what canadians must show on entry to US.. tougher yet?
Jul 22nd 2002, 12:02 pm
#1
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Joined: Jul 2002
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what canadians must show on entry to US.. tougher yet?
I am a Canadian citizen and expect to have to make some long term visits from Canada to the US, travelling by bus or plane. Can anyone tell me:
1. Is a passport required or is a drivers licence or birth certificate sufficient to enter the US?
2. If you have a passport do they stamp it? If you don't use a passport how do you prove when you entered?
3. Do you need to fill out an I-94 entrance/exit paper if you are staying less than 6 months?
Much obliged for any help. BB
1. Is a passport required or is a drivers licence or birth certificate sufficient to enter the US?
2. If you have a passport do they stamp it? If you don't use a passport how do you prove when you entered?
3. Do you need to fill out an I-94 entrance/exit paper if you are staying less than 6 months?
Much obliged for any help. BB
Jul 22nd 2002, 6:20 pm
#2
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Re: what canadians must show on entry to US.. tougher yet?
"bigbird" wrote:
> I am a Canadian citizen and expect to have to make some long term visits from
> Canada to the US, travelling by bus or plane. . . . Is a passport required, or
> is a driver's licence or birth certificate sufficient to enter the US?
A birth certificate =and= a driver's licence should be OK, if you were born in
Canada. (The driver's licence would be used to prove your identity -- i.e., that you
are the person named in the birth certificate.)
A driver's licence, all by itself, is NOT good enough. After all, you don't have to
be a Canadian citizen to get a driver's licence in Canada.
If you weren't born in Canada, then you birth certificate won't prove anything, and
you will need either a Canadian passport or a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (a
"citizenship card").
It wouldn't hurt, in any case, to use a Canadian passport.
Rich Wales [email protected] http://www.richw.org/dualcit/ *DISCLAIMER: I am not a
lawyer, professional immigration consultant, or consular officer. My comments are for
discussion purposes only and are not intended to be relied upon as legal or
professional advice.
> I am a Canadian citizen and expect to have to make some long term visits from
> Canada to the US, travelling by bus or plane. . . . Is a passport required, or
> is a driver's licence or birth certificate sufficient to enter the US?
A birth certificate =and= a driver's licence should be OK, if you were born in
Canada. (The driver's licence would be used to prove your identity -- i.e., that you
are the person named in the birth certificate.)
A driver's licence, all by itself, is NOT good enough. After all, you don't have to
be a Canadian citizen to get a driver's licence in Canada.
If you weren't born in Canada, then you birth certificate won't prove anything, and
you will need either a Canadian passport or a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (a
"citizenship card").
It wouldn't hurt, in any case, to use a Canadian passport.
Rich Wales [email protected] http://www.richw.org/dualcit/ *DISCLAIMER: I am not a
lawyer, professional immigration consultant, or consular officer. My comments are for
discussion purposes only and are not intended to be relied upon as legal or
professional advice.
Jul 22nd 2002, 9:20 pm
#3
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Posts: n/a
Re: what canadians must show on entry to US.. tougher yet?
On Mon, 22 Jul 2002 18:20:05 -0700, bigbird wrote:
> I am a Canadian citizen and expect to have to make some long term visits from
> Canada to the US, travelling by bus or plane. Can anyone tell me:
>
> 1. Is a passport required or is a drivers licence or birth certificate
> sufficient to enter the US?
Proof of citizenship is required. In practical terms, a driver's license is often
sufficient if you "appear" Canadian (i.e., don't have an accent etc.), although
strictly speaking it doesn't prove citizenship.
By far the best thing you can do is use a passport. I wouldn't want to travel using
something as precious as my birth certificate and risk it getting lost or stolen.
> 2. If you have a passport do they stamp it? If you don't use a passport how do
> you prove when you entered?
They may stamp it, although more often than not, they won't even ask to see it. For
Canadians, there is no paperwork that shows when you entered, but it is not entirely
on the honor system, either. The INS does record things like license plates. If you
need to prove the date yourself, you may end up having to resort to such a thing as
receipts from your trip (for instance, a restaurant charge from a restaurant near the
border on the day of your trip).
> 3. Do you need to fill out an I-94 entrance/exit paper if you are staying less
> than 6 months?
It depends on what status you are entering as. If you come as a tourist or business
visitor, no. If you come in any other status (for instance, student), yes, and you'll
also usually need other paperwork in order to even be admitted.
Ingo
> I am a Canadian citizen and expect to have to make some long term visits from
> Canada to the US, travelling by bus or plane. Can anyone tell me:
>
> 1. Is a passport required or is a drivers licence or birth certificate
> sufficient to enter the US?
Proof of citizenship is required. In practical terms, a driver's license is often
sufficient if you "appear" Canadian (i.e., don't have an accent etc.), although
strictly speaking it doesn't prove citizenship.
By far the best thing you can do is use a passport. I wouldn't want to travel using
something as precious as my birth certificate and risk it getting lost or stolen.
> 2. If you have a passport do they stamp it? If you don't use a passport how do
> you prove when you entered?
They may stamp it, although more often than not, they won't even ask to see it. For
Canadians, there is no paperwork that shows when you entered, but it is not entirely
on the honor system, either. The INS does record things like license plates. If you
need to prove the date yourself, you may end up having to resort to such a thing as
receipts from your trip (for instance, a restaurant charge from a restaurant near the
border on the day of your trip).
> 3. Do you need to fill out an I-94 entrance/exit paper if you are staying less
> than 6 months?
It depends on what status you are entering as. If you come as a tourist or business
visitor, no. If you come in any other status (for instance, student), yes, and you'll
also usually need other paperwork in order to even be admitted.
Ingo
