Required Identification when Travelling to the U.S.

January 31, 2008

Over the past year, Passport Canada has undertaken a series of initiatives to modernize its services and simplify the passport application process. It launched the simplified passport renewal process, and simplified its guarantor policy.

Canadians are reminded that since January 31, 2008, a new US law requires Canadians entering the United States by land and marine ports of entry to present:

• a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's licence AND a birth certificate or a citizenship card; OR
• for persons aged 18 and under, a birth certificate only; OR
• a valid Canadian passport.
  

This new American law has caused a dramatic increase in applications. From April 1, 2007 - January 24, 2008: Passport Canada issued 3.8 million passports. That is a 41.3 per cent increase over the same period last year.
We issued more passports and we issued them faster.

Passport Canada is now issuing passports within its published guidelines. For instance, the average wait time for a mail-in application fell from 45 days to 19 days.

Passport Canada is meeting the growing demand. It is important to remember that Passport Canada is self-financing. The costs of Passport Canada are paid by the Passport fee. We did not grow the size of government to fix the problem. Passport Canada is working harder, extending its hours of service to the public, and investing in new technology.