# Do I need a passport to visit Canada? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2001, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475 "2001-04-27T01:49:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/21 "2001-04-28T04:09:11Z")
I’ve been to Canada a few times. All I’ve needed was a driver’s license. Once they didn’t even check that (I was a passenger in a friend’s car). I have this fantasy about crossing the border: I’m wearing sun glasses. The border guard asks me to remove them… and I’m wearing mirrored full-coverage contact lenses. While I have had no problems (yet) crossing the border either way, a friend was detained for about 45 minutes. He had been arrested for DUI. Yes, you can be denied entry if you have a DUI. They let my friend in because he was not convicted. They earlier denied my friend entry on his second trip to Canada. He had planned to move there and rented a house, but he’d neglected to get immigration squared away before he moved. There he was with a Ryder truck, a girlfriend, a car and his dog; they’d moved out of their home on the east coast and the only place they had to live was the rented house in B.C. Oops. **jab1** , I know you don’t have to worry about this, but for anyone else: Don’t try to get across the border if your’re carrying firearms. In either direction. Also, don’t try to bring back any Cuban cigars. Thanks to a small voting bloc in the southeast, we’re still mad at Cuba and it’s illegal to buy Cuban products. (I’m not clear if it’s illegal, under U.S. law, for a U.S. citizen to smoke a Cuban cigar in another country.) ---
**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/22 "2001-04-28T04:09:40Z")
> [@](#): > > I bribed my way into the country for ~twenty-five cents. I don’t mean to sound, well, like it was some sneaky victory or whatever. I would have preferred to go in squeaky clean. But that’s what happened. Sorry to get off topic, but when did Mexico start requiring paperwork? In 1987 I went from Arizona to Mexico (city of Nogales) just by walking through one of those metal turn style things… no officials around that I saw… ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/23 "2001-04-28T07:11:12Z")
I’ve driven into Canada many times. My experience, you don’t need a passport to drive into Canada. They ask you where you are from and log it into the computer. I don’t even remember if they ask for a DL. Driving back, they ask you for your driver’s license. I believe they do a check with the state DMV to make sure you are who you say you are. Once during a really crowded day at the border they let me drive through without asking for my DL at all. I believe the customs agents have a lot of training in spotting people who are illegals etc. They caught the guy in Port Angeles, WA with the explosives because he had sweaty hands or something. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/24 "2001-04-28T08:10:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > **They asked for it at the Albany airport, even though I was flying to Pittsburg before going to Toronto. However, I suspect that they want to be sure you have it so that they don’t have to try to get you home if Canadian customs rejects you.** The airlines are required **by law** not to allow people to board international flights without the documentation they’ll need to enter the foreign country. As they were presumably booking you through for your entire journey, the Albany-Pittsburg lane would count as an “international flight” for this purpose. I’d like to remind everyone who might be confused by all this anecdotal evidence that there is a difference between what documentation you are required to **have** and what documentation you may be required to **present**. In most cases, as we’ve seen, US and (especially) Canadian immigration are a bit lax in checking paperwork at the land borders - I’ve crossed the border a dozen times and never had to show anything. But the laws of both countries do require proof of citizenship or permanent residence - and if you can’t produce it in the rare cases it is demanded, tough shit for you. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/25 "2001-04-28T08:11:34Z")
The Albany-Pittsburg **leg**. Must-not-post-before-coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/26 "2001-04-28T12:25:07Z")
**wooba** , I don’t recall what the pre-NAFTA rules were exactly, but I believe the paperwork requirement kicked in with a certain depth of penetration. I’ve visited border towns like Juarez and Matamoros with no interaction with officialdom. But our field trip was going into the interior and, IIRC, that required the visa. I suppose I could have walked across, kept my quarter, and gone on with the trip and just hoped that I didn’t talk to a cop while deep in Mexico. Apparently **Dooku** encountered immigration officials. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/27 "2001-04-28T14:11:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beatle \* > \*\*We were advised to bring our voter registration, but I forgot. \*\* Just another word of caution… Voter’s Registrations, while they do provide proof of citizenship, aren’t the best form of documentation to use. After all, would you be able to recognize a voter’s card from the Mexican state of Chihuahua? Using a Voter’s Registration will probably suffice, but don’t be surprised if you get hassled if that’s all you have. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/28 "2001-04-28T14:32:52Z")
I had driven back and forth across the Canadian border several times in my life, with no hassles, not even any ID checks. They pretty much waved us through. Until in 1986 I married my wife who is from India and drove to Canada with her. The Niagara Falls Canadian border guard ordered her out of the car because she had an Indian passport. They took her into the building and tried to deny her entry. It took a half hour before we persuaded them that she was legit. On the way back into New York at Niagara Falls, we had some African-American friends riding with us. The U.S. border guard was convinced that a multiracial group could only be up to no good. They harrassed us and accused us of being drug smugglers. Goddamned scum sucking fascistic racist asswipes. They can suck my dick! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/29 "2001-04-28T14:47:14Z")
