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  • Child's Passport

    I'm planning a Cancun vacation for after xmas and probably one for Europe later in the year. I'm going to need to apply for a passport for my D and can either apply in Canada or the U.S (after the shut-down is over, of course)....since she is a citizen of both countries. Do any of the experienced posters have any information on which country would be easier and what kind of permission from the ex-spouse...ie, do I just need him to sign the form?

    I'm trying to give myself plenty of lead time in case he's going to be difficult about it.

  • #2
    Apply for Canadian.

    You have to prove your child's entitlement to the American passport by virtue of naturalization or US citizen born abroad. Both can be lengthy and the backlog will likely be long given the shut down right now.

    If you are in Ottawa you will apply for the US passport in person (also a pain in the royal ass) and they let only 3 people in at a time....

    When you/the child comes into Canada they prefer the person to have their Canadian passport. Trust me.

    PM me any other questions please.

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    • #3
      Oink I disagree. The parent COULD be asked for a consent letter but it is my experience (and I have a lot of it travelling to and from the US as well as internationally over 300 times combined with my children over the last decade) that I have only been asked TWICE for this letter. ONLY TWICE! I never show my letters unless asked...

      A passport is a requirement to fly into the US for a child. But children can still travel by car with their long form birth certificates. Any other international travel requires a passport (with the exception of traveling to the US by car for a child under 16 years old as stated above).

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      • #4
        Originally posted by oink View Post
        A consent letter is still needed from the other parent PERIOD! Unless there are posters on here that have US citizenship..that information is irrelevant as to where to apply.
        Actually, I was in Buffalo on Friday. No one asked me for the letter. They didn't even ask me if she was my daughter...we don't have the same last name. I think being asked for the letter is hit or miss. But always a good idea to have as one time I was asked for it and I did not have it with me...it made our entrance back into Canada very, very long and frustrating.

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        • #5
          You have to prove your child's entitlement to the American passport by virtue of naturalization or US citizen born abroad. Both can be lengthy and the backlog will likely be long given the shut down right now.
          My child already has U.S. citizenship. I just didn't get her a passport. But you're right...the government shut-down means I can't get one at the moment anyway. We're going to be flying out of a U.S. airport for both trips but I've travelled with both a U.S. and Canadian passport and have had no trouble there.

          Frankly, depending on where I go...I use my Canadian one because there's some people who can be hostile to Americans and American citizenship presents more of a kidnapping risk.

          If you are in Ottawa you will apply for the US passport in person (also a pain in the royal ass) and they let only 3 people in at a time....
          Wow....what a pain. I don't live in Ottawa but I'll have to see if the procedure is the same here.

          What is the total lead-time to get the passport once the docs are signed?
          Last edited by Pursuinghappiness; 10-15-2013, 12:42 PM. Reason: typo

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          • #6
            A passport is a requirement to fly into the US for a child. But children can still travel by car with their long form birth certificates. Any other international travel requires a passport (with the exception of traveling to the US by car for a child under 16 years old as stated above).
            Thank you Serene. I need no information for travelling by vehicle across the U.S. border..I'm well aware of the requirements there. I cross the border a few times a week.

            I think what I'm actually going to do is just get a U.S. passport for her since you mentioned airports and I almost never fly out of Canadian ones. My partner and I will both be travelling with U.S. passports also...so it will probably be easier. Its also a pretty quick process to get a U.S. passport. I had to renew mine last year and it only took about 4 weeks to get it back.

            I'll just have to wait for the shutdown to be over to do it. I'll just have to wait to finalize my vacation plans until I'm sure that her passport is on its way.

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            • #7
              [QUOTE=Pursuinghappiness;151278]
              Frankly, depending on where I go...I use my Canadian one because there's some people who can be hostile to Americans and American citizenship presents more of a kidnapping risk.
              QUOTE]

              Completely agree, I travelled in Ethiopia a couple of years ago. I hired a guy to take me around. As he was showing me the city, we drove past the American embassy and he pointed it out to me. I said that was interesting but that I wasn't American. I was Canadian. His entire demeanor changed.

              Another time I was trying to catch a train in Belgium...a train employee called me a stupid American woman.

              I'd stick with the Canadian passport.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Pursuinghappiness View Post
                What is the total lead-time to get the passport once the docs are signed?
                You can check the passport canada website - they give current processing times.

