For many years now, U.S. citizens and residents of other countries – mainly from Canada and Mexico –have not been required to present passports when coming back into the United States from a foreign country. On January 23, 2007, the rules will change. As of the fourth week of this New Year, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all travelers coming into the United States to present valid passports. This includes U.S. citizens, adults and minors, returning to the U.S. by air from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. All children, regardless of age, including newborns and infants, must have their own passport as well. The goal of the initiative is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized, secure and reliable documentation.

A passport will be required travel gear for U.S. citizens as of January 23rd.

This will allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to quickly, reliably and accurately identify a traveler.

“The ability to misuse travel documents to enter this country opens the door for a terrorist to carry out an attack. We can not continue to allow loopholes that could facilitate access to the United States through false claims of citizenship or fake identities,” said DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. “This initiative strengthens our border security by designating verifiable secure documents that may be used at our air ports of entry.”

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) mandated that the U.S. Secretaries of Homeland Security and State develop and implement a plan to require U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present a passport or other appropriate identity and citizenship documentation when entering the United States.

Currently, a traveler may make a verbal declaration of citizenship, or present other forms of documents to enter the country, such as driver’s licenses. These forms of identification, however, cannot be validated or verified in a timely manner. Passports will resolve this issue.

Over 70 million U.S. citizens hold valid passports; an estimated quarter of the eligible population. The number of passport applications and issuances continues to grow. In fiscal year 2006, the U.S. Department of State issued over 12.1 million passports.

That number is expected to increase significantly as a result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Some exceptions to the new passport requirement include U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory. These individuals will not be required to present valid passports.

U.S. territories include Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The only acceptable alternatives to passports for air travelers will be the Air NEXUS card and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.

Originally, the implementation date for the air phase was January 1, 2007, but after much consideration for the airline industry and the holiday travel period, The Department of Homeland Security and State proposed the later date – January 23, 2007.

The passport application process takes up to six weeks, so travelers are encouraged to act fast and not to wait until the last minute to try and obtain a passport.

For more information on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative or to obtain an application for a passport visit: http://travel.state.gov.

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