Be sure you know the new passport rules and options that are on the Horizon. The time to start packing for that winter trip to the Caribbean may be now - you are going to need a passport. Congress and the Department of Homeland Security are tightening border procedures for both U.S. citizens and foreign travelers entering the U.S. By Jan. 8, passports will be required for most everyone entering the U.S. from the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico through airports and seaports, instead of just a birth certificate and driver's license. Land borders will adopt the same requirement Jan. 1, 2008. The travel industry and several border-state governors and senators have been pushing for a delay in the new rules, fearing confusion and long delays for travelers that could hurt the cruise industry in particular. Only 25 percent of Americans have passports, and many could be left high and dry if they don't get one before they head off to an island cruise. As requirements tighten, more people have been applying. Last year, the State Department issued 10.1 million passports, up 15 percent from 2004. This year is on pace for about a 16 percent increase. One pitfall for travelers to watch out for: All children, including babies, will need passports. Since July 2001, the government has required both parents to apply together for a child's passport, if the child is 14 or under. This is to make sure one parent isn't trying to take a child out of the country without the other's permission. It can be a hassle for single parents who have to prove they have sole authority or need to get notarized consent from the other parent.
Another change: Last month, the State Department began issuing electronic passports with a computer chip in the rear cover that contains all the information found on the data page of the passport, such as name, date of birth, passport number and a photograph. For security protection, the e-passports have a metallic material in the front cover and the data are encrypted to prevent eavesdropping. (People with older-style passports don't need to trade in their existing passports.) Even if travelers are ready, travel experts say the government may not be well-prepared, and the result of the heightened security could be long lines at airports and seaports. The Travel Industry Association, a lobbying group for cruise lines, tour companies, resorts and airlines, says it supports the move to require better documentation, but it fears the government won't have the staff, equipment and procedures in place needed to process people quickly. "We're very concerned about the impact on the cruise industry. We're very concerned about the impact on Canadian travel," said Rick Webster, TIA's vice president of government affairs. The government says it is going ahead with the change starting Jan. 8. The deadline was pushed back a week from the first day of the year so it wouldn't kick in during holiday travels. That has been the only delay granted so far. "If you're going to the Caribbean next February or March, you'd better start worrying about a passport this fall," says Frank Moss, the State Department's head passport official.Homeland Security has been under orders from Congress to beef up border security since the 2001 terrorist attacks. The biggest change took hold in 2004, when the U.S. government began taking a photograph and finger scan of most foreigners entering the country through airports.
The latest proposed changes may be harder to implement for screening the 400 million people who cross into the U.S. every year, raising fears of long lines at airports, seaports and roadway crossings. The State Department and Homeland Security say passport books take too long to process at high-volume land-border checkpoints, so they are developing a "passport card" that will have your information embedded electronically and will communicate wirelessly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement computers, much like a toll tag on the highway. So, by the time you get to the front of the line, the border inspector would have your information and would know whether you should be cleared to pass. Passport cards won't be ready for the Jan. 8 change at airports and seaports, but should be available before the Jan. 1, 2008, change at land entry points. Tighter Borders - Highlights of new travel rules are coming:
Another change: Last month, the State Department began issuing electronic passports with a computer chip in the rear cover that contains all the information found on the data page of the passport, such as name, date of birth, passport number and a photograph. For security protection, the e-passports have a metallic material in the front cover and the data are encrypted to prevent eavesdropping. (People with older-style passports don't need to trade in their existing passports.) Even if travelers are ready, travel experts say the government may not be well-prepared, and the result of the heightened security could be long lines at airports and seaports. The Travel Industry Association, a lobbying group for cruise lines, tour companies, resorts and airlines, says it supports the move to require better documentation, but it fears the government won't have the staff, equipment and procedures in place needed to process people quickly. "We're very concerned about the impact on the cruise industry. We're very concerned about the impact on Canadian travel," said Rick Webster, TIA's vice president of government affairs. The government says it is going ahead with the change starting Jan. 8. The deadline was pushed back a week from the first day of the year so it wouldn't kick in during holiday travels. That has been the only delay granted so far. "If you're going to the Caribbean next February or March, you'd better start worrying about a passport this fall," says Frank Moss, the State Department's head passport official.Homeland Security has been under orders from Congress to beef up border security since the 2001 terrorist attacks. The biggest change took hold in 2004, when the U.S. government began taking a photograph and finger scan of most foreigners entering the country through airports.
The latest proposed changes may be harder to implement for screening the 400 million people who cross into the U.S. every year, raising fears of long lines at airports, seaports and roadway crossings. The State Department and Homeland Security say passport books take too long to process at high-volume land-border checkpoints, so they are developing a "passport card" that will have your information embedded electronically and will communicate wirelessly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement computers, much like a toll tag on the highway. So, by the time you get to the front of the line, the border inspector would have your information and would know whether you should be cleared to pass. Passport cards won't be ready for the Jan. 8 change at airports and seaports, but should be available before the Jan. 1, 2008, change at land entry points. Tighter Borders - Highlights of new travel rules are coming:
• On Jan. 8, passports will be required for U.S. citizens returning by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
• On Jan. 1, 2008, land borders will adopt the same standard.
• 'Passport Cards' may be developed to speed processing at borders and shorten expected long lines.
• Travel groups warn that travelers could be caught off guard by new rules.
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