We live in California and I am wondering if I need to get the kids and I a passport to enter Canada? Just curious as we are planning a road trip this summer.
If I do is there a place to order birth certificates fast?? LOL
Can you tell this was spur of the moment?? LOL
Thanks

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 07:46 pm:

Not yet. More info:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

By Trina~moderator on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 07:48 pm:

At least on the US side. Not positive about entering Canada.

By Heaventree on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 10:46 pm:

If you were born in the US you do not need a passport to enter Canada. If you are a landed immigrant from another country even if you are a US citizen you will probably need a passport.

By Hol on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 11:12 pm:

If you are a US citizen, residing in the USA, you do not need a passport to eneter Canada, or to return to the USA. You WILL be asked questions at the border, such as:

What is your business in Canada?
How long are planning to stay?
Where, in the US, do you reside?
Where will you be staying in Canada?
Do you have any alcohol, tobacco, or firearms in your vehicle? (You had BETTER say no).

On your trip back into the US, you may also be asked if you bought anything in Canada.

MY DD used to live in Michigan, and we used to drive thru NY state, and through Canada, entering the US again, near Port Huron. Of course, that was pre-9/11. I don't know if it's different now.

In 1997, my husband and a friend flew out to Michigan and drove all of DD's belongings back in a Ryder truck. (She was moving back to New England). They had her two cats, also, in carriers. The border guard was a stinker and wanted to know EVERYTHING that was in the truck. She had it all packed in Rubbermaid totes, and they had quite a bit of furniture, as well. The guy was going to make them unload every item from the truck. He finally backed down. He did, however, ask to see innoculation certificates for the two cats, which we expected, and wasn't a problem, as DD had put it all together for them.

Some border guards are pretty nice, and some take their job MUCH too seriously!

** Birth certificates are usually obtained from the town or city hall where the child was born.

By Marcia on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 11:42 pm:

Even though you don't need a passport, there is a good chance they will ask you for your birth certificates. We always have ours ready when going from Canada to the US and then back.

By Kittycat_26 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 07:29 am:

You don't know but I understand that after the first of the year you will.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 07:38 am:

When we crossed over, to see Niagara Falls last year, we were never asked about our birth certificates, but we did have them. We were only asked "What is your business" and "How long are you going to stay?" Then we were allowed to proceed.

On the way back into the states, we had to get out of the car and have the dog sniff the car, plus they inspected it briefly. Then we were able to continue our trip.

In 2008, you will need a passport.

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 10:47 am:

If you have gotten the birth certificate before, but have misplaced it and need a new one, you have to go through a specific place in your state. I have to go through the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond. There is a fee, and it takes a few weeks, but you can pay a larger fee, and they will get it to you faster.

Go to this site: www.vitalchek.com and you click on your state and it tells you exactly what you need to do.

Vitalchek

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 10:52 am:

Okay, for some reason, the link isn't working...

EDITED: Now the link's working! LOL!

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 06:41 pm:

To order the birth certificates online, was incredibly expensive, for shipping. We had to travel 4 hours to central WI, for the kids. We just drove up there to get them ourselves. To go up to the counter and get them, was fairly cheap. We didn't mind doing a road-trip. For Gary, we just had to drive downtown, since he was born here and for me, we had to drive 50 miles, to Milwaukee. It's generally the county seat of the county you were born in.

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 07:19 pm:

On the site that I listed, you don't have to order them. It gives you all of the information you need to call and order them. That itself isn't expensive. And this is for when you have already gotten the original and need another. I don't remember what we did for the originals.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 09:43 pm:

Birth Certificate Shipping

It's still frightfully expensive, to ship a piece of paper! It's FedEx for $24.50!

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 10:38 pm:

Yes, I see that. What I am talking about, is if you call the State's Health Dept. and order it from them with regular shipping, they don't charge that amount. Just regular shipping. And even expedited shipping wasn't that much, I don't believe. I was just offering the website to find the phone number to call for it. I would never order it through them because of the extra fee.

I had to call and ask for both kids' certificates because they were lost in moving, along with some other things.

I just checked Virginia's actual website, and they charge 12.00 if you walk in to pick it up, or 12.00 if you request them to mail it. It is received in 2-4 weeks, but we actually got them much more quickly.

You only have the high shipping charge if you ask for it to be sent in 3-5 days.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 11:05 pm:

Oh okay. I couldn't find a different option, when I was looking. We didn't mind the road trip, though. We hadn't been back there in a few years and it was nice to drive past our old house and see how much bigger the trees were! We also got to eat lunch, with one Gary's old friends, too.

By Luvn29 on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 11:12 am:

They don't really show another option on that site. But they give you the phone number and such so you can call. I also just went to Richmond's website, and that's where I got all of my info.

California, I checked, is the same way. You can get it from the county seat for so long, and if it is no longer there, you have to go through a particular place. And I think in CA, they don't offer a counter to pick it up in person. You either have to do it the expensive internet way to get it speedy quick, or you can call them or send the application in to them to have it mailed for the 12.00.

I'm sure you did enjoy the road trip, though! With my young kids, though, and me, too, actually, I only want to be on the road if I have a great destination! LOL!