<p>We applied at US post office, non expedited, for 3 in our family.
All brand new passports.
We applied about 3 weeks ago and they came in mail today.</p>
<p>My kids just renewed their passports and it took less than 3 weeks. </p>
<p>I once had to get on a plane and fly a passportto someone stranded in Canada – she entered without a passport but they wouldn’t let her out! I flew to Seattle, literally got off the plane and handed my passport to her companionand hoppedback on the plane.</p>
<p>PG- was she a US citizen? I have been told they cannot NOT let you back into the US if you are a citizen and can ID yourself. It may be a hassle, but they have to let you in or so they say. We are very near the border so these issues are a topic of frequent discussion</p>
<p>This was our housekeeper, who was a Polish citizen and then became a US citizen - I am not recalling whether this was on her Polish passport or her eventual US passport, but I want to say it was a US passport. I know that she went with a male friend on a trip to Seattle, they decided to go over the border for a day trip - and then she got stuck there and needed the passport! I redeemed frequent flyer miles, got into yoga pants and brought a bunch of magazines and literally flew to Seattle, stepped off the plane, found her male companion (who had come back to Seattle to meet me), handed him the passport, and turned around and flew back to Chicago!</p>
<p>^^It’s the U.S. that won’t allow you back in without the proper identification, citizen or not. This is the reason that Canada will no longer allow U.S. citizens in without the proper I.D. for the return.</p>
<p>Ah, okay! That makes sense.</p>
<p>I remember my son had to get a new passport for his trip to Israel a few years ago because he did not have 6 months left on his passport. I thought it was an Israeli government requirement, but according to the US State Dept website it is the AIRLINES that require this.
</p>
<p>My Canada/passport story dates back to 1974 when I invited my Iranian college roommate (yes, I wonder what happened to him) to my home in suburban Detroit. Remember the energy crisis? There were no Christmas lights that year in downtown Detroit, so on a whim we jumped into the car and headed for Windsor Ontario where there was a traditional display of Christmas lights. We go over the bridge and were stopped on the Canadian side… uhhh… we had no papers… fine for me at the time, but my Iranian roommate was rejected, so we were turned around and sent back to the US side. At the US side we were also challenged for my roommate’s lack of papers. I had visions of being stuck on the bridge forever. They eventually let us through with a symbolic smack on the head… .what were we thinking?? (we weren’t)</p>
<p>I have a question about the “enhanced Drivers License” and “enhanced ID”.</p>
<p>What is the purposes of these extra paper? Why you bother to have them, if you already have DL and Passport? And lastly, what are the differences between the enhanced DL and ID?</p>
<p>I understand on the enhanced cards, there is a chip that the custom can scan for your personal info, but why the extra steps? Aren’t the passports do the job already?</p>
<p>Oh - that reminds me - I had to get a new passport when traveling to Saudi Arabia last year, as I had been to Israel in 2007 and had an Israel stamp on my passport. Fun times.</p>
<p>artloversplus, the enhanced DL can be used instead of a passport when going between the U.S. and Canada. You don’t need both.</p>
<p>
A card is easier to keep in your wallet than the passport. Very handy for spur of the moment trips over the bridge if you live in Metro Detroit. Although not sure it’s worth an additional $30.</p>
<p>My H doesn’t have a passport- but he needed something to travel to Canada.
I only have a passport because when D was in India & we couldn’t get a hold of her- I thought I was going to have to go there and track her down!
It’s nice to have though- I also got a passport card at the same time so I don’t have to carry the passport around.</p>
<p>D wanted an enhanced ID because where she is going to school, Vancouver is closer than Seattle & yes it is a lot easier to carry a card than a passport.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, the same thing happened to my daughter. She had an Israel stamp on her passport and had planned to go to Morocco while studying abroad. Luckily she realized she would not be allowed in with the stamp on her passport before she went! </p>
<p>A good friend knew not to let Israel stamp her passport as she was going to be studying and traveling in countries that would not allow her in with the Israel stamp. You do have the option of not having your passport stamped.</p>
<p>^ Wow! I hope this doesn’t sound TOO ignorant, but why no stamp from Israel? Just having VISITED means something?</p>
<p>EK- tell your DD to get Nexxus not the enhanced DL. Nexxus is $50 for 5 years and it allows you to take the special lanes which can be much faster.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap- There are some countries that will not allow you to enter if you have your passport stamped with an Israel stamp. You can ask to have only your entry permit stamps if you know you will travel to countries that will not allow you in with an Israeli stamp.</p>
<p>These procedures regularly change, with some countries accepting tourists with Israeli stamps in them, while previously tolerant countries will suddenly tolerant counties will change their policies with no fanfare or reason.</p>
<p>Because, shrinkwrap, many of these savage countries are still living in the 17th century.</p>
<p>^^I never knew that. Does the same happen reversely? Does an entry to Israel get denied with a stamp from, uh, Lybia for example?</p>
<p>Same goes for Cuba if you plan on visiting as an American, they’ll stamp a separate piece of paper like an entry form.</p>