Should I bring my Passport while traveling on Amtrak?

[George Harris]

Having a passport can be useful. I would say, carry it. They fit nicely in a ziploc bag so you can avoid it getting worn and dirty. Of course the problem from some people's perspective is that it does not have your address in it unless you write it in. Having a current driver's license will probably be more likely than a passport to make local cops happy.

The immigration people at airports can be very strange at times. In fact, I have experienced getting into the US more of a hassle than all other places I have gone to in my travels. My classic was coming to the US from Taiwan with my oldest son for him to start college was coming in at Seattle, when, after plopping down US passports their first question was, "Why are you entering the United States." I told them but my thought process was, why should I need to explain why I am coming into the country of which I am a born citizen? In general, don't do anything to aggravate these people. These are nice jobs for the high school bully that never got over it. Unless they are way out of line, the fight to win even if you are right can be far more hassle than it is worth.

 

[PVD]

I used to work quite a bit with CBP, in the international arrivals area of my airport. Some were jerks, yes, but in general they're pretty good folks and not ***holes. Now, I also had cause to interact with the CET teams on the field and they're a different group. The classic 'bad cop' stereotype to the life. Obnoxious, go out of their way to intimidate, annoying in the extreme, and purposely looking to find someone to give trouble to; they literally seem to enjoy bad behavior. Oh, are we delaying your flight? Don't care. Border patrol is similar.

Yes, that is why I made it a point to mention that while they are technically under the same umbrella, they are different groups, with very different cultures.

 

[PVD]

They still refuse to issue standard Real ID driver licenses and IDs. The difficulty is that permanent residents aren't eligible for the enhanced DL/ID, although I heard that they justify this by stating that permanent residents already have their green cards and are required to carry them anyways.

I know a few Washington state residents who are US permanent residents.

I guess Real ID isn't exactly the same as proof of status since something like permanent residency is up for renewal, but Real ID can renew indefinitely. Not sure if there's any requirement to recheck documents.

In NY DMV will issue Real ID to non-citizens, but the expiration date of legal status (if any) will be recorded. You must show extension in order to renew your license. Unlike Enhanced, Real ID does not require citizenship.

 

[tricia]

Having a passport can be useful. I would say, carry it. They fit nicely in a ziploc bag so you can avoid it getting worn and dirty. Of course the problem from some people's perspective is that it does not have your address in it unless you write it in. Having a current driver's license will probably be more likely than a passport to make local cops happy.

I have had no experience with being asked if I have a right to be in the country otherwise than upon entry. The immigration people at airports can be very strange at times. In fact I have experienced getting into the US more of a hassle than all other places I have gone to in my travels. My classic was coming to the US from Taiwan with my oldest son for him to start college was coming in at Seattle, when, after plopping down US passports their first question was, "Why are you entering the United States." I told them but my thought process was, why should I need to explain why I am coming into the country of which I am a born citizen? In general, don't do anything to aggravate these people. These are nice jobs for the high school bully that never got over it. Unless they are way out of line, the fight to win even if you are right can be far more hassle than it is worth.

In general, you're right. But I've experienced exceptions, notably one border agent whose first words on looking at my passport were "Welcome home." I wish that were SOP.

 

[jis]

In general, you're right. But I've experienced exceptions, notably one border agent whose first words on looking at my passport were "Welcome home." I wish that were SOP.

I have had that happen to me many times but that was over 5 years back, since I have not seen a border agent at an US airport since then. It is all finger print and mug shot, print out entry slip and go on to collect bags, drop off slip at the exit and be on your way.

 

[MARC Rider]

Even someone with an accent may not be a good guide as many are US citizens via jus soli but were raised in another country.

Someone with a "foreign" accent may well have been born and raised in the good old USA. I once had a boss who was Pennsylvania Dutch, whose family had probably been living in this country longer than mine, and he had what sounded like my immigrant grandfather's Yiddish accent.

 

[caravanman]

Here in the UK, there is no need to carry any I.D. even if within 100 inches of the borders, or to buy train tickets, coach tickets, etc.

