Teenagers Photo ID?

[bevwells]

We are going to Florida in three weeks, what kind of photo IDs can teenagers use? They are 14 and 15 years old. They are too young to have their drivers licence, and we do not have any pictures on our medical insurance cards in Newfoundland. Can they just use their school photo ID cards. Suggestions anyone? Please!!

 

[alexx]

Hi bevwells

Your in big trouble now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go to the nearest passeport bureau with all the papers and ask to have their passeport issued in the fast lane (10 days).

I don't know since how long you prepare your trip but you are in a situation to ruin it if the guy at the gate is "stiff" on the rules and don't allow you to get in the plane.

The passeport is THE ID piece, it is recognised all around the world.


Hurry!!!!!!!!

Good luck

Alexx

 

[grover]

Is it now a requisite that you have a passport to enter the USA???
I have always just took all my idea and for our son I took his Birth Cert, Sin card, health card. Is this not enough anymore???
Grover in Winnipeg

 

[Cruisin]

Hi bevwells:

Are you driving to Florida or driving to the US to get on a plane?

Children of that age do NOT have to have picture Id's to cross the border or to board airplanes.

You will need proper id such as birthcertificates or passports.

I would take the school ID pictures if I were you, they don't take up much space and may be helpful.

 

[Cruisin]

No Grover it is not necessary to have a passport to enter the US.

It makes it easier but if you have other proper identification such as birth certificates, photo id for over 18 years of age then you will be fine.

 

[grover]

Whewww...3 passports definatley were not in the budget!! Glad to hear that nothing had changed- I kind of thought that it would at least make the news passports were the only form of id accepted!
Grover in Winnipeg

 

[damo]

Student card is appropriate photo id. That is what we were told by customs officials.

 

[bevwells]

I have their birth certificates and a school photo ID. We are flying down. I am worried now. Is this enough?
Bev

 

[Cruisin]

Yes birth certificates and school id's will be sufficient for you to travel with.

Technically I think under age 18 all they need is their birth certificates, no photo id is necessary.

 

[damo]

The last time we crossed the border (by car) they wanted photo ID for anyone over 14. If you are going from the States to Canada they don't ask for photo id for anyone under 18.

 

[bevwells]

I should be good to go. Thanks everybody.
Bev

 

[Amberle3]

I have to second the recommendation for a passport. They're $85, are good for 5 years, and you'll never have any problem with ID. For $17 a year I think it's more than worth it. 2 other points to keep in mind:

- there's the ongoing talk in the US about requiring passports even for Canadian citizens. Last I heard they were talking about implementing this next year, but...

- if the US decides for whatever reason (god forbid something serious happens again) that they are going to require passports for everyone entering the country they under no obligation to provide any lead-time or warning whatsoever. Monday a random photo-ID can be fine, Tuesday they can require the passport. And if you don't have one, they don't have to let you in.

I don't mean to frighten anyone who isn't planning on travelling with a passport, I just want to reinforce the fact that if you have one you don't need to worry about if they require it or not.

I think because we're so inundated with American TV, and we've enjoyed such freedom of movement in the past that sometimes it's easy to forget that we're actually entering another country.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

I have to agree with Amberle3. We got passports 2 years ago because my DS was travelling to Florida with himself and a friend for March Break to visit his grandmother. I was concerned that at 15 he didn't have any photo ID so I got him a passport. His friend got one also. I felt much better about letting him travel knowing that he could prove if he had to that he was Cdn. Since he was getting one we got one at the same time.

There is piece of mind in knowing that if we happened to be in the US (or any place else) and the US upped thier code to red we would still be able to get home and prove that we were cdn.

A driver's license doesn't prove that you are Cdn.

It's a personal choice issue I realize because as of now you don't require photo ID for under 18 and you just need photo ID and a birth certificate.

 

[Susan--Ontario]

We have passports for everyone in our family. Our DS is 8 and our DD is 2. It gives me great peace of mind when we travel. Besides I now have my birth certificates in the safety deposit box. That way if anything happens I know I won't have to wait a year to get a birth certificate replaced.

I like justifying the expense by so much per year. If you can't afford it now, put that money away and when you've got enough go and get the passports done. Then continue to save the same amount of money every year so that when they expire you will already have the money for the next time.

Hopefully, we will never NEED to have a passport, but it is always a great thing to have on hand.

 

[DSNY FN]

We have started the paperwork for our passports for our next trip and because we are going on the cruise in 06. We will be getting our 1 , 2 , and 7 year old all passports for the trip and at the 5 year mark they will all get renewed so we have less to worry about just in case. It is after all the best form of ID to travel with even if you are only going to the US.

 

[hockey mom]

We were told at the Buffalo airport that a school I.D. with a photo would be enough for our 15 yr old DD. We do not have passports, have no intention of getting them, and never worry about crossing without them.

 

[SKFamily]

Ambere3's post is exactly what we have found. My brother was told by a USINS agent that possibly by this summer Canadians will unofficially require a passport - all ages - and will likely be denied entry without one. They don't have to notify anyone or make it public, they can just say nope, you can't get on the plane/into the country without a passport.

We're not going until next spring, but we will have the stupid passports. I am not going to do all of this planning and saving to have us get a snarky customs official at the airport decide that we need a passport, which is what can and apparently likely will start happening.

Made me wonder if I even really wanted to go into the U.S, we could do some nice Canadian vacations, too.

 

[Disney Daniel]

Before I had my driver's licence, (2 years ago) I always picked up a photo identification from the Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles. It looked like a driver's licence, but clearly stated that it was not. You may want to try that.