New passport rules in flux again

Congress continues to monkey with proposed changes in passport rules, possibly delaying some of the changes, while simultaneously making them more convoluted. Your tax dollars at work.

Your best bet has always been to use a passport whenever you travel to or from the US, but the long-standing exception allowing Americans and Canadians to use a photo ID and birth certificate may be preserved for awhile longer for certain travel within the Western Hemisphere (for these purposes, the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda).

But only if you travel into or out of the U.S. across a land border or arrive on a cruise ship. And this delay for land borders and cruise ships might last until January 2008, or then again it might be 2009. We'll only know for sure once the legislative Magic 8-Ball comes to rest.

Oh, and we almost forgot. In this latest change, Congress also proposed inventing a BRAND-NEW form of ID, like a passport card, just for travel within the Western Hemisphere, that would presumably be cheaper than a passport. No details on if this will happen, or when, or what it might cost.

If you're flying bewteen the U.S. and any of those places, then strike all that. YOU still need a passport for sure starting January 8, 2007, just a few months away.

What's going on? The United States Congress recently approved an extension to 2004's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) that until now had called for all travelers between the US and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Bermuda and the Caribbean to have a valid passport by January 8, 2007. As we mentioned already, the extension until 2008 or 2009 applies to sea and land passengers only; those arriving by air will still be required to have a passport.

For the latest updates, visit the US State Department's Website.

Even if you might not be required to have a passport, get one anyway. It's the best form of ID and having one allows you to jump on a last-minute deal without having to wait 4-6 weeks for passport processing or pay hefty rush fees. United States citizens can apply for a passport a one of the more than 7,000 passport acceptance offices. These are mostly post offices, but also include regional passport offices and American embassies overseas. New applicants must complete the required form (printable from the US passport office Website) and bring proof of citizenship (an original or certified copy of your birth certificate, green card, or naturalization papers), a photo ID, two passport-size photos, and $97.00. Those renewing passports may apply via mail. Passports are valid for ten years.