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Passport & Travel Document Requirements
Passport Requirements
The cruise industry encourages all travelers to prepare for changes regarding travel within the Western Hemisphere. The Department of Homeland Security and Department of State issued the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which will require all U.S. citizens to have a passport or other accepted travel document when entering or re-entering the United States from any part of the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Central and South America and the Caribbean).
The current deadlines are:
AIR:
January 23, 2007 - A passport will be required for all air travel within the Western Hemisphere and abroad for citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda. U.S. citizens departing and returning to the United States by air beginning January 23, 2007, will be required to have a valid U.S. passport. SEA and LAND:
As soon as January 1, 2008 - A passport or other accepted document* will be required for land border crossings and sea travel within the Western Hemisphere. *Sea and land travelers will also be eligible for the PASScard, a less expensive alternative document. Although the requirement to possess a valid passport or PASScard for sea travel and land border crossings could be extended to as late as June 1, 2009, the government can accelerate this date based on meeting certain standards and is recommending that travelers be prepared for the passport requirement as early as January 1, 2008. For more information on how to apply for or renew a passport, please visit
http://www.travel.state.gov/passport Still to Come
At a later date, to be determined, the departments will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have either a U.S. passport; a U.S. passport card; a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, FAST, or SENTRI; a valid Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or a valid U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders. Note: The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. Canadian Passports and Other Documents
This information may be seen at
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/
U.S. Passports and Other Documents
U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S. and the aforementioned Western Hemisphere countries.
The Passport Card: U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for this new, limited-use, wallet-size passport card beginning February 1, 2008. We expect cards will be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008. When available it will only be valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda.
Other Accepted Travel Documents: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and the U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders are exempt from the passport requirement. DHS has more information on these travel documents. This information may be seen at
www.dhs.gov.
About Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), requiring all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on February 22 its intent to propose, as part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), significant flexibility regarding travel documents required for U.S. and Canadian children as part of WHTI requirements for U.S. land and sea border entry in 2008.
The goal of the initiative is to strengthen U.S. border security while facilitating entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized documentation that enables the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler.
Document Requirements
Different situations require different documents. Please become familiar with the specific document requirements for the country(s) you are visiting. More information on these documents can be found here:
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