# US Passport Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435 "2009-09-09T16:17:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/41 "2023-10-30T03:41:58Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Yes, in almost all cases. US/Canadian and vice versa land travel is permitted with just a brith certificate but air travel always needs a passport now. I thought that was not the case anymore. Looking it up now all I see are mentions of passports. I know a passport card can also be used. I just renewed my passport and put out the couple of extra bucks to get the card too. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/42 "2023-10-30T03:50:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > a drawer along with our COVID cards My wife and I just last week received shot #4 and they said that they weren’t doing cards anymore. I do have images of my 1 through 3 cards on my phone. Never had to show to anyone though. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/43 "2023-10-30T04:40:44Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I can imagine that a flight attendant MAY have some pull with getting some abusive passenger extra attention from a customs agent, but a public strip search is pretty hard for me to swallow… Yeah. But now they can ban you from flying on that airline. > [@Zoe](#): > > On another occasion, Senator Ted Kennedy was kept from flying because there was someone named Edward Kennedy on the “No Fly List.” Yep, which is why the no-fly list is rather useless. But they shouldn’t have stopped him from flying, just taken aside for further checking. I believe he was only delayed. It too him, a US Senator three weeks to be taken off the list- imagine how long it would take one of us. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/44 "2023-10-30T09:39:24Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > When I applied for my first US passport, there was a problem that the name on my birth certificate was not the name I had used literally all my life In the UK, it is a simple process to “semi-officially” change your name(s) by Deed Poll and this may suffice for most purposes, including bank accounts. If you want a passport in your new name, you have to put it on public record by ‘enrolling’ it at the Royal Courts of Justice. This currently costs £42.44 ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/45 "2023-10-30T10:08:38Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I thought that was not the case anymore. Looking it up now all I see are mentions of passports. Should have clarified since the comment was about infants, this is for children only. [Canada International Travel Information](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Canada.html#:~:text=Entry%20into%20Canada%3A%20Canadian%20law,need%20proof%20of%20U.S.%20citizenship). ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/46 "2023-10-30T16:24:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yep, which is why the no-fly list is rather useless Back then the list didn’t include date of birth. Now it does. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/47 "2023-10-30T16:41:16Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > In the UK, it is a simple process to “semi-officially” change your name(s) by Deed Poll and this may suffice for most purposes, including bank accounts. In fact, a British man once changed his name by deed poll and ordered a new passport because it was cheaper than having the name on his airline tickets corrected: > **[Man Changes Name To 'Adam West' To Avoid Paying $336 Airline Fee](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/05/412295439/man-changes-name-to-adam-west-to-avoid-paying-336-airline-fee)** > > On Facebook, Adam Armstrong playfully used the name Adam West, the actor who played Batman in the 1960s. But then his girlfriend's stepfather bought him a plane ticket in that name. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/48 "2023-10-30T19:17:48Z")
> [@Amia](#): > > Do infants need passports too? Yes, if they plan to travel outside of their country. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/49 "2023-10-30T23:08:15Z")
Even in 1967 we had to get a passport for our newborn son when we were returning home when he was 6 weeks old and born in Switzerland while I was on leave. Film being what is was, they needed flood lights for the photo and we just couldn’t get a 2 week old to keep his eyes open. Although the law required open eyes, the people at the consulate issued the passport with no questions. In those days you could get a passport in a day. In fact, I once got one in 15 minutes. It was slow at the US consulate in Montreal and the consul himself served us. He said to come back the next day and then said, "Wait, do you have 15 minutes to spare. My wife and I did and 15 minutes later we had two shiny new passports. That was in 1975. Couldn’t happen today. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/50 "2023-10-30T23:12:30Z")
FWIW, I just got my new one. From the time went down to the time I got it was 11 weeks. That’s what the told me it was running these days. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/51 "2023-10-30T23:26:59Z")
I mailed my renewal package in on September 8th, and just received it on October 28th, so seven weeks for me. Seems that the process is getting back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/52 "2023-10-31T00:45:52Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > But it’s a long time from the days before 9/11 when a birth certificate or driver’s license (no picture, computer printed form) was sufficient to cross the border. Back in 1998 the Mrs. and I travelled to Toronto for a medical conference, and brought our birth certificates along. They were never asked for, we just got waved thru at the border after showing our drivers licenses. BUT at the conference, the keynote speaker was a physician who mentioned during his talk that he’d practiced OB in the military at Ft. Eustis, VA in the late 1950’s. Which was where and when my wife was born. She pulled out her birth certificate, discovered the speaker’s name and signature was on it as the delivering physician, and thus got to meet the doctor who delivered her! They both got a huge kick out of it and kept up a correspondence until his passing. These days we use Passport plus Nexus card for access to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/53 "2023-10-31T00:48:34Z")
Fun! Would that my NEXUS application were doing anything but sitting in an electronic heap since February 1. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/54 "2023-10-31T01:00:59Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Would that my NEXUS application were doing anything but sitting in an electronic heap since February 1. We are waiting on our 4th renewal. My kids both received no interview renewals for their last 2 cards which sounds good but they were 5 and 8 ten years ago. They don’t really look like that anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/55 "2023-10-31T01:06:09Z")
I see that it now takes 12 to 15 months for a new application to go through. What a PITA! Our cards have been quite useful, speeding up our crossings AND giving us TSA pre clearance and Global Entry privileges too. And it costs less than either of those programs. But the wait certainly undercuts those benefits. Plus the need to travel to an interview site on the border. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/56 "2023-10-31T02:06:40Z")
Yeah, at the time I applied, it was advertised as a few months. I went with NEXUS first, intending to then renew my Global Entry, for which I had plenty of time. However, now I have no NEXUS, no Global Entry, and therefore no TSA Pre. If I’d renewed Global Entry first, I would still be able to use it, and still have my TSA Pre, because they extended it beyond expiration for those who were in a renewal process. It really pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/57 "2023-10-31T05:07:56Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > These days we use Passport plus Nexus card for access to Canada. Unless they changed the rules, you shouldn’t need a passport if you have a Nexus card. But it’s a good idea to carry it anyway if only because local officials have the power to cancel your Nexus card on the spot for even a minor rule infraction. This happened recently to guy who mistakenly thought his Nexus card gave his entire family expedited access. Not only were they turned away from the Nexus lane, but he suddenly no longer had a Nexus card. Their policy is that Nexus cards are for those who know all the rules and strictly follow them. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/58 "2023-10-31T08:36:26Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I went with NEXUS first, intending to then renew my Global Entry, for which I had plenty of time. You can only have one at a time and Nexus includes GE, but the wait times are crazy right now. > [@wolfpup](#): > > Unless they changed the rules, you shouldn’t need a passport if you have a Nexus card. Land travel I just use me Nexus card, but flying I always have both because USCIS often arbitrarily asks for my passport. Unfortunately the rules are less than clear. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/59 "2023-10-31T13:36:04Z")
I’ve been waiting a couple of months for my Global Entry renewal to be approved so the delays are probably for all of these programs. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435/60 "2023-10-31T14:19:57Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Land travel I just use me Nexus card, but flying I always have both because USCIS often arbitrarily asks for my passport. Unfortunately the rules are less than clear. Yeah, this. Even with land travel we make sure to have our passports handy too. An occasional border agent (generally on the US side, IME) seems to just be looking for a reason to make a fuss. Fortunately most have been quite polite and helpful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-passport-questions/509435.md?page=4)