To determine U.S. citizenship, the State Department asks that applicants do the following: complete a citizenship questionnaire; provide Official Provincial Birth Record; provide identification, such as a Canadian driver's license or passport; provide evidence if the applicant's name has changed; provide evidence of U.S. citizenship of applicant's parents and a certified copy of parents' marriage certificate (and/or certified documents showing termination of parents' previous marriages, if applicable); provide evidence of parents' residence or physical presence in the United States. Once U.S. citizenship is determined, an applicant should begin procuring and preparing the required documentation for a passport.
Depending on whether a Canadian citizen has been issued a U.S. passport in the past, he or she must complete a DS-11 (first-time) or DS-82 form (renewing). A new applicant must provide a completed (but unsigned) DS-11 form in person at a U.S. consulate with the following information: proof of U.S. citizenship; proof of legal status in Canada; identification; proof of name change (if applicable); two identical passport-sized photographs; and appropriate fees, payable by cash, credit card, or bank check or money order (in U.S. dollars) made out to U.S. Consulate General.
Canadian citizens may apply for a U.S. passport by going to one of eight regional U.S. consulates. These consulates are located in Ottowa, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg (emergency services only), Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and Halifax. Canadian citizens wishing to renew their U.S. passport may do so by mail with the DS-82 form (despite contradicting information on the form itself [http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/passport_renewal.asp]). Processing times vary by season, but are frequently four weeks. While passports are usually held at the consulate, applicants may include a self-addressed stamped XPress Post envelope.
