Will be going into Canada to visit Niagara Falls with my husband and 14 year old stepdaughter. My husband and I both have passports. What ID should I bring for stepdaughter?
I do not have her birth certificate because we applied for her passport in June and that document wont be returned until we get the passport. It could come before we leave but I don't want to count on that. What other ID will suffice? If you know of a link with all the details I can look at that would be great!
Thanks,
Annika

Unfortunately you will need both a picture ID and the original birth certificate. And believe me they are especially careful with teenage girls (there are a lot of sickos out there as well as innocent girls doing stupid things).

So either wait for the passport, see if you can have it fast-tracked now, or get an official, notarized duplicate with seal birth certificate from the state.

Call the office you sent it to and have it expedited.

The problem will not be getting into Canada but being allowed re-entry into the United States.

Don't know where you live, but I live in the county where my kids were born. If I go to city hall and pay a fee, I can get as many sealed birth certificates as I am willing to pay for.

My experience with my daughter is that Canada is very strict now. Comming back is a piece of cake.

You will also need evidence from mom that she is allowed to travel out of the country.

Since you mentioned step daughter. You also might want to check if her mother needs to give written permission for her daughter to be taken out of the country...

You may also need a notarized letter from your step-daughter's mother allowing you to take her out of the country.

From the U.S. Customs website:

http://tinyurl.com/men3o

Thanks all! Looks like I have some work to do and thanks for the link.
Annika

We just made the same trip, crossing at Port Huron. They were extremely thorough, and you aren't going wrong with getting the paperwork as listed- because you will need it.

Just an update. We called the passport agency to have her passport expedited. It will be here in time for the trip. It was an additional $80.00 but worth it. I'd rather have her passport than jump through all the other hoops. I would of had to secure another birth certificate, government issued ID and a notorized letter from the ex.
Now that I know we will have the passport do you still think we need a notorized letter from the ex? She had to give her consent to get the passport.
(The link that buffalogirl sent me didn't indicate a notorized letter would be necessary if you had a passport).
Thanks,
Annika

Get the letter.

My brother once got pulled over crossing into Quebec with his sons (to meet my parents for dinner in Montreal). They put all three of them in different rooms and gave them somewhat of an interrogation because my SIL wasn't with them.

Yes - you still need the letter from the mom. The purpose is to ensure that you and your husband aren;t taking your daughter out of the country as part of a custody battle.

Okay. Thanks for the recommendation.
I still don't know how they would even know she is not my daughter though. We all have the same last name and share the same ethnic backgrounds. Do you know what I mean?
Annika

You really do need the letter. My husband and I are married and birth parents of our daughter - yet when I took her alone to England she was asked a few innocent sounding questions by security that seemed designed to see if her father/my husband knew about the trip (we had a notarized letter and were never asked for it)

In your case with stepdaughter being traveler and birth parent not traveling, I think it is even more important.

Just wanted to say-
My husband, her (birth) father is traveling with us and she is 14. She's not a young child but a teen.

Get the letter, no matter how much of a pain it is to deal with the birth mother.

Okay. Thanks everyone. No sense in beating this question to death. I will seek out a letter as suggested.
Annika

Coincidently my morning newspaper had a full page flier on Canada travel with some helpful website links. I searched info in the link.
www.travel.state.gov

I found under "Tips for Travelers to Canada" that you do indeed NEED the notorized letter.

Not that I was questioning all your good advice .
Just wanted to point out that you are indeed correct and it is necessary.
Thanks,
Annika