Travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada will be required to have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.
What is the new travel document requirement?All travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Canada or Mexico will be required to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from prior travel requirements. The goal is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors. This new requirement will be known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.Who does this requirement affect?
All United States citizens traveling within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports will be affected.Certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States, namely most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and Mexican citizens will also be affected.When will the new travel initiative requirement be implemented?The travel initiative requirements will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline is as follows:December 31, 2005 – Passport or other accepted document required for all travel (air/sea) to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America.December 31, 2006 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.December 31, 2007 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air, sea and land border crossings.Will this requirement apply to travel between the United States and Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands?
Travel between the United States and U.S. territories will not be affected by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. U.S. citizens traveling between the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam will continue to be able to use established forms of identification to board flights and for entry.If traveling outside of the United States or a U.S. territory, a passport or other secure document will be required. For example, a person may travel to and from the United States to the U.S. Virgin islands without a passport or other secure document, but under proposed regulations, a passport or other secure document would be required to re-enter the U.S. Virgin Islands from the British Virgin Islands or another country as of December 31, 2005.How Do I get a passport?U.S. citizens may visit this web site for information on how to apply for a U.S. passport.You should allow yourself a sufficient amount of time to apply and receive your passport in advance of travel. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing of U.S. passport applications.Peak U.S. passport processing is between January and July. For faster service, we recommend applying between August and December.
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