Passport application and travel from US

[pdo]

question on applying for first passport:

presently working in the US, where I’m also a citizen. Will be in Canada for a couple weeks in late June and from what I understand, there’s no issue for me as a Canadian citizen crossing the border on a US passport if I don’t get have a CAN passport.

wondering if there’s any advantage to applying for passport in person rather than through the mail in the US. Partly, this is to alleviate stress about citizenship certificate getting lost. But, also, just seems easier. But, it would have to be an express application, and even then, timing could be a little tight.

thoughts?

 

[forw.jane]

question on applying for first passport:

presently working in the US, where I’m also a citizen. Will be in Canada for a couple weeks in late June and from what I understand, there’s no issue for me as a Canadian citizen crossing the border on a US passport if I don’t get have a CAN passport.

wondering if there’s any advantage to applying for passport in person rather than through the mail in the US. Partly, this is to alleviate stress about citizenship certificate getting lost. But, also, just seems easier. But, it would have to be an express application, and even then, timing could be a little tight.

thoughts?

Apply in person in Canada and let it get delivered to USA? In person they will return your certificate after checking.

 

[pdo]

Oh interesting. I hadn’t thought of that as an option. This is possible I guess?

 

[nyguy2]

If you apply in person to pick up the passport in Canada, it's $100 cheaper (assuming you go for a 10 year passport, $160 applying within Canada, $260 if applying from/mailed to the USA). Expediting for urgent pickup (by end of the next business day) is $110... so would cost you $10 more to apply in person ($160 applying in Canada + $110 urgent fee = $270, vs $260 to apply via mail from the US) for urgent pickup. I'm not sure if proof or a reason is required for urgent pickup.

Even if you apply in person for it to be mailed (same $260 cost as applying by mail), as forw.jane said, you would not have to mail original proof of citizenship and risk it getting lost in the mail. Also, you would not have to pay for postage to the passport program (Priority Mail is over $20 now, UPS/Fedex are more reliable but even more $$$... I paid just short of $30 for UPS Worldwide Saver and that's a pretty steep negotiated discount far lower than UPS Retail counter rates.)

My experience is that to the US, Canada ships the passports via Canada Post Priority Worldwide. Canada post takes the package, tenders it to FedEx, and FedEx performs actual delivery in the US. Wayyyyy more reliable than the US Postal Service. You could apply in person to have it mailed back to the US (although I did this in 2017 because I didn't know my next entry into Canada, they found it really weird, and called my guarantor before I could even get back in my car after leaving the passport office...)

One convenience that might justify spending the $10 extra and the trip to apply in person is that if you have NEXUS, you could potentially visit a NEXUS office and have your documentation update done to put your citizenship on your CBSA Nexus and US Global Entry trusted traveler profiles. Since I had my passport mailed to me in 2017, I had to do that after landing at YYZ on a subsequent trip.

(Once a citizenship/passport is on your trusted traveler profile, you can update to new document numbers/expiration dates for that document [example: Canadian passport] on the CBP/TTP site. But adding it for the first time is done in person. I understand there may now be some online procedure like an email, but I'm not sure if that was temporary due to COVID or not.)