Returning to Canada with newborn.

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lisa_guy
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:32 pm

Returning to Canada with newborn.

Post by lisa_guy »

Hi,

My family has been in the US for the past year and a half on TN/TD visas. We are having a baby in August and my contract ends at the end of October. We are very confused about how to get a passport for the baby. Everything we read from the Cdn government says we need to get a certificate of citizenship which can take up to a year, prior to getting the passport. Obviously this is not possible since we have to return to Canada within 3 months of the birth.

Can you provide us with some guidance? Will the consolate let us get a Cdn passport for the baby without the certificate? Is it possible to get the baby a US passport in the meantime?
nelsona
Posts: 18311
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

Your child is a dual citizen, as you point out, so can get either passport.

He will not get a Cdn passport anytime soon, since you first need to secure his cit card, and then apply for passport. Since you are moving in 3 months, I would not bother starting down that road until returning to Canada. Doing this while living in Canada will save you lots of time, and you won't have to worry about his cit card being sent to your former address.

Ordinarily, you can get a child's US PP in about 4 weeks, but not now with the US passport fiasco. However, merely applying for his passport is sufficient for entering US. So, I would get this going today, if you really think you need a passport.

But getting a passport (Cdn or US) to enter Canada is NOT required, so I would not worry about this. Remember that it is ENTRY to US (only by air) that requires a passport, and US has relaxed that if you at least apply. And travel by car is still passport free.

You should have no trouble entering canada without a passport for him, just a birth cert.

another tip: most states issue non-driver or identity cards (from the DMV), for children of any age. Having this should satisfy any 'state-issued photo ID' requirements that some officious bureaucrat might (might) insist upon.
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nelsona
Posts: 18311
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

Jumped the gun: you can only start his US or Cdn passport process AFTER he is born, of course. In fact, only after you get his official birth cert.

So, don't worry about this at all.

First things first.

Then, get his birth cert, move to Canada,and THEN get his passports.

Tip (I'm full of them): US childs passport is good for 5 years, a Cdn babay passport is not, so focus on getting the US passport while waiting for the Cdn cit card.

Then when he is 3, apply for Cdn passport (good for 5 years). This will 'stagger' his passport expiry dates, so he will always have a valid one.
nelsona non grata. Non pro. Please Search previous posts, no situation is unique as you might think. Happy Browsing :D
lisa_guy
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:32 pm

Post by lisa_guy »

Thanks nelson!!!

I have one other question about getting the US passport for the baby. Is a Cdn driver's license okay as ID for us as parents to show identity? We never got a car, so we didn't end up changing our licences?
lisa_guy
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:32 pm

Post by lisa_guy »

Ignore the last question...I jumped the gun too. I just read that the parents can show valid foreign passport. Phewww!!!!
nelsona
Posts: 18311
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 2:33 pm
Location: Nowhere, man

Post by nelsona »

keep in mind that you will probably not want to apply for his US passport until you are living in canada, so you would want to see what the rules are at the Cdn consulate website.

If you apply for the US passport in September (which is likely the earliest you will find the time/energy/schedule opening to do this), it will not be mailed to you in US in time, and you face the very likelt scenario that it will get lost.

So I would suggest waiting until you move before going down that path. Just check with the US consulate procedures to make sure that it is not 10 time harder to do it from canad than from US.
nelsona non grata. Non pro. Please Search previous posts, no situation is unique as you might think. Happy Browsing :D
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