jab1, I guess you are in the US? Try: [http://travel.state.gov/passport\_services.html](http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html) Just got a passport myself, you need an original birth certificate (find the website of your state of birth & order from them, about $17 & one week). $60, in two money orders, one for $45 & one for $15. drivers license. You got to wait 6 weeks & the blasted thing last for 5 years or 10 if you want to pay more. You don’t get your birth certificate back until your passport comes. What cares if they need one for Canada or not since they are fun to have. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/30 "2001-04-28T14:58:28Z")
Jomo, did your wife carry any proof of US citizenship or residency? If not, the officials were doing their job. Indian nationals need visas to enter Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/31 "2001-04-28T15:29:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > jab1, I guess you are in the US? > Try: [http://travel.state.gov/passport\_services.html](http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html) > > Just got a passport myself, you need an original birth certificate (find the website of your state of birth & order from them, about $17 & one week). $60, in two money orders, one for $45 & one for $15. drivers license. You got to wait 6 weeks & the blasted thing last for 5 years or 10 if you want to pay more. You don’t get your birth certificate back until your passport comes. > > What cares if they need one for Canada or not since they are fun to have. Amazing. Handy first posts the link to the correct information and them immediately after it, in the very same posting, puts incorrect “information.” From the site to which handy linked: > [@](#): > > You may prove U.S. Citizenship with any one of the following: > > Previous U.S. Passport > Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state > NOTE: A certified birth certificate has a registrar’s raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office, which must be within 1 year of your birth > > Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth > Naturalization Certificate > Certificate of Citizenship > A Delayed Birth Certificate filed more than one year after your birth may be acceptable if it: > > Listed the documentation used to create it and > Signed by the attending physician or midwife, or, lists an affidavit signed by the parents, or shows early public records. > If you do NOT have a previous U.S. passport or a certified birth certificate, you will need: > > Letter of No Record > Issued by the State with your name, date of birth, which years were searched for a birth record and that there is no birth certificate on file for you. > > AND as many of the following as possible: > baptismal certificate > hospital birth certificate > census record > certificate of circumcision > early school record > family bible record > doctor’s record of post-natal care > NOTES: > > These documents must be early public records showing the date and place of birth, preferably created within the first five years of your life. > > You may also submit an Affidavit of Birth, form DSP-10A, from an older blood relative, i.e., a parent, aunt, uncle, sibling, who has personal knowledge of your birth. It must be notarized or have the seal and signature of the acceptance agent. > NOTE: The following are NOT proof of citizenship > > Voter registration cards > Army discharge papers > Birth abstracts from California or Texas > (You need a long-form birth certificate.) Also: > [@](#): > > You may prove your identity with any one of these, if you are recognizable: > > Previous U.S. passport > Naturalization Certificate > Certificate of Citizenship > Current, valid > Driver’s license > Government ID: city, state or federal > Military ID: military and dependents > NOTE: Your Social Security Card does NOT prove your identity. > > If none of these are available, you will need: > > Some form of signature ID, and > (Ex: Social Security card, credit card, bank card or library card) > > A person who can vouch for you. He/she must > Have known you for at least 2 years, > Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, AND > Have valid ID. > Fill out a Form DSP-71 in front of the passport agent, > If applying for your child who is under age 13: > > As a parent or legal guardian you may apply for your child. Normally, your child need not appear in person. However, passport agents reserve the right to require appearance of your child. > > You must show current, valid ID. > If you are NOT a U.S. citizen, you must show an alien registration card (“green card”), valid foreign passport, other ID such as a driver’s license. > If you do not have acceptable ID, someone with current, valid ID must vouch for you as described above. Also: > [@](#): > > Passport Fees > Effective February 1, 1998 > > Routine Services (Form DSP-11)\* > Non-Refundable > > Passport Service > Passport > Fee\* > Execution > Fee\* > Total > Fees > > Age 16 and older > $45 > $15 > $60 > > Under Age 16 > $25 > $15 > $40 And, finally: > [@](#): > > How long is a passport valid? > > If you were \_\_\_\_ when the passport was issued > Then your passport is valid for > > 16 or Older > 10 Years > > 15 or Younger > 5 Years There’s nothing about “want to pay more” in there, handy. The length of validity of the passport is based on the age of the applicant when the passport is issued. And, yes, I was actually a Passport Agent when I was on Active Duty in the US Navy - and even got trained in that stuff by the State Department. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/32 "2001-04-28T23:59:05Z")
“There’s nothing about “want to pay more” in there, handy.” Well, it was a reasonable assumption. If you want something longer, it costs more 🙂 You’re right though, maybe I should have asked the passport agency. It was part of the post office in Monterey. But youll agree you can get it shorter than 6 weeks if you pay more, right? ---
