Found out some intresting information about Canadian Passport rules

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

This past Tuesday my Dad and I went to the Passport office to apply for our new Passports and when our applications were being processed, we asked the person doing it about the rule where Canadians can not enter the United States when flying if their Passport was 6 months away from expiring. A lot of our family friends and someone from the CAA said that was true however the person who processed our applications said that rule did not apply to Canadian citizens and he or anyone else has not heard of the United States changing the rule. So just thought I let you all know that.

 

[wee-haggis]

This past Tuesday my Dad and I went to the Passport office to apply for our new Passports and when our applications were being processed, we asked the person doing it about the rule where Canadians can not enter the United States when flying if their Passport was 6 months away from expiring. A lot of our family friends and someone from the CAA said that was true however the person who processed our applications said that rule did not apply to Canadian citizens and he or anyone else has not heard of the United States changing the rule. So just thought I let you all know that.

This first example was from the Snowbirds website.
Residency Documents
Arrange for a new passport in advance of departing if your passport is due to expire within 6 months of your planned return date.


and, this one was from the Cruise Vacations Guide website.
Documentary Requirements for Canadian and Mexican Residents
In general, a nonimmigrant visitor must have a valid nonimmigrant visa and a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6-months beyond the initial period of stay in the United States. Even though certain individuals may be exempt the visa and passport requirement, the burden of proof is on the applicant to establish eligibility to enter the United States.

 

[tmli]

I am afraid the person you were speaking to may have been misinformed. I have seen many things in black and white to dispute what she said.

 

[chasbos]

I think that every time I travel out of the country - which is often, that my TA's info always has on it to take sure your passport is not within 6 months of expiring because you MAY be denied entry.

I am sure if you get a boarder worker who is having a really bad day - they could deny you entry. The chances are very slim, but the chances are there.

 

[calgarygary]

I am not going to weigh in on whether the information is right or wrong but rather the source. If you want to know the requirements regarding entry into the U.S. - you do not ask at a Canadian passport office, you ask at a U.S. consulate or other U.S. sources. Although Canadian government sources, ie. http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/before/checklist-en.asp will typically be up to date, the only guaranteed information would be with an official U.S. source such as this one.

Oh, it looks like I am going to weigh in on the accuracy of the information as you will find the following at the U.S. CBP site:

Documentary Requirements for Canadian and Mexican Residents

In general, a nonimmigrant visitor must have a valid nonimmigrant visa and a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6-months beyond the initial period of stay in the United States.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Well the bottom line is our new Passports will be ready for pick up on November 27, which is before my family and I leave for WDW so we don't need to worry about US Customs not letting us go threw.

 

[debbiet1]

Passport office is doing a great job right now. We went to the passport office in Ottawa less than 2 weeks ago. Our 4 passports came registered mail on the 14th. Thats great service.

 

[MECH8T7]

I'm not an expert on this but I think the excerpt that Calgarygary quoted above is a bit misleading and should probably have included more of the text from the U.S. website:

Documentary Requirements for Canadian and Mexican Residents

In general, a nonimmigrant visitor must have a valid nonimmigrant visa and a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6-months beyond the initial period of stay in the United States. Even though certain individuals may be exempt the visa and passport requirement, the burden of proof is on the applicant to establish eligibility to enter the United States.

"Burden of proof" is discussed in the Immigration and Nationality Act section 291. Under current heightened security measures in effect at all ports-of-entry, including those at land border crossing points, each person wishing to enter the United States is responsible for having sufficient documentation to establish identity and citizenship.


NOTE: CBP heightened security now requires that each person may have to present identification that has a photograph attached.


Entry of Citizens of Canada
Citizens of Canada are exempt from the visa and passport requirement of Immigration and Nationality Act (section 212(a)(7).) To enter the United States, a Canadian citizen must be able to establish both identity and citizenship. Documents that may establish citizenship are:


Birth certificate
Citizenship certificate
Passport.
Although a CBP officer may accept an oral declaration of citizenship, it is recommended that a Canadian citizen carry a document that establishes citizenship. Under current procedures, all travelers may be required to present photo-identification.


NOTE: A Canadian citizen arriving from outside the Western Hemisphere is required to present a passport. Canadian citizens classified as Treaty Trader, Treaty Investor, or Fiancé(e) require a visa.

The way I read it, the general rule is that a non-U.S. citizen seeking entry to the United States must have both a visa and a passport that does not expire within 6 months. However, as noted under the heading "Entry of Citizens of Canada", Canadian citizens are exempt from the general visa and passport requirements and only need to provide adequate proof of Canadian citizenship. (As we all know, Canadian citizens do not need to a visa to enter the U.S. Therefore, that first paragraph in the excerpt was clearly a statement of the general rule.) In other words, this U.S. government website appears to confirm that Canadian citizens don't need to worry about a passport that is due to expire within 6 months of entry to the U.S.