 

[MARC Rider]

I used to bring my passport with me when I went to south Texas, but that was mostly for the purpose of crossing the border for an evening. I was never asked for ID, let alone proof of citizenship, even at the Border Patrol checkpoints, and my driver's license sufficed to let me board airplanes. But then, I have the "correct" racial appearance, and my bizarre meld of Baltimore and Philadelphia accents is recognizable as "native American" even to a Texan Border Patrol agent.

 

[alanh]

I have seen ICE take people off the Sunset Limited in Del Rio, TX. I have not been personally questioned, though.

 

[Mike G]

I wonder if “Known traveler Number” has any value in this thread ?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Here in the UK, there is no need to carry any I.D. even if within 100 inches of the borders, or to buy train tickets, coach tickets, etc.

Technically we can ignore demands for ID in many cases, at the risk of being detained for further questioning/searching, but a law from 2005 is scheduled to make that more difficult on May 3, 2023.

I wonder if “Known traveler Number” has any value in this thread ?

Does having an active KTN from GE/NX/PC benefit passengers on Amtrak?

 

[zephyr17]

Does having an active KTN from GE/NX/PC benefit passengers on Amtrak?

Amtrak itself? No place to enter KTN except if you are traveling to Canada. If asked for ID onboard, not sure if all conductors would even recognize a NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST/GE card, driver's license is probably better for random conductor ID checks. If boarded by ICE, a NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST/GE card should be as good as a passport for proving citizenship.

 

[George Harris]

Here in the UK, there is no need to carry any I.D. even if within 100 inches of the borders, or to buy train tickets, coach tickets, etc.

Used to be that way here.

 

[George Harris]

In general, you're right. But I've experienced exceptions, notably one border agent whose first words on looking at my passport were "Welcome home." I wish that were SOP.

In your quote of me, when I read it, I realized that when I revised my original version, I had somehow failed to kill off what is there as the first sentence, as I had decided it more sense further down in the paragraph. I have edited my text accordingly.

 

[glensfallsse]

I always have my passport on long trips, someplace separate from my wallet. Just in case. If, God forbid, I were to lose my license, I've got that as a backup.

 

[cirdan]

The immigration people at airports can be very strange at times. In fact, I have experienced getting into the US more of a hassle than all other places I have gone to in my travels. My classic was coming to the US from Taiwan with my oldest son for him to start college was coming in at Seattle, when, after plopping down US passports their first question was, "Why are you entering the United States." I told them but my thought process was, why should I need to explain why I am coming into the country of which I am a born citizen? In general, don't do anything to aggravate these people. These are nice jobs for the high school bully that never got over it. Unless they are way out of line, the fight to win even if you are right can be far more hassle than it is worth.

I think actually that asking random and absurd questions may be part of the psychological profiling. A well trained person can read a lot out of your reaction to a situation you were not expecting.

A friend of mine (who is Irish and was entering as a tourist and whose age is coming on for 50) was once asked whether he was looking forward to university.

I once had my luggage searched by a customs official and before opening my bag, he asked, what brand of toothpaste do you use. And then afterwards he didn't even want to see my toothpaste but rummaged in other areas of my bag.

I'm pretty sure that when people in jobs like that act dumb like that it's actually a test.

 

[CaptPete 43]

Carry a photocopy.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

I think actually that asking random and absurd questions may be part of the psychological profiling. A well trained person can read a lot out of your reaction to a situation you were not expecting.

I experienced this in Brussels, flying back to the US. The Belgian customs official asked all sorts of unusual questions and some of them were curiously specific. For instance, my wife and I were on our honeymoon and we'd done a sort of grand tour. The customs official asked me what my favorite part was. I said the scenic train through the Alps. She asked which one. I replied the Bernina Express. Without missing a beat, she asked me what city you board it in.

It felt more like she was seeing if I got agitated, hesitated enough to make it seem like I was lying, had an internally consistent story, or some combination of those.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Here in the UK, there is no need to carry any I.D. even if within 100 inches of the borders, or to buy train tickets, coach tickets, etc.

Somewhat different situation as the only UK land border is between Northern Ireland and the Republic which as a result of the Good Friday agreement does not have border controls AFAIK.