                You can always apply on an emergency basis if you have a flight booked - but it's costly. I had to do this with my son because we forgot to get him a passport until a few days before we left. Oooops.

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                • #9
                  The letter is necessary. Just because one has made it over the border and back before, doesn't mean you will the next time. If you don't get asked, it is just because the border guard is lazy and/or untrained (or both).

                  Not having the letter can cause your plans to get Fubar'd. If nothing else it is comfort that your travel will not be interrupted.

                  And yeah, the border people may not look it at. I know when I took my D8 down south last year for my wedding, the people at the airport didn't check when we left, nor when we arrived at our destination. The only time someone requested it was when I arrived home......go figure...

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                  • #10
                    I'd stick with the Canadian passport.
                    Its the only thing I worry about when travelling in Mexico...and the couple times I've been to the Phillipines. There's been travel warnings put out in both countries, numerous times.

                    I had an incident years ago when GW Bush was in office when I was in Europe at a restaurant...they wouldn't take my American Express corp card because they hated that GW Bush got elected into office the second time. I let them know that I voted for the other guy and I acutally ended up having a really nice dinner talk with the waiter. I still had to pay with a VISA though...lol.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by HammerDad View Post
                      And yeah, the border people may not look it at. I know when I took my D8 down south last year for my wedding, the people at the airport didn't check when we left, nor when we arrived at our destination. The only time someone requested it was when I arrived home......go figure...
                      I have the same experience, no one has ever asked me for it on the way out. Seems kinda silly to ask for it on the way back. I actually asked an agent once when I did not have it, if he was planning on sending me back to where I just came from...FYI, don't do that.

                      Another time as I was just driving home from Buffalo, an agent did ask me for it...I did. But I also wanted clarification. I asked her what was the point in asking for it as you were coming back. If I was trying to kidnap my child, why would I bring her back home....FYI, not a good idea to do that either and I did not get a response either.

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                      • #12
                        If you have sole custody, no letter is needed. I now just carry a copy of the final order giving me custody.

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                        • #13
                          Oink - DFAIT strongly recommends. They do not require the consent letter. On another note, they are not the ambassadors or governing body for other country requirements to travel with children. They advise, but cannot control nor dictate the requirements for foreign travel with children.

                          My point is this. If you don't need a passport for the child to travel (US by car for instance) don't bother. Especially if you are dealing with an HCP. Take the path of least resistance.

                          If you do need a passport then I would suggest you present the consent letter at the same time you request the signature for the passport application. And FYI, passport Canada will want and need to see the entire separation agreement or court order to even attempt to apply for the passport AND they need both parents signatures if it is joint custody. If it is sole custody, they still like to have both parents involved in the application process (if you are a man applying this is absolutely certain although it is biased).

                          My point here is that travel is sometimes not even attempted if the other parent doesn't facilitate a consent letter. It is my experience that if you are successful in obtaining the requisite travel documents (passport or birth certificate) you can still travel without the travel consent letter as it is rarely asked for.

                          My efforts are genuine. Trying to facilitate the advice for a parent who wants to travel with their child

                          Timelines for Canadian passports without any issues in the application (and this is not to say that passport canada won't create their own issue if none exist, as they did this with us sadly) is about two weeks. If there are issues, well it could take months. And it did for us despite everything being above board.

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                          • #14
                            You can always apply on an emergency basis if you have a flight booked - but it's costly. I had to do this with my son because we forgot to get him a passport until a few days before we left. Oooops.
                            lol...I haven't booked anything yet and will get the passport before I book flights.

                            My efforts are genuine. Trying to facilitate the advice for a parent who wants to travel with their child
                            Thank you Serene...I greatly appreciate your advice.

                            Perhaps I should attempt to get passports in both countries. If I pay for both of them...my ex may simply sign the forms.

                            And don't worry, I keep the forum trolls who provide un-requested, useless, uninformative and never-ending blathering spam on ignore.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Serene View Post
                              . And FYI, passport Canada will want and need to see the entire separation agreement or court order to even attempt to apply for the passport AND they need both parents signatures if it is joint custody.
                              .

                              Not sure if this is a requirement as I was not asked for this. When I had to renew my daughter's we were not yet divorced yet, only seperated. They had the consulate where he lives contact him, he refused. I had my then lawyer get involved and she contacted his lawyer and eventually he did sign. I did not have to provide anything further.

                              Comment

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