Travel Advice - New  Passport Requirements for  U.S. Travelers in the Western Hemisphere

(Updated March 28, 2008)

Writing this article has been like sculpting molasses.  It is an example of bureaucracy at its best.

For the last couple of years the U.S. government has threatened to change the rules for Passports and their use for travelers in the Western Hemisphere.  We thought it a good time to update you on the latest proposals (called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative [WHTI]) so that, if you do not have a passport, you will know when you will need to have one, or if you have one, to know when you need to take it on your travels. 

Background

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 required that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States.

However, these plans for implementing the WHTI changed  on September 29, 2006 when new rules were attached by a funding bill that was signed by the President in early October of 2006. The rules also changed again in the summer of 2007 as detailed below. Next, the rules changed again in March of 2008.  Note, the rules for entry to the U.S. by air originally were implemented on a different schedule than the rules for re-entering the U.S. by sea or land.

New Rules and Dates of Enforcement

1.  The new rules now require that all air travelers (including US citizens) entering the United States from the Caribbean, Canada, or Mexico must present a valid passport.  Due to the government's inability to issue passports in a timely fashion, the passport requirement for air travelers was not put into effect until January of 2008.

2.  The passport requirement for land or sea re-entry to the United States which was to occur on January 31, 2008 has been postponed until June 1, 2009 .  As it now stands (i.e. based on a policy statement made March 28, 2008), on and after June 1 2009, those entering or re-entering the US from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America and Bermuda,  by land or ship must present either a passport or other documents deemed acceptable by the Department of Homeland Security.  The best way of crossing the U.S. border and then re-entering the country is to have a passport and take it with you when you depart the United States.