 

[BCL]

I experienced this in Brussels, flying back to the US. The Belgian customs official asked all sorts of unusual questions and some of them were curiously specific. For instance, my wife and I were on our honeymoon and we'd done a sort of grand tour. The customs official asked me what my favorite part was. I said the scenic train through the Alps. She asked which one. I replied the Bernina Express. Without missing a beat, she asked me what city you board it in.

It felt more like she was seeing if I got agitated, hesitated enough to make it seem like I was lying, had an internally consistent story, or some combination of those.

That's kind of what they do - more or less as a pretext for searching and/or denying entry on the basis that someone might be smuggling goods.

I've been in and out the US/Canada border between BC/WA. The Canadian border officers are exceedingly polite and pleasant, even if they're asking questions that may seem a bit intrusive. Once we were asked if we were staying at a hotel, and even where we were staying in the Seattle area. We've even gone overnight without getting a hotel room and then coming back the next morning. But if they wanted to search they would have found nothing except maybe a case of bottled water and several bags of Doritos in addition to our clothes (if we brought any). We've been asked if it was our car, and then where we rented it. However, they were all standard questions that I'm sure came from a list of questions and followup questions.

US CPB could get really nosy though. On a trip to the Vancouver area they asked where we were from, what we wanted there and then why would couldn't find that back home. These are normal tourist things, but obviously they're trying to get in people's heads such that anyone really nervous says something that creates a pretense to search.

 

[zephyr17]

During immigration and customs inspection on entering the country they do not need to create a pretext to search. They can search if they feel like it, period.

 

[BCL]

During immigration and customs inspection on entering the country they do not need to create a pretext to search. They can search if they feel like it, period.

True. However, they don't have unlimited time. Sometimes they wave visitors through with barely any check after just checking documents. Obviously they ask a few questions and then determine whether or not they should perform more invasive searches.

 

[MARC Rider]

True. However, they don't have unlimited time. Sometimes they wave visitors through with barely any check after just checking documents. Obviously they ask a few questions and then determine whether or not they should perform more invasive searches.

The inspectors basically profile each person who come before them, and to some they ask pointed questions to unsettle them. Then they think that they can detect lying based on either (a) inconsistent answers, (b) "shifty" expressions and body language, and (c) "microexpressions" people can't control that are supposed to detect emotional states. Even if you're telling the truth, you may get flagged for secondary inspection and more questions because their techniques for detecting lying aren't very reliable.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6158306/
They also have a good deal of personal information about you even before they scan your passport. As you're driving up to the inspector's booth, they scan any RFID chips in the possession of anyone in the car. Who knows, maybe they have scanners at the train stations and airports, too. If your driver's license or credit card has a chip, they've got that as well. This probably helps them profile people better, but, of course, they also profile people based on less savory reasons, such as your appearance or whether you're a "visible minority" of the unfavored (to the inspector's prejudices) variety.

Obviously, the best thing to do is to answer the questions truthfully, briefly, and completely. It's also important not to joke around, and to be respectful, even if the inspector is acting in a way that doesn't deserve respect. They may be acting that way just to provoke you and give them a reason to be more intrusive. It also helps to do your research and make sure that (1) you are eligible to be admitted to the country, and (2) you can legally bring in whatever your carrying, and (3) if you're over some customs limit, let them know; all they'll do is charge you the appropriate duty on the object.

 

[Bonser]

Yes, they used to hop in in Syracuse wasting everyone's time asking people what country they are from. It was generally perceived as a fishing expedition hoping to find some other illegal activity so they could justify their existence. They caused too many delays and were basically told (NY Congressional delegation hammered them) the trains were going to start leaving with or without them aboard. I have seen them at Depew as well, but at least that is near a border. They just hung around the station looking at who was waiting for the train.

I've seen them board and question my citizenship at Erie. Once I said US they moved on. I've also witnessed a middle aged white guy taken off train at border near Rouses Point. He did something that triggered his removal by the Canadian border police. It caused a delay but he never reboarded.

 

[PVD]

Those are actually near borders, or a stop away. It is a joke when they use the 100 mile rulings to justify fishing expeditions that have zero to do with border security. That is the job of other agencies.