I know this is somewhat an important issue to some.

I read a post to the same topic on HCS and I thought it was interesting information that I never knew about?

Just read this thread today. Both sides of the coin make good points. I can add a little info. I cross at Buffalo many times and finally asked a couple years ago why the Canadians asked for my Birth Cert. I was told that when the US national threat level is Elevated or higher, that the Canadians want to make sure the US will let your butt back in when you return. Canada does not want us stuck in their house. One way is to verify you were born in the US with a B. Cert. I also have noticed different tactics at different crossings. At Thousand Islands crossing they ask me what my license plate number is 9 out of 10 times. The one time I didnt remember it I got pulled over. Does everybody know what happens if it gets to level Red (Severe)? Nobody crosses PERIOD!!

I've never been asked for a birth certificate, I don't have one. And I don't know my license plate number.

I've never been asked for a birth certificate, I don't have one. And I don't know my license plate number.

I never been asked for it either or the plate number, and I have to travel quite a distance to the border, so I doo carry my B.C. with me just in case.

I would hate to go all the way there and they tell me I can not cross.

The thing I found most interesting was about the threat level, I knew nothing about that, Is it true?

I never been asked for it either or the plate number, and I have to travel quite a distance to the border, so I doo carry my B.C. with me just in case.

I would hate to go all the way there and they tell me I can not cross.

The thing I found most interesting was about the threat level, I knew nothing about that, Is it true?

I've been asked for my plate # a few times [which I don't know]. I'm guessing if the camera doesn't catch the number, then they ask for it, so they can look it up.

So if the threat level is red, no one can enter or leave the country? Interesting...

I've been asked for my plate # a few times [which I don't know]. I'm guessing if the camera doesn't catch the number, then they ask for it, so they can look it up.

So if the threat level is red, no one can enter or leave the country? Interesting...

So if Im in Quebec and the threat level goes red..... It means I'll have to stay and Snowmobile and not go back to work!!!

Boy, wouldnt that be terrible.

Ive been crossing the border since I was a child and have always had, but never needed my birth certificate.

I've never been asked for a birth certificate, I don't have one. And I don't know my license plate number.

rob they didnt make birth certificates back when you were born did they?????? stone tablet or something like that? ha ha just kidding. do we or do we not need passports this year?????? heard so many different answers does anyone have the truth on it?? i know ive always given them my liscends and certificates. been going up there since 93.

rob they didnt make birth certificates back when you were born did they?????? stone tablet or something like that? ha ha just kidding. do we or do we not need passports this year?????? heard so many different answers does anyone have the truth on it?? i know ive always given them my liscends and certificates. been going up there since 93.

That's why I don't carry a BC, the stone tablet gets a little heavy

NO PASSPORTS NEEDED THIS WINTER.

It remains to be seen what happens next summer, but at least for this winter you won't need a passport.

hey rob thanks for the reply. glad you took the stone tablet thing as a joke! wasnt sure how you would take that!

That's why I don't carry a BC, the stone tablet gets a little heavy

NO PASSPORTS NEEDED THIS WINTER.

It remains to be seen what happens next summer, but at least for this winter you won't need a passport.

...But....If you have the passport it makes it sooooooo much easier!

I cross quite often to go to the dentist/doctors and shop for fresh vegetables in Quaticook. Since I got the passport getting back into the states is a breeze.

You will need a passport eventually so, why not get it now and avoid the rush! Especially since the price of a new passport may go up!

Mark

You will not need a Passport to cross the border. The original plan would have been in efect as of 01/01/08.

With all the hipe in the spring and summer, I did apply for mine and it only took 3 weeks to get it, that was a supprise!

However, I would not dought it, if something was to happen with national security again, they could make needing a passport manatory overnight.

And if they doo, it would be in the best of interest of national security for our country.

it's a matter of principle.

And crossing the border is a snap for me. They seem to recognize me, as a frequent border crosser.

And it is not a sure thing that "you will need a passport eventually". Our Senator Pat Leahy is working hard to prevent passports from being required.

it's a matter of principle.

And crossing the border is a snap for me. They seem to recognize me, as a frequent border crosser.

And it is not a sure thing that "you will need a passport eventually". Our Senator Pat Leahy is working hard to prevent passports from being required.

Very wrong move on his part.IMO Is he is in favor of illegals getting driver licenses too?

