Traveling Home to Canada With Baby for Christmas - HELP!

[rupa 2]

Hi VJers Hope everyone is well.

I hope there is someone out there with some recent experience with this. My husband and I will be flying into Canada together with our 5 month old. It's the first time I will have been back to Canada since leaving on my K1 Visa to get married a year and a half ago. I have a green card and military ID (my passport is about to expire) My husband has a US passport. My husband and I are traveling together.

The question I have......

1) Is a birth certificate for my baby enough to get her into Canada when traveling by air. We have no photo ID for her yet and she is not on either of our passports yet.

2) Is a birth certificate sufficient to get our baby back into the US.

My biggest concern is the recent requirement for passports for all travelers to the US. Does that apply to babies as well? I've read all the customs and TSA sites and they contradict each other so I am confused.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

[Arabella 4]

I just did a google search and I found this:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html

" Children under sixteen need only present proof of U.S. citizenship. (Please see below for important information concerning re-entry into the United States). "

Edited November 30, 2009 by Arabella

[LeprechaunSean 0]

Well I'm going to add to the confusion I guess. We got my son his passport last june, and he was only one at the time, and we were told that he had to have on. His passport is only good for 3 years though.

[Arabella 4]

When are you flying to Canada? It took less than a month for me to get mine, and there is also an option to expedite (but they charge extra for it).

You might want to get the passport just to be on the safe side.

[LeprechaunSean 0]

Hmmm....looks like you might get into canada ok, but then have a hard time coming back into the US. You know you can get a passport expedited, it's an extra $60 if I remember correctly, but mine came in two weeks.

When are you flying to Canada? It took less than a month for me to get mine, and there is also an option to expedite (but they charge extra for it).

You might want to get the passport just to be on the safe side.

arabella quit reading my mind

[Arabella 4]

Hmmm....looks like you might get into canada ok, but then have a hard time coming back into the US. You know you can get a passport expedited, it's an extra $60 if I remember correctly, but mine came in two weeks.

When are you flying to Canada? It took less than a month for me to get mine, and there is also an option to expedite (but they charge extra for it).

You might want to get the passport just to be on the safe side.

arabella quit reading my mind

I can't help it. It's my uber-wizard mind reading skills. Yes I am raiding and reading the VJ forums again!

[Arabella 4]

I got my passport via USPS.

http://www.usps.com/passport/

[SapphireDreams 71]

When my sister went to France with her 8 month old, he needed a passport too...his picture is SO cute!!

I would probably get one and not risk it. Also, I don't know about the US, but in Canada you can't add your kids on you passport anymore, they need their own.

[LeprechaunSean 0]

Here's another link about the US requirements:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html

[Carlawarla 1]

Hi VJers Hope everyone is well.

I hope there is someone out there with some recent experience with this. My husband and I will be flying into Canada together with our 5 month old. It's the first time I will have been back to Canada since leaving on my K1 Visa to get married a year and a half ago. I have a green card and military ID (my passport is about to expire) My husband has a US passport. My husband and I are traveling together.

The question I have......

1) Is a birth certificate for my baby enough to get her into Canada when traveling by air. We have no photo ID for her yet and she is not on either of our passports yet.

2) Is a birth certificate sufficient to get our baby back into the US.

My biggest concern is the recent requirement for passports for all travelers to the US. Does that apply to babies as well? I've read all the customs and TSA sites and they contradict each other so I am confused.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

I can't give you any other information other than what's been offered, but I'm wondering about your Canadian passport as well. If your passport is about to expire, YOU need to get a new one! Try and get that done while you're in Canada. Until you're a US citizen, you need a Canadian passport. You should have at least six months left on your passport to travel.

[antda 13]

Hi Rupa and Everyone,

First of all, congrats on the Baby, and happy travels to you and your family back to Canada for the holidays too.

I was wondering the same thing too, as I'll be travelling with a 4 month old back to Canada, so I'm glad you asked the same thing too....

So is a US birth certificate enough for my son to travel back to Canada by land? Likewise, I didn't get a passport for him (he's too young for that..lol..can't even sit up straight to get a photo...)....

And likewise, I don't have an American passport, nor does my husband have an American passport either....

So we'll be travelling with the following back to Canada by land:

Ant=Canadian Passport, NYS Enhanced License, and a photocopy of my US Naturalization Certificate

D=NYS Enhanced License, a photocopy of his US Birth Certificate

Baby A=Original US Birth Certificate

Is this ok to get to Canada and then come back home to the USA?

Happy Travels to Everyone for the Holidays! Thanks in advance for the help too.

Ant

Hi VJers Hope everyone is well.

I hope there is someone out there with some recent experience with this. My husband and I will be flying into Canada together with our 5 month old. It's the first time I will have been back to Canada since leaving on my K1 Visa to get married a year and a half ago. I have a green card and military ID (my passport is about to expire) My husband has a US passport. My husband and I are traveling together.

The question I have......

1) Is a birth certificate for my baby enough to get her into Canada when traveling by air. We have no photo ID for her yet and she is not on either of our passports yet.

2) Is a birth certificate sufficient to get our baby back into the US.

My biggest concern is the recent requirement for passports for all travelers to the US. Does that apply to babies as well? I've read all the customs and TSA sites and they contradict each other so I am confused.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Krikit 1,164]

The official word:

Department of Homeland Security: Crossing US Borders

Good point too, Carla. Rupa, if you bring in your travel return date to the passport office in Canada you can get an expedite. I renewed mine the last time I was there and my Mum came with me to renew hers. I paid for the expedite and picked mine up a few days later. My Mum didn't pay for the expedite and received hers in the mail the day after mine.

Have a great trip!

[rupa 2]

Wow thanks guys,

I appreciate all the help. I will definitely try to get the expedited passport for myself while in Canada. I read up on all the links people posted and called a few of the numbers and you definitely need a passport to re-enter the US when flying even for a newborn. I think you can still get in with a birth certificate if you are under 16 and crossing by land. Anyway, I talked it over with Hubby and we're going to try to get a passport for the little one to avoid any hassle at the border on either side.

We are going to be in Seattle for a few days before flying to Canada. The lady I talked to at the passport office told me about their regional offices scattered around the country. There are several regional passport offices around the US where you can get a passport in as little as a day and there is one in Seattle thankfully. I guess so long as your your travel date is within two weeks you can apply in person for a rush passport. It will cost 85$ plus another 60$ for the rush, but at least we'll have it. Apparently it is tricky to get an appointment in Seattle, you have to book by an automated phone system no sooner than two weeks from your departure date, but we're going to try our best. I know it's pushing it, my own dumb fault for not realizing we needed it earlier, if the rush passport thing doesn't work out, I guess we drive across and catch a flight home on the state side.

Thanks everyone for the links and the help.

Rupa

Edited November 30, 2009 by rupa

[antda 13]

Thanks for the link, Krikit....Helpful, indeed!... (bookmarked that one....)

Looks like I'm good to go, with only a birth certificate for my son, for land travel...

Hmm...I wonder too if they do Enhanced Driver's Licenses (Identifcation Cards, not for driving..lol...) for children too (will have to check the NYS DMV here about that one).....

The official word:

Department of Homeland Security: Crossing US Borders

Happy Holiday Travels, Everyone!

On another note......

Any other helpful tips, ideas, suggestions, etc. as to how to overall travel with a newborn/young baby?

Lol...This is going to be our baby's first trip to Canada....Want to make this as smooth as possible, especially during border crossings...

Thanks....

Ant

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Carlawarla 1]

Glad you checked out those links! Safe and happy travels rupa!