Anyone from outside of Canada, including children, who plan on attending the 2015 EAIA Annual Meeting in Quebec City, Canada will need an up to date Passport or a Passport Card to enter and leave Canada. If you don’t have a passport, or yours is in need of renewal, it’s not too late. Got to www.travel.stat.gov/content/passports, and the forms to apply for or renew your passport are there. If this is the first time you’ve applied for a passport, the fee is $135. The cost for renewing your passport is $110. You’ll need to attach a picture to your application, but you can take one with your digital camera, crop it and print it in the required size and attach it to your passport application. It takes 4-6 weeks to process your passport application or 3 weeks if you pay an additional $60 fee. There’s a 24 hour toll-free number at 1-877-467-2778 to help answer questions. You can also visit your local U.S. post office to obtain or renew your passport. The U.S. post office website at www.usps.com/shop/apply-for-a-passport.html will give you the information you need.
There’s also a less expensive option called a U.S. Passport Card. These are valid only for land or sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. They can’t be used for international air travel. They are valid for ten years for adults (anyone over the age of 16) and for 10 years for minors (anyone under age 16). For adults the first time application fee is $55 and if you’ve had a valid passport in the past, the application fee is $30. The fee for minors is $40. You can apply for these also at your local post office or on-line at www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html. The time to process the passport cards is also 4-6 weeks.
So, if you’re coming to Quebec City for The Early American Industries Association Annual Meeting, May 13th-May16th, 2015, and we hope you are, get your Passport or Passport Card up to date!