Important Travel Information from World Travel
Service
Deadline for Passport Requirements Extended
August 23, 2006
The deadline for
U.S.
citizens, Canadian
citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and Mexican
citizens, to have a passport or other designated secure document to enter or
re-enter the
United States
at airports and
seaports by January 8, 2007. Originally, this deadline was December 31, 2006.
What does this mean for
your travelers? It means that they will have to have a passport, Merchant Mariner Document
(MMD) or NEXUS Air card for any air travel, and most commercial sea travel,
from within the Western Hemisphere for citizens of the
United States
,
Canada
,
Mexico
, and Bermuda starting January 8, 2007.
Below
is the full press release from the Department of State and Homeland Security.
If have any questions, please contact Heather
Craig, World Travel’s Passport and Visa specialist, at 800-324-4987 or
918-743-8856.
Media Note
Office of the
Spokesman
Washington, DC
Passport Requirements for Air and Sea Travel to the
United States
Announced
The Departments of State and Homeland Security today
announced and submitted for public comment the air and sea phase of the Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative to secure and expedite travel. The Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all
U.S.
citizens, Canadian citizens,
citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and Mexican citizens, to
have a passport or other designated secure document to enter or re-enter the
United States
at airports and seaports by January
8, 2007.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004
mandated that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, develop and implement a plan to require U.S. citizens and
foreign nationals to present a passport or other secure document when entering
the United States. In order to obtain national security benefits as quickly as
possible, and to expedite the processing of arriving passengers, the plan will
be phased in initially for those arriving by air and sea.
The proposed timeline and requirements would be as follows:
- January 8, 2007 – Passports, Merchant Mariner Documents (MMD)
or NEXUS Air cards would be required for all air travel, and most
commercial sea travel, from within the Western Hemisphere for citizens of the
United States
,
Canada
,
Mexico
, and Bermuda. This is a change
from the previously scheduled date of January 1, in order to accommodate
holiday travel.
- January 1, 2008 – The statutory deadline for all Western Hemisphere travel, including
land border travel. Passports or other accepted documents determined to
sufficiently denote identity and citizenship will be required for anyone
crossing at a land border, as well as air and sea.
This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) provides vital
information on the plan to the public, as well as an economic impact analysis
of the rule as it pertains to air and sea arrivals in the
United States
. The proposed rule takes into
account comments received on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM)
in September 2005. The NPRM and regulatory assessment of the proposed rule’s
economic impact are available for public viewing and comment via the Federal
e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.
The passport (
U.S.
or foreign) will be the document of
choice for entering or re-entering the
United States
through airports and seaports. In
addition, the proposal published today lists a limited number of other
documents that will be acceptable: the NEXUS air card for those enrolled in
this international trusted traveler program;
U.S.
military ID for active-duty
military members; and the Merchant Mariner Document ("z" card) for
merchant mariners.
The proposed plan for the land-border implementation phase
will be published separately in the Federal Register at a later date. In
addition, a separate Proposed Rule will be published regarding the use of a
U.S.
passport card at land borders.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.
2006/749
Learn more about World Travel
at www.WorldTravelToday.com.
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