who has flown from Buffalo without passport?

[Joann]

Hi just wondering if anyone has driven over the boarder yet to fly since the passport law came into effect, and didnt have a passport. Was there any problems ?

 

[disneyfan2]

my CAA agent is adament and still saying you don't need a passport from Buffalo if traveling within u.s. she even quoted a law # to the effect. We go in 2 weeks, if no one posts before then, i will when i return. Now, if we can only get our Birth Certifcates back from Passport Canada in time!!

 

[boyx2]

Had family members who crossed yesterday and had no problems without passports. Also had a friend who stood in line for 2.5 hours in Hamilton waiting to be looked after at the poassport office. Was told they will be mailed on February 8th.

 

[misslissa]

Hi there,

I work at CAA and we are being advised to let people know that they should get their passports anyway. Since you are going to need one eventually, you might as well get one.

Since the law just came into effect on January 23rd, there probably won't be a lot of people with experience doing it.

The news also said that you don't need it... but I don't entirely trust it. I wouldn't want to get a hassle.

I have heard lots of horror stories to this point about people trying to get their birth certificates from both Ontario and Quebec though, it seems to be taking some time.

Good luck!

 

[nosnobunny2006]

You don't need a passport to enter the US unless you are arriving by air or sea. If in doubt, check with Immigration, US not Cdn. This was copied directly from the US State Department website this morning.

"The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries."


I trust their site enough that I have two flights booked out of Buffalo in the near future.

Beth

 

[Bubbie]

I am driving from Windsor to Detroit and flying from Detroit to Orlando. I e-mailed the airport and Spirit airlines and they both said that I do not need a passport. I need to have my drivers licence with my pic on it and my birth certificate. I printed out their responses just in case I get hasseled.

 

[OntFamily]

The news also said that you don't need it... but I don't entirely trust it. I wouldn't want to get a hassle.

I'll probably get flamed for this, but as a travel agent wouldn't it be better to refer to the actual law, and not the news or subjective advice??

The US law is very clear - no passport is needed for Canadians driivng across the border. Many people chose to have one, but there is lots of evidence to show one is not necessary. Of all the people posting here, no one has posted that any Canadian was refused entry into the USA at a land crossing.

I think it is important not to scare people needlessly.

 

[ottawamom]

Well said. I am one of those who have been needlessly worried. We are flying out of Albany in May. This past week I spoke with US customs in NY and they informed me all we need is a birth certificate and drivers license to enter the US. He wasn't certain what the airline would require and suggested that I call them to see. I called Southwest and they assured me that, as a Canadian citizen, flying out of a US city airport to Orlando that all I would require is a government issued photo ID to board the plane. I am taking these two source at their word.

 

[laura001]

Hi there,

I work at CAA and we are being advised to let people know that they should get their passports anyway. Since you are going to need one eventually, you might as well get one.

Since the law just came into effect on January 23rd, there probably won't be a lot of people with experience doing it.

The news also said that you don't need it... but I don't entirely trust it. I wouldn't want to get a hassle.

I have heard lots of horror stories to this point about people trying to get their birth certificates from both Ontario and Quebec though, it seems to be taking some time.

Good luck!

My DH was going to do his passport this week and discovered that it was badly worn on the edges and a number was missing therefore unable to use for his passport.

Sooooo....he had to apply for a new birth certificate. We paid for and emergency fee (25.00) and had to supply copies of our travel documents, the application went into our MP's office on Wednesday and his Birth Certificate was delivered by Purolator yesterday (Friday). YES, within TWO days!

Now off to do the passport!

 

[maryliz]

laura001 - just curious, when you filled out the paperwork, is there a spot to say that you still have the old one, but that's it's too worn, or did you have to submit his old BC with the paperwork? I don't know if there's a difference between replacing because it's worn, and replacing because it's lost. When we got our passports 2 years ago, they let it go through for my DH, but did tell us that we need a new BC for him. I still haven't done that yet. I was going to do it online, but thought that they might insist on us returning the worn one to them.

Any info greatly appreciated.

 

[disneyfan2]

i was told that applying for the new birth certificate gives it a new # so the old one cannot be used as it will be invalid.

 

[laura001]

laura001 - just curious, when you filled out the paperwork, is there a spot to say that you still have the old one, but that's it's too worn, or did you have to submit his old BC with the paperwork? I don't know if there's a difference between replacing because it's worn, and replacing because it's lost. When we got our passports 2 years ago, they let it go through for my DH, but did tell us that we need a new BC for him. I still haven't done that yet. I was going to do it online, but thought that they might insist on us returning the worn one to them.

