Will my US passport be stamped if I travel to Canada or Mexico by?
When my daughter was about five, we brought our passports with us when we took a trip up to Grand Marais, MN. She really wanted her passport stamped. We'd been all over the US, but not out of the country yet with her. We rock up to the nearby US-Canada border and we're asked the purpose of our visit. I explain. We don't do that anymore, he says. After the usual questioning, he has us park and come into the building, where he ceremoniously stamps my daughter's passport. We drive maybe fifteen minutes into Canada, and pull over to get out and stretch our legs. My son gets bitten by a big mosquito. We turn around and head back. What was the purpose of your visit to Canada? we're asked on the American side. I explain. The agent gets a serious look on his face. Park over there and come inside with your passports for inspection, he barks. We do so. When he comes to my daughter, he inspects her passport, looks at her, back and forth, for a silent minute. He reaches for a stamp and stamps her passport. Can't let those Canucks get ahead, he mutters. He winks at us. Welcome home, he says.