Canada Bound?

Dave Kutz, president of the Recreational Boating Association of Washington, yesterday emailed out the following reminder.

If Boating to or from Canada next summer, apply for your Passports now.The Passport Office will get very busy and the process takes several weeks.

Beginning June 1, 2009 Passports, a Passport Card or an Enhanced Washington State Drivers License will be required for travel to and from Canada on a boat. A regular driver's license and a birth certificate will no longer suffice.

While a Passport Cards or Enhanced Drivers Licenses are smaller, more convenien and cheaper they do have limited application. Passports on the other hand are good worldwide with no restrictions as to mode of Travel.

At the present time a new passport cost one hundred dollars ($100) and is good for ten years. When applying for a passport, for an  additional twenty dollars, a passport card can also be obtained.

A Passport Card by itself cost forty five dollars ($45) and is good for ten years. It is not known what the cost would be for someone who already has a passport, but except for smaller size there really isn`t any advantage in getting one if you already have a passport.

Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and the State Department are urging everyone who thinks they are going to need one of these documents to apply as soon as possible as this is their slow time of the year. Both organizations feel that as June 1, 2009 gets closer and the traveling public realizes the change in requirement, delays in processing applications could be very long.

I-68`s and NEXUS passes issued prior to June 1, 2009 using a birth certificate or similar document will be valid after June 1, but CBP would appreciate a call advising after one of the new approved documents has been obtained. For questions, call 1-800-562-5943(Washington State only) and ask for the Small Boat Program. As of now I-68`s will continue to be issued after June 1, 2009,

For questions go to Customs & Border Protection.

Many thanks, Dave, for this heads up.

More on the Recreational Boating Association of Washington in a future post.