Any info greatly appreciated.

My DH applied online also, when doing that they ask all kinds of questions, like your birth weight, name of Dr. that delivered you, mother and father's DOB, how old they were when you were born, where mother lived when she had baby . You need to answer as many of them as you can. Also, you need the name of a guarantor, no signature though.

Near the end of the application it asks you if you applied before for a BC and then why you are replacing it. There is a box to check for it being damaged. You pay by CC.

We then took it to our MP's office with travel documents and they sent it off for us....easy as that.

 

[maryliz]

My DH applied online also, when doing that they ask all kinds of questions, like your birth weight, name of Dr. that delivered you, mother and father's DOB, how old they were when you were born, where mother lived when she had baby . You need to answer as many of them as you can. Also, you need the name of a guarantor, no signature though.

Near the end of the application it asks you if you applied before for a BC and then why you are replacing it. There is a box to check for it being damaged. You pay by CC.

We then took it to our MP's office with travel documents and they sent it off for us....easy as that.

Oh my gosh ... we don't know any of THAT info (well, except the ages of the parents). We know what hospital he was born in, and the address the family lived at ... that's about it. My DH's Mom has passed away, and his Dad wouldn't know squat about any of the other stuff.

I'll go online and see what happens. Thanks for the info.

 

[jmtf2004]

The US law is very clear - no passport is needed for Canadians driivng across the border. Many people chose to have one, but there is lots of evidence to show one is not necessary. Of all the people posting here, no one has posted that any Canadian was refused entry into the USA at a land crossing.

The US and Canadian laws are very clear...a passport is not required for land crossings from Canada to the US. They are also not required for identification purposes for domestic air travel in the US.
http://www.pptc.gc.ca/help/faq.aspx?lang=e&id=1135
That said, it is also clear is that the requirement for a passport will be put into effect in 2008 for land crossings. If someone has plans to drive across the border soon (and will continue to do so in the future), I would recommend that they get their passport sooner rather than later. The advantage to presenting a passport at any border crossing is that it cannot be questioned, period. I read about the change in requirements and our whole family got their passports in 2005 so we would be prepared (and to avoid the delays that are happening now).
In my experience, getting through security is faster and simpler not only at US airports, but also at customs at the land border crossing when you present a passport as your form of identification.
So you may spend extra time now getting that passport (the Canadian passport website now states they are experiencing delays of up to 25 business days to get your passport to you) , but you will save time in security lines later.

 

[dsneygirl]

The advantage to presenting a passport at any border crossing is that it cannot be questioned, period.

I may get flamed for this but I often see people make this comment and it surprises me because do you not think passports can be forged? Stolen? Altered? Would you want anyone arriving in Canada with a passport to be given a carte blanche entry? Or if there were suspicions would you want them examined/interviewed more thoroughly even if they had a passport?

 

[Bubbie]

Thanks JMTF2004! I'm leaving on Tuesday without a passport and just printed the info I got from your link about not needing one(just in case).I also printed out the responses from Spirit Airlines and Metro Airport (again, just in case)

 

[jmtf2004]

I may get flamed for this but I often see people make this comment and it surprises me because do you not think passports can be forged? Stolen? Altered? Would you want anyone arriving in Canada with a passport to be given a carte blanche entry? Or if there were suspicions would you want them examined/interviewed more thoroughly even if they had a passport?

I would hope and expect that Security and/or Customs would further examine/interview anyone who somehow presents themselves in a suspicious manner. Border guards and security personnel at airports not only check a person's identification when they present themselves...so no, presenting a valid passport is not a carte blanche to entry. Security personnel/border guards can and do ask for proof of your stated reason for visiting (e.g. reservation documents, flight information, etc. especially for long duration stays - at airports you must present the id along with a valid boarding pass) and they do verbal questioning. My point is simply that no further proof of identification is required when a passport is presented. This would not be the case if you presented a birth certificate from, say Quebec (usually these are a long piece of regular paper). They want to see, at the very least, some form of identification with a photo which has a photo. If you start off presenting a driver's license which has a photo, they may wish to see some form of proof of citizenship...one thing can lead to another . But not so if a passport is presented, hence the time savings.
Current passports have been updated to include better security features, but yes they can probably be forged. Forgery of the new passports is less of an issue though, than forgery of other identification documents. dsneygirl, I'm sure you would agree that forgery of these other documents is one of the underlying reasons to move to this new system where only standardized identification documents (i.e. passports) are accepted from the previous system.