Oh, Canada *sigh*

July 5, 2007 12:22 AM

I'm going to Canada this morning and cannot find my birth certificate.

I applied for my passport in mid April, and of course, have not received it. So I'm left with nothing but my state ID, a chatty little statement that my passport is being processed, and a tremendous headache.

Are there any other documents I can bring with me to prove that I'm a US citizen? And... well, how screwed am I?

posted by louche mustachio to travel & transportation (24 comments total)

There arent any other documents. You can try driving to the border and seeing if you get lucky, but make sure you are driving solo if you attempt that.
posted by mphuie at 1:21 AM on July 5, 2007

Uh-oh. If you're flying, I think you're hosed.

The US will let you back in with a photo ID and proof of application for a passport, which you obtain according to this State Department website - apparently it's just a printout of some kind.

HOWEVER, Canada will not admit you if you can't show proof of citizenship and a photo ID to prove you're the guy named on the proof of citizenship, or a passport. AND if you're flying, the airline won't let you get on the plane, because you won't meet Canada's admission requirements (and it probably costs them some money in fines, too).

If you're driving, you MIGHT be waived across the border with just a driver's license. I don't live near Canada and have only used a passport to get in, via air - perhaps someone else here has some idea.

Here's a recent LA Times story detailing similar disappointing experiences with Mexico's entry requirements. Sorry.
posted by mdonley at 1:32 AM on July 5, 2007

Also, the reason you can't find your birth certificate is that you mailed it off with your passport application.
posted by mdonley at 1:39 AM on July 5, 2007 [4 favorites]

Clarification. We're driving. My sister, myself, and a friend.
posted by louche mustachio at 1:46 AM on July 5, 2007

mdonley - while your answer doesn't necessarily solve my problem (which will probably unfold at the border, provided my companions don't kill me and sell my Folk Festival ticket first) it does answer the real question in the forefront of my mind - "Where the Hell is my birth certificate?"
posted by louche mustachio at 2:08 AM on July 5, 2007

If by "going" you mean driving, you need proof of citizenship and a government issued photo ID. If you're flying, you're quite possibly out of luck.

Here's an explanation of the new travel requirements for Canada.

If you're flying, you could always try this.
posted by liesbyomission at 2:08 AM on July 5, 2007

Saved, if you're a native Minnesotan!

"Certified copies of Minnesota birth certificates can be purchased in person at all Hennepin County Service Centers. In most cases they are issued at the time of application." (I've done the same thing here in Orange County, California, and it took ten or fifteen minutes). It's $16, and all you need is your Minnesota driver's license/ID - so if you can get in some time this morning, you should be OK. Here are all the service center locations; the one in downtown Minneapolis opens at 7:30, earlier than the others (which open at 9).

Good luck! (I hope it's OK that I outed you as a Minnesotan.)
posted by mdonley at 2:20 AM on July 5, 2007

That's awesome! But I was born in Montana, so I'm still kinda SOL.
posted by louche mustachio at 2:24 AM on July 5, 2007

Damn, I just e-mailed you the same info in case you missed it.

Are you registered to vote in MN (or MT?)? Here, I received a paper "proof of registration" card from the Registrar of Voters; while I didn't have to show anyone else proof that I was a citizen to register, I did have to check a box saying I really was a citizen and sign the form, which since it's a sworn legal oath might be good enough for the Canadians, really. If you're registered in MN, you could check with Hennepin County's elections office to see if they'd print you off proof of your registration - they're in the same building as the birth certificate people. It does say they're responsible for "the administration of 680,000 voter registration records" so perhaps they'd be able to help you out.

If you aren't registered, perhaps you could just register to vote right there and they'd give you something to prove you were registered right then and there!
posted by mdonley at 2:37 AM on July 5, 2007

Do you have your social security card? That might help.

Actually, this page suggests that any of the following might work as proof of citizenship:
proof of citizenship such as birth, voter's, naturalization certificate or passport

Looks like SS card is not it.

So birth is out. You were born here, so naturalization is out. And you don't have your passport yet (OMG it takes 3 months? I'm in trouble).

Hope you held onto your voter registration card.
posted by Deathalicious at 2:45 AM on July 5, 2007

Montana birth certificates here - it's an outside company called VitalChek, but it's where the Montana birth certificate folks people send you, and their website claims that some of the agencies they work with can expedite things, so if you can delay your departure, that might help. There's also a phone number for the Montana Dept of Public Health and Human Service on this page you could call; if you got through to a real person they might be able to expedite it too.

