How many passports can you have on border crossing?

Babies and passports? Crossing the CDN-US border?

• This summer, we will be crossing the border by car into the US for some vacation time. Our daughter will be 1 year old by the time we go, but I just had one question regarding it. I know that if you are crossing the border by car that she doesn't need a passport, just a valid birth certificate. I was just wondering, my husband's mother [our daughter's grandmother] wants to take her over for a weekend and was just wondering if they will let her take the baby across the border cause they have different last names? Also, at what age do they require her to have a photo passport? Just wondering cause her health card doesn't have a picture and probably won't for a few years thank you

• Answer:

  Just to make a note, all passports are photo passports and a passport can be issued to a child at any age. Passports for children under 3 are only valid for 3 years. A child having a passport issued prior to age 1 can have a free passport issued during the 3 years to reflect changes as they grow. This is only valid for the remaining portion of the 3 years period. All passport photos for children this young must be taken no more than 1 month prior to application. As stated in a previous answer, to take your daughter across the border her grandmother would require a letter signed by both of you authorizing her to take the child across the border. It should contain identification information for the grandmother, your daughter, and contact information for both you and your spouse. Also, although not required but suggested, it should be notarized and, if not, must be witnessed. Contact information for the witness must also be included in the letter. Edit: "Old lady" mentions special free passports for children, sorry to disappoint her but a standard passport for a child under 3 is $22 for a 24 page passport and $24 for a 48 page passport. There are no free initial passports. However, like I stated in my answer, parents of an infant can get a free replacement passport during the first 3 years of the child's life to replace a passport issued prior to the child turning 1. This passport however is only valid for the remaining balance of the initial 3 years period, not another 3 years. Once the 3 year period has elapsed you can then get a 5 year passport (or if the child is 3 or older this is the one you apply for) for $37 up to age 15.