Washington -- As of January 23, 2007, citizens
of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda must show
valid passports when traveling to the United States by air
from any part of the Western Hemisphere, the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State announced
November 22.
The new passport requirement is the first
phase of a joint initiative by the Homeland Security and
State departments called the Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The second phase of the
initiative will address travel to the United States by land
or sea.
“This initiative strengthens our border
security by designating verifiable, secure documents that
may be used at our air ports of entry,” said Homeland
Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in a statement outlining
the new rule.
The new passport requirement was among the
recommendations made by the commission that investigated
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United
States. The U.S. Congress subsequently mandated these recommendations
in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act
of 2004 by requiring the departments of Homeland Security
and State to develop and implement a plan to require all
travelers to present documents showing their identity and
citizenship when entering the United States. Implementation
of the change in travel document requirements follows a
lengthy period during which the public has had the opportunity
to comment and Homeland Security has conducted a detailed
assessment of the impact of changes in travel document requirements.
Exceptions to the new passport rule for
air travelers involve special categories of travelers, such
as U.S. military personnel on official orders or U.S. merchant
mariners using the Merchant Mariner Document (MMD). Another
exception applies to holders of the NEXUS Air card when
it is used in conjunction with the NEXUS program, a limited-enrollment
program for qualifying U.S. and Canadian citizens and permanent
residents.
Lawful permanent residents of the United
States will continue to be able to use their Alien Registration
Card (Form I-551) or other valid evidence of permanent residence
status to apply for entry, according to Homeland Security,
but children who are U.S. citizens will need to obtain a
passport even if their parents are Green Card holders.
In making the announcement concerning air
travelers, the Department of Homeland Security also said
that it will publish at a later date a proposed rule for
travelers entering the United States through land and sea
border crossings. “As early as January 1, 2008, U.S.
citizens traveling between the United States and Canada,
Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda
by land or sea will be required to present a valid U.S.
passport or other documents as determined by the Department
of Homeland Security,” Homeland Security said.
A fact
sheet (PDF) on the new passport requirement is available
on the State Department Web site.
For more information on how the new requirement
might affect special categories of air travelers, see Frequently
Asked Questions on the Homeland Security Web site or
Frequently
Asked Questions on the State Department Web site.
Further information for travelers is available
at www.dhs.gov
or travel.state.gov.
Jeffrey Thomas
USINFO Staff Writer
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