Passport to Canada?

This may be old news, but I just heard that we will be required to have a passport to go to Canada, Mexico, etc. Heard this on Fox News.

Mike

71 MGB OD & Wires
63 TR4 Surrey Top

When does this take effect, anyone know? I had heard that it would be required on January 1, 2007, then that it was postponed, but till when??

As of a year or so ago, you needed a passport to fly across the border, and a birth certificate to cross the border on the ground. Next step as of sometime in 2009, is the passport or perhaps some other guvmint issue border crossing ID.

Wish they'd just make up their minds already. We cross the border 6 or 7 times a year for vacation, or just a nice weekend drive.

It was supposed to happen Jan 1st this year, but has been delayed due to the Passport offices unable to keep up with demand! My guess is they are aiming for Jan 1, 2008 - but who knows.

We just always take our passports - and get through a LOT quicker than those without. My advice is to apply for a passport, then you will be ready if needed.

Thank George W Bush

Scott Wrote:

Last year we crossed into Canada at Niagara Falls to meet some Canadian friends for lunch. We do (or did) this often as they live about as far from Niagara Falls as we do and it is a nice halfway point to meet. After our last visit and lunch we headed across the Rainbow Bridge as we normally do. We stopped at the border check point station and I handed the "inspector" two drivers licences and two passports. (for my wife and I) We were driving our 2005 Buick and are two (born in the USA) American senior citizens with proper documentation. The exchange went like this after he had looked at our passports and documents.
"Citizens of what country"? (Maybe he couldn't read.)
"US"
"Where have you been"?
"Niagara Falls"
" How long have you been there"?
"Since this morning".
"Are you bringing anything back with you"?
"No".
"What was the purpose of your visit"?
"To have lunch with some friends".
"Where did you have lunch"?

By now I was getting really steamed

"Michael's Inn, if you look over there you can see it. It's the tall white building with their name on the side".
"They must be very good friends to drive this far for lunch".

Now in the most sarcastic tone I could muster I answered,

"They are very good friends, NOW is there anything else you need to know?????

At this point with a long line of of cars behind us he finally let us through.

If I had been able to see a name tag on that person I would have reported him to the authorities. Needless to say we will not be doing that again in the future. And our friends from Canada are not traveling over here either any more as it's too much of a hassle at the border.
I could see no reason to ask what country we were citizens of when he had our passports in his hand.

End of rant

George Herschell

The half wit obviously thought he would try to "trip you up" by asking what your country of origin was. You probably looked *very* suspicious! (-;

I think that you will not need a passport to get into Canada. It is to get back into the US that you will need one.
The passport thing is a security measure taken by the US. Seems Canada will just follow along as usual with the US mandate.

you're right Jim, it's US thing this time! We have no problems as long as we have those passports.

Until someone takes out the heart of Quebec City nobody in Canada gives a shit.

Or maybe not even then. (the poor muslims...).

Of course, it's unlikely (except for French separatists or anti-)

We have had all kinds of responses from both sides. The best were coming into the US once, asked if we were bringing anything back, I replied "just a big bottle of Gin". The border guy replied "for Martinis I hope, got any olives?"

Going into Canada a couple of years ago on a VERY hot evening:

Border guy: "does it always idle like that?"
Me: "Only when it is about to overheat"
Border guy: "Get out of here!"

And this summer, going into Canada for a club meeting, two other MG's were behind us in the queue - purely by happenstance. Border guard asked where we were going, so I told him "to an MG club meeting". He said "I suppose those behind you are going too?" - I replied in the affirmative and he waved us through, and didn't even stop the two behind us!

I always have to suppress a chuckle when the Canadian guards ask me if I have any firearms - clearly, they don't know me!

Except that we have driver's licenses, a legal ID issued by the individual provinces already. A passport is up to around $80.00 and 2 to 3 months waiting *after* you round up photograph and have it signed by a professional (Doctor, dentist, police officer, etc.) that has known you for 2 years or more, yadda, yadda, yadda.