Hi, Were your children able to fly back without a PRTD? I'm in a similar situation but haven't been able to find any info.
PRTD for US Citizen
- Thread starter nvap23
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You need to clarify what exactly situation is - in the case above, prtd was actually not the right answer anyway because the children hadn't yet landed (they were not yet prs). And critical in this case were also us passport holders.
In our case, since Children completed landing procedures earlier, they were allowed to enter Canada by both airlines and border agents at the airport without PRTD or PR card using their US passport. But since this is a grey area, my advise is that US citizens should apply for PRTD or PR card when flying into Canada to avoid any uncertainty.
We are PRs but haven't received our PR cards yet. My kid is a US citizen. I wanted to know if I need to apply for a PRTD only for me or for my kid too if we travel to India and back. Thanks!
We are in a similar situation. Me and my wife are PR (cards received). Kid born in USA currently in Canada with an eCOPR. While we wait for the PR card to arrive, we would like to Travel to India. Should I apply for PRTD for my kid ( he holds a US passport) . Can he enter Canada on the US passport or is the PRTD required since he holds an eCOPR. Thanks !
Have you found a solution for this situation? We are in a similar situation now and would like to know , whether we need to apply PRTD for a US citizen kid while traveling back from Canada .
Hi, can you please share what did you do? I am in same situation, US born kid yet to get the card
This is very odd question. Why would US Citizen child in possession of US Passport need PRTD to travel to Canada? The whole purpose of PRTD is to allow non-immigrant to travel (by air or land) to Canada. US Citizens don't need a special travel document to enter Canada, they can do so under visa waiver agreement. If the child is a PR and you want him to enter Canada as such, there is no need for PRTD. You just have to notify border agent that he is Canadian PR, they will verify his information in database and admit him as PR.
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How did this go for you? Also seeing people on this forum mentioning American's don't need a PRTD, but I can find that anywhere on the IRCC website. Curious how it went for you.
My guess is you will never find a document that says US citizens do not need a PRTD.
Because the question is, need it for what exactly? The trick is that much of the time the 'enforcement' of PR card/PRTD requirement is put onto the airlines (or 'common carriers').
For PRs:
-most non-US nationalities need a PR card or PRTD to board a flight to Canada.
-any PR who is in USA can eg cross the border by foot and just identify themselves (much easier with a PR card or PRTD but not technically required).
-this is obviously easier for those that don't need visas to enter USA or already have them.
Yes, US citizen-PRs can just use their US passport to board a flight. Mostly this means they don't need PR cards or PRTDs. (But remember, US citizens can't be denied entry to USA, so they could all just fly to detroit or whatever and walk across anyway; it's more convenient but doesn't alter the fundamentals that much).
Covid: as I recall, it SEEMS there were a few cases where US citizens got caught in a catch-22 (of sorts) and couldn't board flights to Canada. "Normal" US citizens (not Canadian PRs) could mostly not travel to Canada (baord a plane) due to covid rules (or only with specific exemptions). US citizen-PRs could not be denied entry to Canada at a port of entry (or at least, on same basis as before covid).
BUT: it seems a few were treated as if these were entirely separate requirements, and denied boarding (and therefore could not get to a port of entry by plane to declare as PRs - although they could have flown to detroit and walked across).
I.e. if you want to board a plane as a PR of Canada, then you need a pR card or PRTD; if you want to board as a US citizen, you need to show you benefit from an exemption specifically for US citizens (essential workers and some others I think?). [I hope my phrasing of this makes sense to others.]
Now, probably this was not intentional, jsut a lack of clarity about what to apply to US citizen-PRs during covid. It is, at any rate, now irrelevant.
So probably we return to the pre-covid situation: US passport holders, whether PRs or not, probably do not need PR cards or PRTDs.
But... what vaccionation rules etc apply, quarantine, etc., - I've stopped following. Check carefully. Use the arrivecan app. Ask your airline just in case - sometimes they themselves don't know.
And if you're a US citizen, well, worst case scenario (I think), you fly to detroit or seattle or whatever and find your way to a land border.