Mark

Very wrong move on his part.IMO Is he is in favor of illegals getting driver licenses too?

Mark

that right there is part of the issue, even if they require states to go to the secure licenses like VT is moving towards how do you account for the states that give illegals theres.

got my renewal done a few weeks back and saw on the website my wifes will be here beg of the week, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

it's a matter of principle.

And crossing the border is a snap for me. They seem to recognize me, as a frequent border crosser.

And it is not a sure thing that "you will need a passport eventually". Our Senator Pat Leahy is working hard to prevent passports from being required.

I cross at Stanstead on 91/55 about 10 times a year. Half the time I have my passport and 1/2 Ive forgotten it. The worst time I ever had was with my son, showed both passports coming back into US. They had me pull off and remove both sled covers with a nice 25 mph wind at about 10 below F! I think they were just trying to torture us. The US border officer didnt offer 1 finger to help. So......, the passports amounted to nothing that day.

And I'll leave it at that. Rob started this site for "Quebec Snowmobiling" , not politics.

.....................

And I'll leave it at that. Rob started this site for "Quebec Snowmobiling" , not politics.

I agree and I am sorry I got a little off topic on this one.

Mark

That's the biggest issue with politics, no one ever agree's.

But this thread was not started to get political views, but to inform Snowmobilers what to exspect when crossing the border.

I am sure you could have all the paperwork ever needed to cross the border, but if the border patrol is having a bad day, they are going to share with who ever they choose.

I've never been asked for a birth certificate, I don't have one. And I don't know my license plate number.

Pretty much the same here...i've been crossing the border at least once every year since 1970 whether to do fishing or snowmobling related stuff up there. I was never asked for a birth certificate or to know my plate number except when buying items at the Anex where they require it on check out. Only when returning to the states since post 911 they have been requiring a photo id driver license and enclosed trailer inspection if you have one. Entering Quebec...lately they have asked to see sled registrations to prove ownership. I think as long as one has no criminal past and has their stuff in order...should be no problems.

I've never been asked for a birth certificate, I don't have one. And I don't know my license plate number.

Rob; You are so far in the bush, you dont need papers. I heard your Micro Wave uses Candles. That sounds like Parent or Case in Quebec.

Rob; You are so far in the bush, you dont need papers. I heard your Micro Wave uses Candles. That sounds like Parent or Case in Quebec.

Now that was funny stuff Bernard :D , you just could not resist ay!

Congress Questions Passport Fees

Nov 2, 7:03 AM (ET)

By LARRY MARGASAK

WASHINGTON (AP) - First, Americans endured exasperating delays and ruined vacations from passport processing backlogs. Now, a congressional investigation indicates they may have been overcharged, too - perhaps by more than $100 million a year.

Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the State Department and Postal Service quietly gouged U.S. citizens over the government's $97 passport fees, even as new anti-terrorism laws require more travelers to carry passports. They are asking the Bush administration for an accounting of where the passport profits go.

Over the past year, as the government issued nearly 14 million new passports, it collected at least $111.4 million more in passport fees than its stated costs, according to calculations by The Associated Press based on figures from State Department and congressional investigators.

The government's standard $97 fee is just a start for some people. The State Department offers to send travelers a passport in a hurry for an extra $60 plus overnight delivery costs. Some private companies offer speedy service for $180 or more. Passport photos typically cost $15.

Since 2005, a new passport has cost $97 for adults, $82 for children under 16. At the senators' request, congressional investigators studied whether a $30 portion of that charge was justified.

The $30 is intended to cover the cost of clerks examining and accepting passport applications at post offices, State Department passport offices, courthouses, libraries, municipal offices and universities.

The investigators' findings? The government's $30 fee was roughly double the actual cost when imposed in 2002. The Postal Service, which operates 5,382 locations where people can apply for passports, estimated its costs at $13.31 in 2002. The State Department, which operates 14 passport offices, said its costs were $16.20 at that time.

"This is not supposed to be a profit-making venture," Dorgan said. "They charge 30 bucks just for passing something across the counter."

Robert Tollin of New York City, who received his passport in June just in time for his honeymoon in Mexico, was angry when informed how much the fee exceeded the costs.

"That's over a 200 percent markup," Tollin said. "Maybe I should be in the Post Office business. That's an exorbitant markup. I don't mind paying a service fee, but that's outrageous."

