stamped my passport... which has never happened before.
Coming back their didn't seem to be much of a problem, as everyone I was with just used their NYS driver's license as ID. In general the Canadians are more pleasent to deal with at the border than their American counterparts. If anything Customs Canada is just nicer.
Stop drop and roll will not save you in hell. --- seen on a church marque in rural Virginia
Falstaff From United States, joined Jun 2006, 3682 posts, RR: 27 Reply 17, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 1742 times:
Quoting Cadet57 (Reply 12): Nope. There are signs all over AUA airport that say you need a passport for Canada and mexico as of Dec 31st 06
I think that the rules are different for people driving across the border than with flying. The article was talking about driving. Does anyone know if that is true? if that is true I wouldn't see why it would matter how a person got to a country. I just know that Detroit and Windsor are sweating bullets because passport requirements will put a damper on cross boarder traffic which is huge in the area. We spend lots of money there and they spend here.
Lobster From Germany, joined Oct 2008, 49 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 1710 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 7): Alaskans are definitely NOT happy with this decision. . . .
Same thing here in Minnesota. The border crossing in International Falls sees tons of traffic in the summer months with all the people going up to Canada fishing. There are many days that the wait is a couple hours and line a couple miles long. It's rediculous to expect a family to get passports for everyone for that once a summer fishing trip up north. Bad decision I think.
57AZ From United States, joined Nov 2004, 2491 posts, RR: 3 Reply 22, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 1682 times:
Quoting Falstaff (Reply 17): I think that the rules are different for people driving across the border than with flying.
That is true-for the time being. Effective December 31, 2006 (as mentioned previously) a valid passport will be required for US citizens travelling to/from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean by air and sea. Effective December 31, 2007 the passport requirement will be extended to all land crossings between the US and Canada/Mexico.
As for passport agencies, not all US Postal Service outlets do passport acceptance. Here in Tucson, only a few accept passports and they are all by appointment only during certain hours. The USPS has been trying to offload this responsibility as executing passports takes a bit of time and creates logjams at their customer service desks.
Quoting Cadet57 (Reply 8): Quoting FutureSDPDcop (Reply 6):
Whats the price on a passport nowadays?
$97.00
Depends. The $97 figure includes the $30 passport execution fee that goes to the passport acceptance agency, not the passport agency. That also assumes that you are paying the regular service fee for an adult passport. Passports for minors or passports that are expidited require different fees. Also, be aware that as of right now the quoted turnaround time for a regular passport is eight weeks. Passports expidited without postage are taking four to six weeks and passports expidited with postage between seven and ten workind days. As the deadlines approach, the processing times will grow. As for the rush, it's already on. My passport acceptance agency has seen a steady increase in traffic over previous years.
As for hospital issued Birth Certificates, stick 'em in the scrapbook or use them to line the bird cage. They're worthless as proof of anything. For a birth certificate to be valid proof, it must be issued by either the local or state department of health/vital statistics or the United States Department of State (for US nationals born abroad-Report of Foreign Birth). Also, some states issued Birth Abstracts that are not recognized by the United States of America as proof of birth or identity. California is one such state and I think Texas is another.
Quoting Photopilot (Reply 13): Gee, I wonder how long it will be before all people in the USA will be required to carry and produce ID and an Internal Passport whenever requested.
Actually, you already have to produce identification whenever requested by law enforcement. If you don't produce it, depending on your situation you may be taken in pending further investigation and possibly charged with refusing to comply with a lawful order of a peace officer. If nothing else, if the law enforcement officer has probable cause, they'll take you in to be ID'd. Internal passports-I don't think so. Plenty of other ways to track movement of people. National Identification? That's pretty much already here-Driver's Licenses or state issued identification cards.
"When a man runs on railroads over half of his lifetime he is fit for nothing else-and at times he don't know that."
Dtwclipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 1671 times:
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 7): Alaskans are definitely NOT happy with this decision. . . .
You think Alaskans are not happy, try here in Detroit! With two boarder crossings in the city, and one in nearby Port Huron, we tend to have the busiest crossing in the country!
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 25, posted (3 years 4 months 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 1669 times:
Quoting Dtwclipper (Reply 24): With two boarder crossings in the city, and one in nearby Port Huron, we tend to have the busiest crossing in the country!
Two of the busiest - the busiest is at San Ysidro south of SAN . . . interesting place to work
I see your point, but you don't have to go shopping for groceries, share your phone company (and area code) and sned/pick up your kids from school in Windsor Locks do you?
26 Dtwclipper: Windsor Locks is in Connecticut. You're thinking Windsor, Ontario. http://www.munic.state.ct.us/WINDSOR_LOCKS/windsor_locks.htm http://www.citywindso
27 ANCFlyer: Some damn where in Canada-land . . . And going to get worse . . . . The DHS strikes again.
28 LHMARK: A lot of people are also up in arms here in Crapchester (an hour and a half from the Niagara Falls border crossing). There's some furor over the idea
29 KaiGywer: Most of these have been answered already, but here are links to the official US Department of State websites: Fees First Time application for US Passp
30 ANCFlyer: This is America Mark - most of the clowns in this country couldn't identify another country on a world map . . . much less have need of a passport to
32 Falstaff: There are a couple more in the area too. There is the Blue Water Ferry on the St. Clair river, they can take either three or six cars at a time (depe
33 Daedaeg: Oh please stop with the overdramatization. Producing a passport to cross borders is not uncommon in other parts of the world. It is no big deal the U
34 KaiGywer: Exactly. Until the advent of Schengen, it was common for us Europeans for years. I must admit I like the hasslefree travelling Schengen has made thou
35 DrDeke: I don't think that's quite right. From what I heard, you are required to give your name when requested by law enforcement, but are NOT required to pr
36 YeahitsK: Is there an age cutoff for the passport requirement? Couldn't find it in any of those links. Next summer when we make our annual trip to Canada we'll
37 FutureSDPDcop: You are right. They also ask for your date of birth to run your name in NCIC. Sometimes they ask for your social. If needed, when I get home from wor
38 Cadet57: Hey! Leave my home airport out of this
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