Do newborns need passport to come for a visit to US from Canada?

[Peachey 10]

So my best friend is in my wedding party, and we haven't bought dresses since she was pregnant until last week. Well, obviously she had her baby and she's decided to breast feed. We're going shopping for her dress in March up in Buffalo. If she's still breast feeding she wants to bring the baby.

Does the baby need a passport? Seems kinda ridiculous to ask that a 2 month old get a passport.

She'll be driving, not flying, to Buffalo.

[lilacvioletiris 11]

Canadian passport photos for newborns

Canadian passport forms

Yes, even infants need a passport. Seems ridiculous but is the requirement now (since Jun. 1, 2009).

[Ontarkie 14,218]

Oh dang they even changed that, I thought kids under 16 when crossing by land only needed their birth certificate when with their parent's.

[trailmix 77]

According to the CBP site and the U.S. Embassy Ottawa, all they need is a Birth Certificate:

Canadian citizens: A passport issued by the Government of Canada, a valid trusted traveler program card (FAST, NEXUS, or SENTRI), or an EDL.

U.S. and Canadian children under the age of 16 will be able to present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. See the CBP website for more information about children traveling with a school or religious group, social organization, or sports team.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation...go/land_travel/

Children ages 18 and under will only be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate

http://ottawa.usembassy.gov/content/conten...new_requirments

This is a good interactive tool:

http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/eng_map.html

Edited February 2, 2010 by trailmix

[trailmix 77]

Oh and I don't know why it says 18 on the embassy site, could be a mistake, it says 16 everywhere else, including their lead in page to that info I posted that is on their site.

[Peachey 10]

Thanks Trailmix. You always have the answer!

[Ontarkie 14,218]

I think 18 is for groups like church, school's and organization types of things.

[Revenesque 2]

According to the CBP site and the U.S. Embassy Ottawa, all they need is a Birth Certificate:

Canadian citizens: A passport issued by the Government of Canada, a valid trusted traveler program card (FAST, NEXUS, or SENTRI), or an EDL.

U.S. and Canadian children under the age of 16 will be able to present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. See the CBP website for more information about children traveling with a school or religious group, social organization, or sports team.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation...go/land_travel/

Children ages 18 and under will only be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate

http://ottawa.usembassy.gov/content/conten...new_requirments

This is a good interactive tool:

http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/eng_map.html

Thanks, TM--this is great news for me! I was under the impression the baby had to get a passport too in order to cross the border.

[antda 13]

Hi Peachy,

In answer to your question...

No, newborns (or any children under 16, for that matter) to cross the land border between the USA and Canada...

I have done this twice with my US born son (when he was 4 months old in December, and 5 months old in January...)....

And yes, I was breastfeeding (and still am...lol..) too...

Crossed the Rainbow Bridge and the Peace Bridge...With no problems....

You can read more about my baby's first border crossing experience here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=232476&hl=

All that is needed for the baby is a birth certificate...

I have yet to get a passport for my son...lol......

Hard to get one of those really....As it is hard for newborns to pose for photos..lol....

Speaking of which..I and my husband still don't have US pasports either..lol..

Our family crosses with EDLs and US birth certificates...no problems....

Why waste the extra money on a passport...lol...

A few words of advice though....

1) Declare the baby as an "extra person" when asked "how many people"....lol....

2) Put the birth certificate in a plastic folder and/or protector thingy...(I had to cringe when the border guard last time crunched up the birth certificate)

3) Make sure the baby is buckled in...And the border guards....yes, they do check to see if the baby is in there! (even during snowstorms and in the middle of the night with a flashlight!....yeah my son kind of freaked out about that one..lol...)

4) Don't attempt to breastfeed the baby while on driving on the highway (lol..thats another story..trust me...it is a mess...).....

Hope this helps too. Good luck with the rest of your friend's journey with the baby too...

Ant

So my best friend is in my wedding party, and we haven't bought dresses since she was pregnant until last week. Well, obviously she had her baby and she's decided to breast feed. We're going shopping for her dress in March up in Buffalo. If she's still breast feeding she wants to bring the baby.

Does the baby need a passport? Seems kinda ridiculous to ask that a 2 month old get a passport.

She'll be driving, not flying, to Buffalo.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[Sc0tt28 26]

Hi Peachy,

In answer to your question...

No, newborns (or any children under 16, for that matter) to cross the land border between the USA and Canada...

I have done this twice with my US born son (when he was 4 months old in December, and 5 months old in January...)....

And yes, I was breastfeeding (and still am...lol..) too...

Crossed the Rainbow Bridge and the Peace Bridge...With no problems....

You can read more about my baby's first border crossing experience here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=232476&hl=

All that is needed for the baby is a birth certificate...

I have yet to get a passport for my son...lol......

Hard to get one of those really....As it is hard for newborns to pose for photos..lol....

Speaking of which..I and my husband still don't have US pasports either..lol..

Our family crosses with EDLs and US birth certificates...no problems....

Why waste the extra money on a passport...lol...

A few words of advice though....

1) Declare the baby as an "extra person" when asked "how many people"....lol....