Also, when/where in Canada is the Folk Festival? If your friend/sister are driving, could you fly up later and meet them? If you had your MT birth cert and an ID from MN or anywhere else, as long as it was valid, you'd be ok.
posted by mdonley at 2:45 AM on July 5, 2007

Also, here's a list of all the Canadian land/sea/lake(?) ports of entry: might be worth a look.
posted by mdonley at 2:48 AM on July 5, 2007

Canada also has a list of crossings.
posted by mdonley at 2:50 AM on July 5, 2007

Hey, my husband and I just went to Canada last week (crossed in Vermont) and we were only required to show our licenses both ways-- no birth certs required. I think you should bring a copy of the passport app with you to demonstrate you're one of the many affected by the delays, and you should be fine.
posted by miss tea at 5:12 AM on July 5, 2007

Read this from the Dept of State Website. Looks like you only need your Driver's License and proof that you've applied for your passport and you can either fly OR drive in.
posted by TheFuse at 5:41 AM on July 5, 2007

Recently, in Buffalo friends and I crossed without anything except licenses. Just bring your proof of passport application and tell them your birth certificate is in the mail with your passport application and you will be fine.

My friends only had licenses, the agent gave us a really hard time, but were allowed in and out of the country fairly easily.
posted by hazyspring at 6:31 AM on July 5, 2007

TheFuse - that's the State Department letting you know how you can get back into the States, not what will get you into Canada.
posted by mdonley at 6:32 AM on July 5, 2007

Like Miss Tea we crossed the border recently for a short stay. Crossed at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo heading to Toronto and we were armed with everything in terms of paperwork (sans passports) and were required to show only basic ID in both directions. Going into Canada the agent was only concerned with where we lived, where we were going and if we were bringing any gifts. He didn't ask for any ID of any type.

Coming back the agent only asked if we were all U.S. citizens and ran our drivers licenses through the computer. He peered in the back to check on our sleeping teenage son, but that was it. So much for increased security, but maybe we don't fit the profile.
posted by worker_bee at 6:57 AM on July 5, 2007

As a Canadian, I've found that the requirements at the border crossing can be extremely variable from both the Canadian and American sides. I'd bet that with the thousands of Minnesotans coming across the border in the next couple of days for the Winnipeg Folk Festival, if your friends have the proper id and you match the folky demographic, you won't have too hard a time. (If I were a border guard I'd quiz you on your knowledge of Stan Rogers.)
posted by teg at 8:09 AM on July 5, 2007

Second what teg said. Border guards are aware of festivals going on and may be lenient. Might as well give it a shot.

And have a backup plan for how you're getting home while your friends continue to drive to Winnipeg :).
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:50 AM on July 5, 2007

Just got back from crossing from Washington State into British Columbia. We were two cars of folks--my husband and I in one with his father. His mother, his sister and her husband were in the other. Two sleeping babies (one in each car).

They didn't ask for anything other than Driver's License in the line that my mother-in-law was in. For us? We were stopped, were given a lecture by the Border Agent for daring to hand him just a Driver's License, and he wasn't going to let us through. Luckily, we had our passports with us, they were buried in the luggage and mine was expired. We had expected to get to the border hours earlier and hadn't stopped to fetch them. At 1 am, we were asked to get out of the car, unpack and dig them out for the border guard, who gave us another lecture. The whole experience was immensely cowing.

My mother-in-law did not have a passport or birth certificate with her, but she was in the other car.

So, variable even between the border guards at the same crossing.
posted by jeanmari at 12:57 PM on July 5, 2007

NPR had a story a few weeks ago about the backlog for processing new passport apps, and how the State Department has subsequently relaxed the rules for Canada and Mexico.

In the story, a State Department official mentioned something about a government website you could go to and print off proof that your passport has been applied for. I can't listen to it now, but here's the link.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:02 PM on July 5, 2007

OMG, we haven't heard an update from you. Were you detained?
posted by Deathalicious at 7:45 PM on July 8, 2007

I was not detained, hassled, mocked, or even questioned. We were indeed going to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and I didn't have the internet for a few days. I brought a bunch of other backup papers that may or may not have helped, but the guards at both crossings cheerfully accepted my state ID and proof that I had applied for a passport. In no time at all I was sitting on a green tarp, working on my sunburn and being devoured by mosquitoes.

A Stan Rogers quiz would have been amusing (although I suspect that would be more useful to prove that one is a Canadian citizen, eh?) One of the reasons I go to Winnipeg is to hear thousands of people singing The Mary Ellen Carter during the finale. I get just giddy. Nathan Rogers lead the sing along, too, so it was extra great.

Thanks so much to everyone for all your help. It turned out to be fairly easy, but YMMV.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:23 PM on July 9, 2007