New passport rules now in effect to enter the US via land or sea

Finally! June 1st, 2009, marks the day when the final, much-delayed, phase of the new US passport requirements became effective. The short story is that US citizens traveling out of the country should now have a passport for re-admittance to the US from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, where previously a passport wasn't required for land and sea border crossings.

The longer version of the rules is less simple, because in the time since 2004 when the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was announced, lots of political wrangling and cruise industry lobbying added complexity to what initially was straightforward "passport now required" rule.

As a result, while a passport is still the recommended gold standard, US citizens re-entering the country via land or sea from one of the WHTI countries may also use a passport card, enhanced driver's license (if available from their state), or one of several other approved documents.

Plus there's one more loophole: if you're traveling on some but not all "closed-loop" cruises from the US, meaning a ship that sails from a US port and returns to the same US port, then US citizens can still get by with a certified birth certificate and driver's license for re-entry to the US.

Even so, bring a passport! What if, for example, you need to fly home in the middle of your cruise due to an emergency? Then you're re-entering the US by air and a passport would be required. Or what if you happen to miss the ship's sailing and need to fly to the first port of call to start your vacation? Again, you'll need a passport to make it happen. Just get a passport for crying out loud!

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Latest passport requirement revision announced by U.S.

Just as surely as Congress spends more money than it has, Homeland Security has yet again revised the proposed new U.S. passport requirements for travel within the western hemisphere. Truly we've lost count of the number of changes to this scheme. The new proposed date is January 23, 2007, when passports will be newly required for all air travel between the US and previously exempt areas.

In describing the new rules let's be clear that for any travel between places where passports are already required, they will still be required... no changes there.

The new rules eliminate today's passport exemption for air travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. However, land and sea travel between the U.S. and those spots keeps its exemption until a to-be-determined date that will be no earlier than January 1, 2008.

A tightfisted U.S. cruise traveler, traveling in 2007 to the Caribbean roundtrip from Miami, for example, could theoretically opt not to get a passport since the exemption remains for sea travel. This would nonetheless be a poor decision. Why? What if some emergency back home requires you cut your cruise short to fly back from the Caribbean? Or you get ill and want to fly home early? Many what-ifs could cause you to unexpectedly fly home, in which case a passport will be required when you land. So get your passport now!

And, one final point. These rules and dates could still change again depending on the latest results generated at Homeland Security by shaking their Security Policy Magic 8-Ball. So keep an eye on http://travel.state.gov/ for the latest updates.

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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.

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Cruising in 2007? Remember your passport!

The passport-free ride long enjoyed by US and Canadian cruise travelers to many Western Hemisphere destinations, like Bermuda, the Caribbean and Mexico, is reaching its end.

New US immigration regulations, which are tentatively scheduled to become effective for those whose cruises end on or after January 7th of 2007, require citizens of the United States, Canada, and Mexico to show a valid passport for entry into the United States by air and by sea. This includes the over 16 million American and Canadian citizens expected to take a cruise from a US port in 2007.

United States citizens can apply for a passport a one of the more than 7000 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.

Passport processing takes from four to six weeks and passports are valid for ten years. If your travel plans require a foreign visa, allow extra time, as that document is stamped directly into your passport.

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Israeli passport stamp gets couple jettisoned from cruise

From the Washington Post comes the story of an American couple from Vienna, Virginia whose cruise was ruined when Costa Cruises kicked them off the ship in Malta on day 3 of their 7-day trip, prior to a stop in Libya.

The reason? A passport stamp denoting a previous visit to Israel, which makes the passport's holder persona non grata in certain Islamic countries, including Libya.

As far as Costa's responsibility, we don't think its reasonable to expect them to grill their passengers at the time of booking about everything that might possibly impact their immigration status at ports of call.

But, we still can't imagine what the ship's staff was thinking with their response once the problem did become clear. Why couldn't these passengers have simply stayed on the ship while it was docked in Libya? If the Libyans objected to that solution, then why wouldn't Costa arrange for the couple to overnight in a hotel in Malta and catch up with the ship at its next port of call after Libya?

It seems Costa's executives agree that a better solution should have been found by the shipboard staff, as Costa is now covering the couple's extra expenses and delivering a full refund.
What lesson can be learned here? If you're an American traveling to unusual areas of the world, invest the time in advance to read the U.S. State Department's Consular Information Sheets. Libya's prominently mentions this Israeli passport-stamp restriction, for example.

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New U.S. passport rule could hurt Caribbean tourism, regional leaders say

The latest US effort to increase border security may negatively impact tourism--cruising and otherwise--by requiring passports for travel to regions where, today, a certified birth certificate and photo ID would suffice. Our opinion is that it's a good idea anyway.

Current plans call for passports to be required beginning December 31 , 2005 for US citizens returning from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America, and beginning December 31, 2006 for those returning from Canada and Mexico.

Our opinion is that passports have always been the preferred proof of citizenship and identity, especially since travelers are frequently denied boarding when they arrive at the pier with a simple photocopy of a birth certificate, instead of the required certified copy. The passport requirement elimintes any ambiguity.

USA Today: New U.S. passport rule could hurt Caribbean tourism, regional leaders say

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