2) Put the birth certificate in a plastic folder and/or protector thingy...(I had to cringe when the border guard last time crunched up the birth certificate)

3) Make sure the baby is buckled in...And the border guards....yes, they do check to see if the baby is in there! (even during snowstorms and in the middle of the night with a flashlight!....yeah my son kind of freaked out about that one..lol...)

4) Don't attempt to breastfeed the baby while on driving on the highway (lol..thats another story..trust me...it is a mess...).....

Hope this helps too. Good luck with the rest of your friend's journey with the baby too...

Ant

First of all, www.travel.state.gov or www.getyouhome.gov has any and all answers you may need regarding documents needed to cross the border.

That said, a newborn only needs to have a birth certificate. However, CBP officers would appreciate your child having a passport as the whole point behind the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is to make crossing the border faster and more efficient, and of course more secure. I have seen many newborns with passports so it by no means impossible. Some of the ones I've seen, the parents must have taken the kid to get their passport a matter of days after they were born.

Thirdly, if you are asked "how many people", for crying out loud a baby is a person! If its you and your child say 2. If its you, your friend, and your your child the answer would be 3. Its not rocket science people, its kindergarten math.

[trailmix 77]

You don't work for CBP perchance?

[Sc0tt28 26]

You don't work for CBP perchance?

I can neither confirm nor deny these henious allegations.

[antda 13]

First of all, www.travel.state.gov or www.getyouhome.gov has any and all answers you may need regarding documents needed to cross the border.

That said, a newborn only needs to have a birth certificate. However, CBP officers would appreciate your child having a passport as the whole point behind the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is to make crossing the border faster and more efficient, and of course more secure. I have seen many newborns with passports so it by no means impossible. Some of the ones I've seen, the parents must have taken the kid to get their passport a matter of days after they were born.

Thirdly, if you are asked "how many people", for crying out loud a baby is a person! If its you and your child say 2. If its you, your friend, and your your child the answer would be 3. Its not rocket science people, its kindergarten math.

Lol...Yes, a newborn baby can get a passport.....

But...It's harder for them to get such....

For example...passport photos.......Try taking a baby to a photo studio for their passport photo without them screaming their head off!.....

Then there are babies who don't open their eyes, the newborn's eye colour is always going to be "blue" (which can be inaccurate), they are constantly growing (inaccurate height and weight there too), babies who are sleepy, throwing up, fussy, crying, cranky, don't make facial expressions on cue, move around too much, can't be positioned correctly (can't sit up),...and more errors in the photo thus....lol...you get the idea......

And heck, some places don't even do passport photos for babies/newborns, because of it being more difficult (you'll have to ask around for this though)

Also, ummm..whose to say that one baby doesn't look like another baby at a certain point in their life? (yes, a lot of newborn babies look similar...)

And what if the baby/child wants to travel later on down the road.....Yeah, a 5/10 year old sure doesn't look like themselves in that baby photo!

So does that mean it is a false photo? More likely to be questioned later on that way.....

A birth certificate is good enough and is a perfectly legal document.....for land crossings....

So you should be ok using just that for the baby to cross the border with....

And the baby already has one..so why not just save the money now for other things instead of getting a passport for a newborn right away....

But if you do want to get a passport for your baby/child..perhaps wait a bit until they are older...(or at least past the newborn stage...as it is a lot easier to get such later on....)....

Lol..if the border guards want a photo of the baby...feel free to take one themselves..good luck though...babies are hard to capture though...lol.....

On that note, speaking of photos..I just had my son's family photos done recently...lol..even at 6 months..it was hard to do even at this point...lol.....but nevertheless we got it done (and took a lot of time doing such), tears, baby being scared at first, and all...lol....

Lol...Hmm....Maybe I'll consider getting a passport card for him later on when he's older....

Or maybe an EDL (lol...I'll have to talk to my local DMV about this one...yes they do issue EDLs to children under 16....not sure about babies though...)

But until then...his birth certificate will have to do...(and I hope it doesn't get ruined along the way..lol..)...

And yes, a baby is a person! Just make sure you declare them too...lol.......Don't forget the baby!

Ant

[Revenesque 2]

I have every intention to get my baby's passport done ASAP but since both Cdn and US passport can take over 6-18 months to process, it's nice to know that baby can travel sooner than that with just a birth certificate. :-)

[antda 13]

I have every intention to get my baby's passport done ASAP but since both Cdn and US passport can take over 6-18 months to process, it's nice to know that baby can travel sooner than that with just a birth certificate. :-)

Reven- 6-18 months to process...Huh?

I thought it only took a few weeks......for a passport....

From my experience: 2 weeks for a Canadian one....

And from other VJers experiences: (see the passport thread on the N-400 boards)....1 week (expedited) to 4-6 weeks (normal) for an American one...

Lol..And it took me 6 weeks to get my son's original birth certificate.....(that's another story...it got lost in the mail...sent to wrong address...)....

But yeah..good to know that a baby can have just a birth certificate and travel with no problems while you are waiting for the passports....

Btw..There are different specifications for the Canadian and American passports...So check accordingly......

As well, you need your baby's birth certificate in order to apply for a passport.....So you definitely need that first!....

Good luck with that for your baby later on.....(btw..I still think it's a girl...lol..)

Ant

Edited February 4, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA