Ferry to Victoria (Seattle: gardens, authority, license)

[moananui]

What docs are required to board the ferry in Seattle? Will a US d/l suffice?

[sean98125]

Boarding the ferry isn't a problem; it's getting off that is.

You want to have a certified copy of your birth certificate or your passport with you.

[allforcats]

As Sean98125 said, you can get on the ferry easily, but you can't disembark in Canada, nor be granted re-entry into the U.S., unless you have the required documentation.

U.S. citizens entering Canada need the same documents as U.S. citizens re-entering the U.S:
AMCITS • Entering Canada • U.S. Consular Services in Canada (http://www.amcits.com/enter_canada.asp - broken link)

For U.S. citizens re-entering the U.S., here is the sub-page for the Dept. of Homeland Security, listing what one-document entries and what two-document entries are permitted, and the dates these will change:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/land_travel/chnge_in_proced.xml (broken link)
Example of two-document entry is: for identity, valid driver license (unenhanced) PLUS for citizenship, certified copy of birth certificate.

For one-document entry, an alternative to a passport (which confirms both identity and citizenship) is the new Enhanced Driver License which also confirms both identity and citizenship:
"The Enhanced Driver License or ID card (EDL/ID) confirms your identity and citizenship, and is an acceptable alternative to a passport for re-entry into the U.S. at land and sea border crossings."
Here's the WA state link for obtaining that:
WA State Licensing: Get your EDL/ID

[jenlion]

I've been wondering this one too!

What about a small child? We are considering a ferry ride to Victoria this summer. He's 13 months old. We plan to get him a passport soon, but I'm not sure we'll have it yet. I've read SO much conflicting info on the gov't sites.

To make it more complicated, I may go with my grandparents when they visit, but without my husband. Apparently it's more complicated when you're traveling with just one parent.

I've read and reread the info and just keep going in circles. Has anyone recently traveled that way with a child that only has a birth certificate so far? What about with just one parent present?

Is it too long a day to take the ferry to victoria, have a meal, see the gardens, poke around a little, then drive back?

Do you need a car or would you walk on?

[allforcats]

I'm sure if you drill down on the websites you'll find the facts. I do know that border patrols are guarding against child kidnapping by one parent, and I've heard the best way to travel is with a signed, notarized document from the other parent that the travel is known and agreed to by the absent parent.

[jenlion]

I keep seeing that... but then the re-entry requirements are different from the entry ones, and it seems impossible to know what's up-to-date and what's not. I'm hoping someone has actually DONE it lately, too, because what the border agents know and what the laws are currently might not coincide. Once they delayed me for hours in Calgary even though I had everything in order; another time, I did NOT have everything I needed, but they let me on through anyway after some fast-talking, so I'm not convinced they follow their own rules all the time! And that was traveling alone....

[allforcats]

Children:
Halfway down the page of
Important Change in International Land and Sea Travel Document Procedures - CBP.gov (broken link)
is:
"Effective January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizen children ages 18 and under will be expected to present a birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county or municipal authority."

[allforcats]

Children entering Canada:
"Traveling with Children
Due to international concern over child abduction, children traveling with one parent, grandparents or other guardians should carry proof of custody or letters from the non-accompanying parent/s authorizing travel. (This is in addition to proof of the child's citizenship.) Travelers without such documentation may experience delays when seeking admission to another country."
AMCITS • Entering Canada • U.S. Consular Services in Canada (http://www.amcits.com/enter_canada.asp - broken link)

[allforcats]

You know what I would do in your shoes? I'd PRINT the relevant gvmt. website pages close to my date of travel, follow those instructions, and take the pages with me to prove to the border personnel that I've followed their government's instructions to the letter. What do you think? I think that would protect you.

[allforcats]

BTW, I'm not sure if you were asking about the GRANDPARENTS but I'm sure you know they are just "adults over 18" in the eyes of the law, so they have to comply with either the one-document or the two-document method.