Canada: Are They Enforcing Passports?
Lounge By stylishbite Updated 12 Apr 2007 , 12:37am by mkolmar
We are hopefully going to Niagra the end of June. My DH and I and my DD's 14 and 16 have passports, but my step-son doesn't. He lives in WV and we live in IN so the parents meeting up to get him a passport are slim. Anyone know if the boarder police would allow him in and out? He's 11. Maybe we could hide him under our luggage 
Just kidding, don't send the police after me 
TIA
p.s. Happy Easter! He has risen!
I live about 6 miles straight south of the border, you don't need a passport until at least January 2008 to cross in a vechicle. I know they've been debating something for people who live in border states, I don't know if a final setup has been established but there has been alot of fussing about it. I know that either my husband or I will be getting one just so I can have my kindereggs.
I have understood that children under like 14 or something won't need a passport anyway, they'll need a birth certificate or ID. I could be wrong.
Since he's your stepson make sure that he has a note from his mother giving permission to take him across, they won't always ask for it but if you don't have both parents it can be a pain in the rear. They worry about parents taking kidnapping children because of custody battles.
I was going to say the samething. Where he's your step-son, make sure you have all proper documentation statin you can take him out of country. That is something they do Not fool around with.
It won't hurt to get him one just the same since if you want to travel to Mexico at all you're supposed to have one now. But keep in mind, the government is backed up to the wazoo because of the new travel requirements. So get him in NOW for one (just in case).
One of the students in class was turned away from Canada because of not having a pass-port. They were driving though. Someone else I know didn't have one (they checked her on the way back into the states) and she was put into a Canadian jail overnight till a family member could meet her there.
One of the students in class was turned away from Canada because of not having a pass-port. They were driving though. Someone else I know didn't have one (they checked her on the way back into the states) and she was put into a Canadian jail overnight till a family member could meet her there.
That's strange, they're not supposed to be doing that yet unless you're not a citizen of the US or Canada. We haven't heard of any stories of it in our area.
The Canadian guard gave my husband a rough time Saturday when he swung up to get something on his way home. He had just bought a dirt bike and had all the papers but the guard was worried that he was going to sell it or something. I heard about it because it was something for me, I tend to avoid going up because of the hassle with the kids.
You need a passport only if you are traveling out/in to the US by air. For travel by car you don't need one. I called this morning b/c I needed to know if I need one for PR, since its a commonwealth of US, I don't. While I was on hold, several recorded messages came on and the above was one of them. It also depends if you are traveling over international waters. I would make sure just in case, here is their toll free phone number : 1-877-487-2778.
Naty
From my understanding you won't need a passport if you are traveling by car until 2008, however, if you step-son has a different last name, say his mothers, you will definately want a note from her explaining the situation and that he is not being kidnapped. Just about two years ago my brother went over there with his wife and her two kids, one of which had her maiden name, the other had his fathers name, their baby girl together had the married name .. it was hard to explain that to customs, and even harder to explain why the supposed mother, father and baby girl all have dark dark brown hair and eyes and tanned skin while the two children with different last names have pure white hair light skin and amazing blue eyes .. needless to say their car was searched and the whole family was questioned ... it was a mess!
Definitely make sure you have a notarized letter from your stepson's mother or you might not be able to bring him across.
Last year after the hurricane my 3 kids and I went home to Canada to stay with my parents, and the CDN border guard wouldn't let me cross with my kids because I didn't have a letter from my husband, even though we were still married and everything. It was a big hassle, they ended up just calling him and getting his permission but I guess was lucky they did that and didn't turn us away.
I hate the hassle of crossing the border and this new passport law is going to make it even harder! 
The kid was 21 and had 1 firecracker in his car he forgot about so was turned away. This was by the US going into Canada. I go to Canada every now and then and they check cars randomly. If you happen to be that car then you better have a pass-port. In 2008 it will be more strict than right now which is the luck of the draw kind of thing
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