How to re-enter the country ... without a passport (1 Viewer)

[chet]

My daughter is dual Canadian / American and is a college student in Canada. She recently applied for a replacement American passport but even with expedited service, it may not arrive before she wants to return to Chicago for Christmas vacation.  

Does anyone have suggestions for returning to the US without an American passport? Should she present her Canadian passport and explain her predicament? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[arrow1]

Come in from the South

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Cardboard box with air holes.

 

[Phil Elliott]

My daughter is dual Canadian / American and is a college student in Canada. She recently applied for a replacement American passport but even with expedited service, it may not arrive before she wants to return to Chicago for Christmas vacation.  

Does anyone have suggestions for returning to the US without an American passport? Should she present her Canadian passport and explain her predicament? Any advice is appreciated.

This just happened to my daughter. Used expedited service for passport renewal. She contacted local senator's office a couple weeks ago and they had it resolved in two days. She was able to go on her trip last week.

 

[chet]

This just happened to my daughter. Used expedited service for passport renewal. She contacted local senator's office and they had it resolved in two days. She was able to go on her trip last week.

Thx

Who do you mean by local senator?  One of the two senators who represent your state in DC or a state senator?

 

[Osaurus]

No private jet landing at a covert air strip?

 

[Sand]

My daughter is dual Canadian / American and is a college student in Canada. She recently applied for a replacement American passport but even with expedited service, it may not arrive before she wants to return to Chicago for Christmas vacation.  

Does anyone have suggestions for returning to the US without an American passport? Should she present her Canadian passport and explain her predicament? Any advice is appreciated.

Can she not just come over on the Canadian passport?  I don't see why she can't just present at the border and come over as a Canadian.

 

[chet]

Can she not just come over on the Canadian passport?  I don't see why she can't just present at the border and come over as a Canadian.

If you are a citizen of a country, you must use that passport to enter the country. She could get into a lot of trouble by pretending she’s not American. Plus, the border guard will surely know because she registered both passports when she got NEXUS. 

 

[El Floppo]

This just happened to my daughter. Used expedited service for passport renewal. She contacted local senator's office a couple weeks ago and they had it resolved in two days. She was able to go on her trip last week.

we're going away for thanksgiving. 

got expedited passport for floppinha... sent out a while ago- beginning of Sept. the wife contacted our local congress person, as US passport service was no help (but hey- we can pay extra on top of the extra to have it over-nighted when it's ready). we JUST got it on Monday.

 

[ChiefD]

You'll have the replacement passport in two weeks.

 

[El Floppo]

If you are a citizen of a country, you must use that passport to enter the country. She could get into a lot of trouble by pretending she’s not American. Plus, the border guard will surely know because she registered both passports when she got NEXUS. 

this is a naive/dumb question- but doesn't the Canadian passport make her a dual citizen? she wouldn't be pretending?

 

[Phil Elliott]

Thx

Who do you mean by local senator?  One of the two senators who represent your state in DC or a state senator?

Senator representing state in DC. She is in Houston and contacted Ted Cruz's office.

 

[Kal El]

Legally? Probably not a lot to do quickly. I do know that the Canadian border is very long and mostly open, so they can do whatever they wish with that information.

 

[Chemical X]

If you are a citizen of a country, you must use that passport to enter the country. She could get into a lot of trouble by pretending she’s not American. Plus, the border guard will surely know because she registered both passports when she got NEXUS. 

i am no expert, but have read a lot aboot visa stuff.  so, she holds both us and canadian passports?  if that’s the case, the us requires you to use a us passport to enter and leave the country; however, i am quite certain you can also use a passport card or a nexus card to enter and leave.  i have a trusted traveler card and have read a little about nexus i think it is.  you get a card i believe.  if her card is valid, that should be good enough to pass the canuck border.  that’s the whole point of the card.

 

[Nigel]

Pretty sure @gordon gekkocan sort this out right quick.

 

[Sand]

If you are a citizen of a country, you must use that passport to enter the country. She could get into a lot of trouble by pretending she’s not American. Plus, the border guard will surely know because she registered both passports when she got NEXUS. 

Ok, in that case I recommend she revoke US citizenship.

 

[eoMMan]

Canoe around the south of Africa and come up through the Thousand Islands in FL. 

 

[Major]

My daughter is dual Canadian / American and is a college student in Canada. She recently applied for a replacement American passport but even with expedited service, it may not arrive before she wants to return to Chicago for Christmas vacation.  

Does anyone have suggestions for returning to the US without an American passport? Should she present her Canadian passport and explain her predicament? Any advice is appreciated.

The rules used to be more relaxed if driving versus flying (no passport needed, etc).  Something to look into.  

 

[fatness]

In an Amazon Prime van.

