Should I have a passport?
Well, yeah. You should, for several reasons –
#1 Having a passport means you don’t have to worry about getting one.
The passport application process can take a while (particularly in times of government shutdowns). Paperwork sometimes gets lost or your birth certificate that you think is
an actual birth certificate turns out to be a certification of live birth that
isn’t valid for identification purposes. There is a lot of stress involved when
you have a trip deadline coming up and no passport.
#2 A passport is the ultimate identification as well as
proof of citizenship.
I had a problem with an error on my driver’s license and
it might have been a big hassle to fix, but showing my passport was the quick
proof I needed for verification.
#3 You need a passport for
international travel.
BUT
There are a few exceptions to the passport for travel
requirement. For land or sea travel in North America (Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean,
and a few other destinations), in addition to a passport, you can use a Passport
Card or Enhanced Driver’s License. If you are going on a “closed loop” cruise
(which means you leave from a U.S. port and return to a U.S. port) you can get
away with only having a birth certificate as proof of citizenship, but see item
#1 and make sure that your birth certificate is the ACTUAL certificate (usually
it has a raised seal).
Why E-ID?
The Enhanced Identification is great if you live on a
border state and do a lot of back and forth travel by land into Canada or
Mexico. Michigan, New York, Vermont, and Washington offer this as an add-on option to a driver's license. It costs a little less than a regular passport and works nearly the same as a Passport Card. One caveat with this option though is that every Enhanced Identification Card looks different, since they are issued by the state, not the U.S. Government. Sometimes this can present an issue in another country if you are dealing with someone who hasn't seen that particular card before. For example, the RCMP in British Columbia is pretty familiar with the Washington State E-ID, but the Mexican police might not be.
The Passport Card is a good option for kids, especially for cruises and short Northern Hemisphere vacations, unless you
are flying internationally, in which case it doesn’t work. The passport card is good for 5 years and only costs $40 as opposed to a regular passport which costs $120 and is also good for 5 years. Additionally, you probably don't have any other form of photo identification for your kids, so a passport or a passport card is handy just in case you need to prove who they are.
It used to be that you could add an infant endorsement to your own passport, but nowadays every international traveler, regardless of age, needs their own.
However, bear in mind that if you have some sort of travel mishap (like
miss the boat at a port of call) or a medical or family emergency you will have a really difficult time
trying to fly home without a passport. One more reason why having an
actual passport is a good idea.
#4 You may need to flee the country at a moment's notice.
I'm kidding, well mostly kidding, sort of. This is a bit of a repeat of #1, but sometimes I am asked about a last minute deal on a cruise or a great vacation to an exotic locale and what often hinks up the travel plans is the not-having-a-passport-thing. Do yourself a favor and get one. Then if you decide you want to fly off to Paris next week (or anytime in the next 10 years) you don't have to worry about the paperwork, only calling your travel agent!
For more information about passports, visit the official website here: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
For more travel tips, please visit my blog.