Passport Regulation Change Update

Earlier this year, I wrote about a plan by the US Department of State called the "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative", which is designed to enhance border security.

It will require people traveling between the United States and the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada to have a passport to enter or re-enter the United States. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda will be affected.

Under the original plan, the new passport requirements would have been phased in beginning on December 31, 2005. But after the timeline was announced, several groups lobbied to have the timeline or the requirements changed. Upon further review, the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security have acknowledged that implementing the plan as originally proposed would be problematic for travelers during the upcoming winter tourism season.

Therefore, the timeline for implementation has been revised as shown below:

Beginning December 31, 2006, a passport will be required for all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Beginning December 31, 2007, the passport requirement will be extended to include all land border crossings to or from the above-mentioned destinations.

Currently, passports are recommended but not required for travel to and from Canada, Mexico, Panama, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

It's possible that international frequent travelers holding Sentri, Nexus or Fast Cards, or Border Crossing Cards, may not need passports for land border crossings, but no final decision has been made.

You can learn more about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on the US Department of State's Web site. For answers to frequently asked questions, click here: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html

For information about obtaining or renewing a passport as a US citizen, click here: http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

For information about obtaining or renewing a passport as a Canadian citizen, visit Passport Canada at: http://www.ppt.gc.ca/passports/how_obtain_e.asp