The Passport Saga
This section of Travellers Warehouse will be dedicated to Passport Issues and will be updated as new information becomes available.
Since the events of September 11, 2001 travel outside of and into the United States has changed significantly. Today we have what is known as The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), and it is being strictly enforced. Its’ birth can be found in the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), which requires every traveler to present a passport or other document as a method of identification and citizenship origin when entering the United States. That includes U.S. citizens. An individual may be able to go to areas in the Caribbean and have a wonderful vacation, but could run into difficulty getting back into the United States without proper identification. Anyone re-entering the United States by air must have documents that meet the WHTI regulations. The same policy is true for Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, The Bahamas and 17 different islands in the Caribbean. This policy started in January 2007 and will continue. There are also new procedures for children traveling into these areas. The whole family will be involved.
In the summer of 2008 a plan will start to be implemented to extend the rules to seaports and land ports of entry. It may take some time to fully expedite the program, but commencement of this activity is planned for that time frame.
Following is the list of accepted identification documents that are WHTI compliant as released by The Department of Homeland Security that will be accepted under proposed regulations.
U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S. and the aforementioned Western Hemisphere countries.
The Passport Card: This limited-use, wallet-size passport card is not yet available and is under development. When available it will only be valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean region (includes Bermuda).
Other Accepted Travel Documents: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and the U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders are exempt from the passport requirement. The Department of Homeland Security website has more information on these travel documents. This information may be seen at http://www.dhs.gov/ or http://www.travel.state.gov/.
The goal of these new programs is to make it easier for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by requiring standardized documentation that enables the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler. It is also an effort to secure our borders and more readily identify those who have no good intentions when they attempt to enter the country. It is an effort by the agency make a more safe and secure environment for American citizens and their neighbors.
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