 

[yxe dad]

My passport expires on Dec 23rd, and I just went to WDW in Oct. I had no problems and wasn't "warned" that I shouldn't be using this passport.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My passport expires on Dec 23rd, and I just went to WDW in Oct. I had no problems and wasn't "warned" that I shouldn't be using this passport.

Did you fly or drive because when it comes to drving you don't need a Passport. That is until January 1st, 2008 when they will have the same rules when you fly to the United States from Canada.

 

[Debbie]

..when it comes to drving you don't need a Passport. That is until January 1st, 2008 when they will have the same rules when you fly to the United States from Canada.

Actually, there was an ad in the newspaper today, stating TWO pieces of ID (e.g. birth certificate and license) OR a passport is what you need by land in order to get into the US as of January 2008. You can read about it here

And I found this quote

*The passport should be unexpired and good for the duration of the intended trip. It does not have to be valid for any specific duration.

here.

 

[yxe dad]

Did you fly or drive because when it comes to drving you don't need a Passport. That is until January 1st, 2008 when they will have the same rules when you fly to the United States from Canada.

Fly, the drive from home is over 4000 kms. Not everybody in Canada lives on the east coast.

 

[talicskai]

Fly, the drive from home is over 4000 kms. Not everybody in Canada lives on the east coast.

It was hard to tell where in Canada you lived because it does not state in your information. I think it was a reasonable question to ask considering lots of people drive to Florida ~ even from the West Coast.

 

[CanadianGuy]

YXE = Saskatoon -- so location information was sorta there.. .. if your'e an airport freak like me.

 

[Debbie]

YXE = Saskatoon -- so location information was sorta there.. .. if your'e an airport freak like me.

Or a Corner Gas (Christmas episode) like our family!

 

[SaskDisNut]

YXE = Saskatoon -- so location information was sorta there.. .. if your'e an airport freak like me.

CanadianGuy, you're not alone in being an airport freak. This guy from YQR is always looking at how to get to MCO through YWG, YYC, YYZ or MSP!

Or a Corner Gas (Christmas episode) like our family!

Love that episode! But then again I love them all.

Here is another link I found to the U.S. Customer & Border Protection website that confirms again the document requirements for Canadian citizens crossing the U.S. border. via air, land, or sea.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

YXE = Saskatoon -- so location information was sorta there.. .. if your'e an airport freak like me.

I should have realized that because one of the classes I took in College we learned about Canadian Airport codes.

 

[yxe dad]

It was hard to tell where in Canada you lived because it does not state in your information. I think it was a reasonable question to ask considering lots of people drive to Florida ~ even from the West Coast.

I wasn't trying to be a jerk, and CR Fan 4 Life, I'm sorry if it came off that way. It looks like I travel too much and tend to use airport codes instead of city names. For somebody living in Saskatoon to drive to WDW they would be looking at over 8000 kms round trip or roughly 6-8days of driving. I tend to think living in SK, AB, BC that we would fly to WDW and consider driving to DL, but very few would consider driving to WDW. Just my thoughts, and again sorry if I was rude.
Shayne

 

[yxe dad]

CanadianGuy, you're not alone in being an airport freak. This guy from YQR is always looking at how to get to MCO through YWG, YYC, YYZ or MSP!




Love that episode! But then again I love them all.

Here is another link I found to the U.S. Customer & Border Protection website that confirms again the document requirements for Canadian citizens crossing the U.S. border. via air, land, or sea.

Going through YYC always works for me, and try to avoid YYZ. Westjet has that great YYC to MCO direct for most of the year but their prices are starting to get a little high now. I just hope Jetblue picks one of our little airports to fly out of if and when they start.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I wasn't trying to be a jerk, and CR Fan 4 Life, I'm sorry if it came off that way. It looks like I travel too much and tend to use airport codes instead of city names. For somebody living in Saskatoon to drive to WDW they would be looking at over 8000 kms round trip or roughly 6-8days of driving. I tend to think living in SK, AB, BC that we would fly to WDW and consider driving to DL, but very few would consider driving to WDW. Just my thoughts, and again sorry if I was rude.
Shayne

I did not think you were trying to be a jerk in you're previous response towards me. The only reason I did not know if you flew to WDW or drove there is because you never said that. So it had nothing to do with the fact that you live in Saskatoon.