Passports Is It Require!!!!!!

I will be going to canada(newfoundland) after the rally. Do I need a passport to get back into the States? When I went over in 2002 all they require was a birth certificate, & driver Id. I know there was a law that was going into effect some time soon requring passports, but it was putoff to alater date.


ROC

All you'll need this year is a certified (with raised seal) birth certificate and picture ID, such as a driver's license. Also, get a Canada non-resident proof of insurance card from your biek insurance company.

Passport and Insurance I.D.

The conventional wisdom is that, although not technically required at this time, having a valid passport with you is a good idea. It seems that you will be less likely to be delayed or have a problem if you have one. You should get a Canadian insurance I.D. as well.

The insurance I.D. is easy. Just call your provider and they will send one out to you right away. Hopefully, you already have a current passport. If not, it's a little late to apply for one now and expect to have it in time for the rally.

From the US State Department web site.

(Linky)

Current Requirements for Entry Into Canada
Visas are not required for U.S. citizens entering Canada from the U.S. You will, however, need:
1. Proof of your U.S. citizenship such as your U.S. passport (For information on obtaining a U.S. passport, check with one of the regional passport agencies located throughout the U.S.) or certified copy of your birth certificate issued by the city, county or state in the U.S. where you were born. If you are a naturalized U.S. citizen and do not have a passport, you should travel with your naturalization certificate. A driverÔÇÖs license, voterÔÇÖs registration card or Social Security card is NOT valid proof of citizenship.
2. Photo identification, such as a current, valid driverÔÇÖs license.
All U.S. citizens entering Canada from a third country must have a valid passport.
Alien permanent residents of the U.S. must present their Alien Registration Card, commonly called a ÔÇ£Green Card.ÔÇØ
If you are a dual U.S./Canadian citizen you should always present yourself as a Canadian citizen when entering Canada. However, U.S. citizens should use their U.S. passports when entering or leaving the United States.
Due to international concern over child abduction, single parents, grandparents, or guardians traveling with children often need proof of custody or notarized letters from the other parent authorizing travel. (This is in addition to proof of citizenship as explained above.) Any person under the age of 18 and traveling alone should carry a letter from his/her parent or guardian authorizing the trip. Travelers without such documentation may experience delays at the port of entry.
For further information, including information on student or business travel, visitors can contact the Embassy of Canada at 501 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 682-1740, see their Internet home page at http://www.canadianembassy.org or contact the nearest Canadian consulate. (A list of Canadian consulates is at the end of this brochure.)
Information For Business Travelers
Under CanadaÔÇÖs temporary entry requirements, business visitors are foreign nationals who want to temporarily engage in international business activities in Canada for a period of up to six months. Detailed information can be found on the Canada International web site at http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/dbc/Business-travel-entering-canada-en.aspx.

dancogan said:

All you'll need this year is a certified (with raised seal) birth certificate and picture ID, such as a driver's license. Also, get a Canada non-resident proof of insurance card from your biek insurance company.

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And note that the birth certificate you have had for years is most likely a hospital certificate, and not the state certified certificate that is required. That said, crossing the border into Houmas (sp), Washington this past Memorial Day, the 2 bored young men only asked to see drivers license while they ran our plates.
YBCMV

A passport will make things easier.
If you are as lucky as I was and run into a missy that partied the night before and doesn't want to be working, not having your passport will make your life more difficult.
And it's not the Canadians that will give you the trouble.

No matter what, have a good ride.

passports

Even if the only passport you have is an expired one, and you don't have time to get a new one, bring it anyway, it will still be helpful. Just tell the officer that it's expired before you present it. But bring your other required ID, as noted above, too!

Rinty

According to an insert in a city utility bill that arrived yesterday, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative proposes that beginning on December 31, 2006, all US citizens traveling by air or sea to for from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Carribbean and Bermuda will be required to have a passport. It proposes on December 31, 2007 that the requirement be extended to all land border crossings as well. (They also informed me that I can now get a passport at my city clerk's office.)

passports

Bush and Harper just discussed this at their meeting last week and I don't think mandatory passports are going to happen. This is a hot button political issue in Canada, Bush is pleased that he finally has a PM that he can work with, the trade issues are huge, and I predict the administration will back off this one.

I've said it before, but I would like to see a trans border ID card so I can leave my passport at home, where it belongs, for use in travel to offshore countries. I almost lost it in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, (we flew down) and when I am moto touring there is no secure place to keep it.

Rinty

Last Tuesday, July 4, my family and I were allowed to enter Canada at Niagra Falls without any of us having a passport or birth certificate with us. We were strongly advised that on our next visit to Canada that we have one or the other of these documents. We got the third degree treatment from US Customs while returning to the USA at Port Huron, MI. YMMV, but I would assume that border crossings go much smoother with passport or Birth Certificate.

GSTom said:

I would assume that border crossings go much smoother with passport...

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Yup, like this...
"Here's my passport."
"Welcome home. Next!"

Passport border crossing going in effect first of the year.
Don't get one until November because they will be electronic.
If you get one now, you will have to get a new one then.
They are almost $100.

Just got my first US passport recently and it is already one of the versions with the implanted chip with bio-detail encoded. I am sure that some poor government schlepp's laptop that is about to be stolen has the rest of my details on it too...LMBO

Thanks for the updated info.