The remaining $67 is spent producing the passport booklet and for related costs, such as rent at passport offices, security guards and background checks. Investigators from the Government Accountability Office did not look into that portion of the fee.

A Postal Service spokeswoman, Joanne Veto, said the agency's $13.31 figure was not an accurate reflection of its costs when the fee was imposed. Congressional investigators, however, said that was the figure the Postal Service gave the State Department for use in setting the $30 fee.

The State Department said in a statement, "We aren't able to comment on GAO reports before they are officially released."

The department told the GAO it has hired a contractor to perform a new cost study of the fee before December 2008.

"It's sort of a tax," Schumer said. "Where did all the money go? What are they going to do to correct it?" Schumer and Dorgan have asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to determine whether fees should be lowered.

The reputation of the government's passport agency was severely tarnished during the summer, when a processing backlog by July left more than 2 million people waiting for passports. Officials said 500,000 were left waiting more than three months, trying to obtain what typically is ready in six weeks.

Vacations, weddings, honeymoons, business meetings, education plans and nonrefundable deposits all fell victim to the delays. People lost work time waiting in long lines.

"We've had a passport mess in this country," Dorgan said. "Now we find out the same State Department ... has been double-charging with respect to the fee for applying for the passport. This is not acceptable."

Linda Kocher of Wahpeton, N.D., paid twice for three passports this year - the second payment was necessary when the original passports failed to arrive as she was ready to vacation in Mexico.

"You think they're not trying to make any money off me. That's baloney," she said.

The GAO said the State Department and the Postal Service - which are permitted to keep any profits - benefited from a dramatic surge in the numbers of passports issued, rising from 7 million in 2002, including renewals, to more than 18 million over the past year.

The senators estimated the government overcharged travelers $112.7 million during 2002, when just 7 million passports were issued.

The government uses some of its profits to provide free passports to relatives of dead soldiers traveling overseas to attend funeral services. But the senators said it was "inconceivable" all the government's profits were used for those purposes, and they asked Rice for a detailed accounting of where the money went.

More Americans are required to have passports because of new anti-terrorism laws. The State Department has said it expects to issue as many as 23 million passports next year and 30 million more in 2010.

Since January, for the first time, travelers visiting Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda by air have needed passports - or proof they applied for passports. The requirement will take effect for land and sea travelers before June 2009.

Since many Americans travel often to these areas, including regular cross-border travel to Canada and Mexico, the State Department plans to introduce a new $45 Western Hemisphere passport card next spring.

The fee for accepting the applications would drop from $30 to $25 for the card and traditional passport books, under a State Department proposal.

The State Department told congressional investigators its cost for accepting applications at its offices in 2005 had risen to $24.36, virtually the same as the proposed new $25 fee. But consular officials could not describe how they calculated that estimate, investigators said.

The Postal Service initially told the GAO, in April 2006, its cost for accepting applications had jumped to $19. But later the mail service revised its cost estimate upward to $32.86 - adding overhead costs not associated with passport processing - making its cost appear to be higher than the $25 fee it would collect.

"It is unclear whether USPS's estimate accurately reflects its costs," the GAO said.

Finally some common sense on this passport deal.

It looks like we wont be needing passports for the next 2 winters

That will be good news for a lot of people.

I find it interesting people are reluctant to get a passport. I've traveled internationally on biz and pleasure so I've needed one outside of snowmobiling. Maybe if I was only ever going to go to Canada I might feel different but it wasn't until I got my first passport that I realized the importance and power of the document. There is a reason they don't hand them out in a vending machine and it could be the single most important document you ever posses someday. Think about how many people in the world would give anything to be a US citizen and have one?

Sorry, off my soap box now.

Here is a story on how having our passports with us on our last trip Jonquiere saved my vacation. We had reservations for 10 days and during that week the weather was cold where most days didn't get above zero and the wind chill was -cold. My wife was a trooper and rode the first few days but then couldn't take it any longer because the cold was causing too much pain in her bad knee. She didn't want to ruin my vacation but I knew she didn't want to hang out in the hotel room for the rest of the vacation. Many options were discussed and thankfully I had the money and her passport to fly her home from the local airport.

So, everyone thinks they are going to come back the same way they went but $hit happens and you never know when you or someone in your riding group might have to fly home!

Peace.

SC

Got my daughters passport yesterday ONLY 3 weeks, after non expedited application. Have no problem with the requirements plus I plan to take the gang a few other international places.