Travel Tips and Resources

Our office is contacted frequently for information on passports, fingerprinting, visa requirements, and travel documents for children. To assist you better, we have provided for you the following links. If you have more tips and resources you’d like to recommend, please send us a comment below.

Passport Canada

• Be sure your passport does NOT expire within 6 months of travel.
• Everyone is required to travel with their Passport (adults, children and babies).
• For more information, click Passport Canada.

Fingerprinting for Passport Renewals for Other Countries

• If you require a set of fingerprints be taken for passport renewal (not required for Canadian Passports), click Fingerprinting Services in Calgary. Open Monday to Saturday and occasional evenings.

Permission to Travel with Children

• Your children and babies need their own passports.
• Extra documents may be required such as birth certificate which shows who the child’s legal parents are. If one parent is deceased; you may need to bring a death certificate.
• If you are travelling without the other parent, you may need a legal document showing you have sole custody of your child, a Court Order that grants you permission to travel with the child or a Parental Consent Letter (see Sample Travel Authorization below).
• Click here for Sample Travel Authorization for Children Travelling Abroad. This is a sample only. It does not guarantee travel–you may need to seek legal advice in this regard. You need to have it signed in front of a lawyer who can notarize it and offer legal advice, if required. You may need to modify this sample to suit your specific needs.
• Unable to get the consent of the other parent to travel? Contact our office for your free consultation.
• For Notary Services or Information on Obtaining a Court Order (Calgary Residents only) granting you permission to travel with your children without the consent of the non-travelling parent, contact: 403-229-2774.

Travel Tips for Canadians and Non-Canadians

• Foreign Affairs website: tips before you go (Registration of Canadians Abroad, Traveller’s Checklist, Pre-Boarding Information, Passports, Visa Requirements for Non- Canadians, and Travelling with Children)
• Canada Border Services Agency: travel tips, travelling for business, safety and security, importing, moving back to Canada, travel documents, and admissibility into the United States)

Travel for Business & Frequent Travellers

• Nexus is designed to expedite the border clearance process for low-risk, pre-approved travellers into Canada and the United States.
• Commercial Driver Registration program expedites travel for commercial truck drivers.

United States Waiver

• If you have a criminal record, you might need to apply for a Waiver before going to the United States.
• Processing times: 6 to 12 months (plan in advance!)
• Click here for more information on US Entry Waivers.

Visas

• For general information on visa requirements for Canadians and Non-Canadians when travelling, check the Foreign Affairs website.
• If you are from a Visa Waiver country, you may NOT need a Visa Waiver when travelling to the United States for a period of 90 days or less.
• If you are from a Visa Waiver Participating country, you may need to apply for a Visa Waiver if you are travelling to the U.S. for more than 90 days, have a criminal record, or if you prefer (applying for one might facilitate faster travel as the port officer does not have to assess visa requirements when you are not in possession of one).
• Click here for more information on the Visa Waiver Program.
• It is an offence to attempt entry to the United States without a proper Visa/Waiver if you are from a Visa/Waiver country. Travelling without the proper paperwork may make you inadmissible.

Everything You Wanted to Know about Google Flights

• Possibly the new way to travel?
• Check out this blog for the best tips on finding cheap flights with Google Flights
• I’d be interested to know if you have success with Google Flights (feel free to comment below).

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