Re: Need passport for Toronto?

[LaVonna Funkhouser <lffunkhouser -at- HALNET -dot- COM>]

Beth 1 wrote:

> >     Am I going to need a passport to fly from the U.S. into
> >     Toronto for the STC Annual Conference?

Beth 2 replied:

> According to the speaker information material I received:
>
>    "Citizens or permanent residents of the US are not required to
>     have a passport or visa, and can usually cross the border into
>     Canada without difficulty or delay. For native-born US citizens,
>     however, some form of identification showing citizenship is
>     strongly recommended (e.g., birth certificate plus photo ID
>     or, of course, a passport). A permanent resident of the USA
>     who is not a citizen must possess a 1551 or 1151 certificate
>     (green card) for arrival to and departure from Canada."

This info is correct.  Because I expect to be
doing other travelling next year, I got a passport anyway.
A *certified* copy of your birth certificate will work fine, but
that can take two weeks and $11 or so to obtain. Allow for
mailing time if you no longer live in your birth state. (I have more
advice on this subject if you want it, including tips on how
you might be able to get it faster.)  For info on where to get a copy
of your birth certificate, see the second link below.

If you want a passport for another trip, read on...

I had my passport application, my cashier's check, and my 2 passport
photos ready once I got a copy of my birth certificate, and I
was able to get my passport in 2 weeks from the day I mailed
it to the day I received it by using Express Mail.  (It
usually takes 4 weeks.)  Even so, that is too much time for
the conference trip if you haven't started.  If you pay
an extra $30 they will speed the process up ever further, but
since a passport is not required for Canada, don't bother.

For the official word on travel to all other countries,
see these sites:

http://travel.state.gov/index.html

http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html

Take my word--the PDF form of the passport application *is*
acceptable if you print it to a good laser printer, no matter
what your local authorities tell you.  I insisted, and it
worked just fine!

from the recent personal experience of...

LaVonna F. Funkhouser     lffunkhouser -at- halnet -dot- com
COREComm Webmaster        webmaster -at- corecomm -dot- com

http://www.corecomm.com/corecomm/

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