5

I am a 16 year old US citizen who is planning to go to Canada next week. I found out today that my passport has expired.

Can I cross the border with my birth certificate instead? The rules on this seem to have changed several times. I found this source from July 2015 asserting that only children under the age of 15 can cross with a birth certificate.

However, this question from February 2016, whose answer points to this Canadian government page states that any US citizen should be able to get into Canada with proof of citizenship.

So it seems like I will be able to get in, but I need to make sure there hasn't been an update to the laws since the second page was written.

Community
  • 1
evamvid
  • 151
  • 2
  • 4
    Birth certificates are acceptable going into Canada, but not for returning to the USA. Are you planning to renew your passport and have it forwarded to you in Canada or do you plan to plead / argue your way back into the USA? –  Jun 03 '16 at 03:12
  • I voted to close this question. I think the linked question is still up to date: the linked faq from the US CBP clearly lists the requirements to enter the US, i.e. as @Tom says, a birth certificate will not be enough. – Vince Jun 05 '16 at 16:50
  • The laws shouldn't have changed since February. Canada may let you in, but the US requires more than a birth certificate to come back. As a practical matter, they may, after a bunch of fuss, allow you back in if they can confirm your identity, because their policy is not to deny entry to US citizens, but the official correct answer is that you need a passport (or other WHTI document if traveling by land) if you plan to bot go to Canada and return to the US. – Zach Lipton Jun 05 '16 at 18:24
  • You may look into getting an Enhanced Driver's License if your state offers it. They give you a paper copy right away (although I'm not sure if you can cross with it, but it might help) and maybe your state could rush it. I believe an expired passport counts as proof of nationality for the DOL, but check all my thoughts before you try haha. – Azor Ahai -him- Jun 13 '16 at 18:11

0 Answers0