WesternHemisphere

U.S. Passport Rules Changing on June 1, 2009

Passport rules are changing on June 1 for Western Hemisphere travel. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. this year, get or renew your passport now, and think twice before planning a car trip to Mexico or Canada in June. That's because come next month (unless Congress changes the deadline), Americans will need to show a passport, a passport card, or other special document to return to the United States by land or sea from Mexico and Canada.

What do you need to do? Get reading, and get planning. According to an L.A. Times article pulled from Philly.com:

What you need now. Generally, you need a passport to enter the U.S. by air from any foreign country. If you enter by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda, you may not need a passport, but you will need at least a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, plus a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license. Children 18 or younger need only a birth certificate for land and sea entry from these areas.

What you'll need starting June 1. The same rules apply for air travel -- passport required. If you're arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda by land or sea, you'll generally have several choices: a passport; a passport card; an enhanced driver's license; or a "Trusted Traveler" card such as SENTRI and NEXUS for frequent border-crossers. There will be exceptions for land and sea crossings from these destinations. U.S. and Canadian children younger than 16, for example, will need only proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate; in organized groups, the cutoff will be age 18.

Passengers on cruise ships that sail round-trip from a U.S. port may need only a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID (although the cruise line or foreign countries they visit may require a passport).

You'll find a summary of the current and new rules at a Web site maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The State Department's travel Web site is one-stop shopping for information on passports and passport cards. Click on "Passports for U.S. Citizens," and you can get instructions and forms.

Source

Tags: journeys, passport, travel, trips, voyages, western hemisphere, WesternHemisphere

WesternHemisphere

U.S. Passport Rules Changing on June 1, 2009

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