 

[dkp993]

You'll have the replacement passport in two weeks.

“Two weeks” will be the gift that keeps giving around here for years to come. 

 

[Ron Swanson]

... a lot aboot visa stuff. 

I see what you did there, Bubbles.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Paging @gordon gekko

 

[BeTheMatch]

Pretty sure @gordon gekkocan sort this out right quick.

Beat me to it!

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Nice try, Al Qaeda, but we aren't falling for it.

 

[Runkle]

Trebuchet 

 

[Nick Vermeil]

You'll have the replacement passport in two weeks.

This is actually true. I just did it. 2new applications and 2 renewals expedited arrived in two weeks (they quoted 6). 

 

[Harry Frogfish]

Bored meeting for CYDY heads of staff.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

why on earth would she not have a valid passport?

she's going to school in another country.  i'm confused.

you can pay for expedited replacement.

 

[shadrap]

My daughter is dual Canadian / American and is a college student in Canada. She recently applied for a replacement American passport but even with expedited service, it may not arrive before she wants to return to Chicago for Christmas vacation.  

Does anyone have suggestions for returning to the US without an American passport? Should she present her Canadian passport and explain her predicament? Any advice is appreciated.

Happened to me 2 years ago coming back from Canada.  Actually lost my wallet.  Border guy let me through after checking car registration, car insurance; i.e. anything to show kinda who I was.   they have the discretion to overlook some regulations.

 

[chet]

why on earth would she not have a valid passport?

she's going to school in another country.  i'm confused.

you can pay for expedited replacement.

Passports expire.  Her US passport is set to expire in Jan.  You are required to submit your current passport and passport card when applying for a replacement passport.

 

[Exit 1]

Sounds like a good lesson for her. Even though passports expire, they are good for ten years (five years if issued when under age 16). She's had plenty of time to renew it.

 

[Runkle]

Sounds like a good lesson for her. Even though passports expire, they are good for ten years (five years if issued when under age 16). She's had plenty of time to renew it.

One thing many people don't know that you can't use a passport to enter a foreign country in the last six months it's valid. So if your passport expires 12/31/2022, you can't use it to enter another country after 7/1/2022, even though "it's still good" for the rest of the year. Because the country you're entering doesn't want to have to keep track of you if it expires while you're there, if you get sick and stuck in a hospital for months, etc. Really you should renew before it's down to one year left, just to be safe. 

 

[CGRdrJoe]

pm @shuke

 

[Osaurus]

El Chapo probably has some good ideas. 

 

[Chemical X]

Passports expire.  Her US passport is set to expire in Jan.  You are required to submit your current passport and passport card when applying for a replacement passport.

does she have her nexus card?

 

[chet]

does she have her nexus card?

It's expired and we have been trying for over a year to get an appointment for renewal.  

 

[matuski]

Passports expire.  Her US passport is set to expire in Jan.  You are required to submit your current passport and passport card when applying for a replacement passport.

Pending her age when she acquired it she had a decade or a half to plan for that.

 

[matuski]

It's expired and we have been trying for over a year to get an appointment for renewal.  

Ah if that is the issue, that sucks.  I take back the above.

 

[matuski]

In that case.  Meet her somewhere in Montana or North Dakota.

 

[brun]

Tell her to go to Toronto. Get into a barrel and float down the Niagara River. Meet her in Buffalo. A little bit of a bump at the border but she should be fine.

 

[wilked]

It's expired and we have been trying for over a year to get an appointment for renewal.  

Might be time to fire that expediter…

 

[whoknew]

Pending her age when she acquired it she had a decade or a half to plan for that.

That's very helpful.

 

[matuski]

That's very helpful.

You too friend, lets keep this string of posts going for all the help we are providing.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

My daughter is dual Canadian / American and is a college student in Canada. She recently applied for a replacement American passport but even with expedited service, it may not arrive before she wants to return to Chicago for Christmas vacation.  

Does anyone have suggestions for returning to the US without an American passport? Should she present her Canadian passport and explain her predicament? Any advice is appreciated.

Is she really fast?  Or is she a strong swimmer?

I was going to say to use her Nexus, but I see that expired.  In Canada they have a fast-track program that you pay a little more for.  We got passports within a week.  Does the US not have something similar.  What about her getting a meeting at the embassy.  I'm sure this is not uncommon.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Passports expire.  Her US passport is set to expire in Jan.  You are required to submit your current passport and passport card when applying for a replacement passport.

i'm aware. i've had one for quite some time now.  one used to be able to pay to have it expedited.  the faster you want it, the more it will cost.  

it's a good lesson for her.  no way she should have started this schooling abroad without a passport that was valid for the entire time she was planning on being abroad.