Why do I need a birth certificate to get into Canada?

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CanTexan

Birth certificate is not "superior" to photo ID.

To legally cross international borders (regardless of the countries involved), the individual MUST HAVE both of the following:
- a photographic identification (driver's license, passport, etc)
- proof of citizenship (birth certificate, passport, naturalization papers, etc).

Photographic evidence (in the form of driver's license or passport) means your photo is associated with anumber somewhere in a government file, and it proves visually that you are who you say you are.

Proof of citizenship is another document, also registered through a goevernment agency, and cross-indexed against all kinds of data about you. It's to prove your nationality/citizenship only.

In theory, it is much harder to forge the citizenship papers than it is to forge a lesser document (like a driver's license). This is why it is also required. Notice that passport falls into both photgraphic ID and citizenship ... thus the ease of using a passport for travel.

eric l

9/11 fallout; We also need a pasport to go to Mexico.

ocpunk74

first of all a photo id can be forged very easily.you do not need to be a citizen to have an id. the birthcertificate has a state or fedral seal on it and is an official document. this will not work for very much longer though. you will need a photo id passport. without that you will be locked in the country. it is a matter of national security. with the birth certificate it proves you are a citizen of the united states of america.

thewanderer862006

The certificate has a stamp that shows its authenticity.

cottagstan

Photo ID's are easy to fake. Better still, get a Passport and eliminate a lot of questions.

Cariad

A birth certificate has many inbedded security features which a picture (right now) does not. It is kind of like money, how the feel of it, the watermarks etc let us know it is "legit" money. A birth certificate has a seal on it which is raised and can be felt (a reason btwo why they cannot be laminated), a watermark is present, the lines on a birth certificate are a certain way and there is a shadow image. (each birth certificate from each state is different; but these are ones that are common) In general too, a birth certificate shows where you were born; a common way to see your citizenship.

A birth certificate cannot be used alone however. You do need that picture ID to confirm you are the person you say you are on the birth certificate.

Pichi

You need two kinds of ID
1) Photo ID which verifies who you are ...
2) Birth certificate or passport, which is proof of citizenship.

That is whay you need both .. both to show who you are, and to prove citizenship.
Getting back into the U.S. it's more strict than getting into Canada.

cupidtoo

Effective January 23, 2007, all U.S. citizens traveling by air to and from Canada are required to have a valid passport to enter the United States.

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