**Author:** ![mellonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@mellonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mellonhead)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/33 "2001-04-29T04:24:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\* > > But youll agree you can get it shorter than 6 weeks if you pay more, right? \*\* Yes, you can pay more: $75. And it only took one week - but I live in Chicago and have a passport agency at my disposal downtown. IMHO - if you’re going to Canada, get a passport. It just makes life easier. You can get in to Canada without so much as a student ID, but getting back into the USA can be a problem if the border guard is a dick. Oh, and one more thing, jab1: if you’re NOT WHITE, GET A PASSPORT. I’m Asian, and every time I’ve been to Canada, coming back into the US side has been a hasle. Have a passport. I’m told that border guards will stop lots of minorities and give them a hard time (one time I was in a car with 3 other people…all white - and I was the only person that they asked for a passport). When you’re not in America, there’s things you take for granted…like the power to sue people for violating your civil rights ☹ ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/34 "2001-04-29T04:57:25Z")
We adopted our son in Jamaica and - granted there are those who deny there is such a thing as “race” but somehow “La Migra” seems to always notice his lack of resemblance to me when we re-enter the US from Mexico. When he was about six, the Immigration guy asked me who he was. I said, “He’s my son” and so - to test this - the guy pokes his head in the car window and asks him, “What do you call her?” (pointing to me). My son, thinking this was the right answer, says, “Jill!” I had to say “No, dammit, you call me _Mommy_!” This is why we always carry passports. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/35 "2001-04-29T06:34:43Z")
**ruadh** , _a rún_, my wife had her Green Card with her, of course. As **handy** and **Monty** demonstrated, a Green Card is (supposed to be) sufficient. They were accusing her of not being really married to me just because I’m American and she’s Indian. The idiots. Reminds me of Gandhi saying: “According to them, our wives are all whores and our children are all bastards.” As **mellonhead** ’s post corroborates, those border Nazis are evil racist assholes. On both the Canadian and U.S. sides. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/36 "2001-04-30T03:55:33Z")
> [@](#): > > When you become involved with the law that’s when you realize you actually are a foreigner and really have no legal rights in their country. It was a little scary. **suziek,** would you care to elaborate a bit? As a foreign visitor, you wouldn’t have a guaranteed right to enter or stay in Canada, but once you’re in the county, our laws apply equally regardless of citizenship. For example, foreign visitors in Canada (even those in Canada illegally) have equal access to the rights guaranteed by the _Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms._ A foreigner who is under investigation for a potential crime committed in Canada, or actually charged, would have the full benefit of our constitutional protections, would face only the same penalties as a Canadian convicted of the same offence, and so on. > [@](#): > > When you’re not in America, there’s things you take for granted…like the power to sue people for violating your civil rights **mellonhead,** that’s true, but the opposite is also the case: you shouldn’t assume that the foreign country doesn’t provide the same sorts of legal protections. If the federal customs discriminate on the basis of race, there are potential remedies under the _Canadian Human Rights Act_and under the _Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms._ ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/37 "2001-04-30T20:41:39Z")
Okay, did **handy** get this part right? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > **you need an original birth certificate (find the website of your state of birth & order from them, about $17 & one week).** As I’ve been hinting at on this thread, I can’t find my birth certificate anywhere! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/38 "2001-04-30T23:30:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jab1 \* > Okay, did **handy** get this part right? > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > > you need an original birth certificate (find the website of your state of birth & order from them, about $17 & one week). No. That’s why I actually posted the full information. Read it. > [@](#): > > As I’ve been hinting at on this thread, I can’t find my birth certificate anywhere! Oh, please. Call or write to the Civil Registrar (or whatever that position’s called) in the jurisdiction you were born. If you need help with that: [http://www.vitalchek.com](http://www.vitalchek.com) ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/39 "2001-05-01T19:12:41Z")
Uh, thanks, **Monty,** for giving me the link to Vital Chek. When I said, “I can’t find my birth certificate,” I meant I can’t find it _at home._ Why would I spend even $10 and wait two weeks or more to get something I already have? I’m going to have to do just that, though. Now watch me find my birth certificate at home after I order the replacement! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475/40 "2001-05-01T20:01:55Z")
Jab: Maybe this’ll help: Some good reasons to fork over the geld. 1. You don’t give up the only copy you have of the certificate. 2. You’ll have a just printed and **legible** copy of the certificate. and 1. Chances are the certificate you have at home is the “hosptial certificate” which is damn near worthless. Well, it is suitable for framing. Go ahead and purchase two new certificates. Oh, and if you’re getting the thing because you need a passport to travel in connection with your job, some employers actually pay for the costs incurred to get the passport and/or visa. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-need-a-passport-to-visit-canada/63475.md?page=3)