Hi - we are driving to Montreal at the end of this month and were planning on getting our younger kids (ages 10 & 12) expedited passport cards but it appears from info on the state department website that we only need birth certificates for them to both get into Canada and come back. That seems to good be true...has anyone done this recently? Both my ex and I will be with them and we have passports for all of the adults. Thanks!
Thanks everyone. Wild Woman, the link that you provided (which was really helpful, thank you!) states that children just need a birth certificate. I just called the US Passport office and they said the same thing but then recommended that I call US Customs and Border Protection to further confirm. Their customer service number is busy...honestly when's the last time you heard a busy signal LOL? Our government at work...
Yes.
Passports were required. We went last year. Mine were 13 and 15. The windows had to be down so the patrol agents could see EVERYONE in the car and EVERYONE needed passports.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s602/Canada:Cr...
I've always had a harder time getting back into the U.S. Double check.
We drove over the Canadian border 4 years ago. We needed a passport for my then 4 year old.
We crossed from US to CAN in 2013. Our kids just needed their birth certificates, the adults needed passports. It was easy and fast. As long as both parents are traveling with them, that's all they should need.
Question on your question.
What about custody situations or guardianship?
We've been told that we might make it out of the country if we travel with the grand kids we're raising but chances of getting back in the country is hard if not impossible with just the court order and birth certificates since we're not the person's listed as their parents. And anyone can print out a fake guardianship paper and put any sort of seal on it they want.
We needed passports in 2015 and 16 when driving from WA to BC. We also needed a notarized letter if only traveling with one parent. They barely looked at the letter, but checked all of our passports and asked the kids questions about where they were going and who we were.
When we took our kids on a cruise in 2013 we only need birth certificates for them, to get back on the ship. If we had been stuck at a location we would have needed passports. It's MUCH cheaper to get the passports ahead of time and HAVE them that it would have been to clear up any kind of mess. We got all 3 kids their own passports.
I know we only need a birth certificate for kids under 16 to drive from Canada to the US and back.
Passports - you need them - just get them.
Some (a very few) people use birth certs - it's not a good/fast way to get through customs in either direction.
And where we cross (usually Peace Bridge in Buffalo, NY) things can get backed up sometimes for quite awhile.
Passports is what they are use to and they are just good to have.
We got the cards and books - but we always use the books anyway.
We just renewed out sons passport last year - it was fast and easy!
I just went in July and only had birth certificates for both children. No issues at all as long as they are with both parents on BC. If not, then notarized letter from parent not there giving permission.
