Passport Requirements Changing
By 2008, Americans Need Passport to Travel to Border Destinations
The Signal - Business Section, August, 2005
No passport, no proof, no entry. Coming to an American border destination near you, this will be the law. Passports will be required for travel to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada by 2008.
If you want to come home after your vacation to these locations, you’ll need to bring your passport along too. Thanks to new, stricter rules that are slowly making their way to their effective dates, Americans traveling to these destinations will need to show proof of citizenship to leave and get back into the states.
The Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have long been the exception as countries Americans could travel to passport-free. But things are changing and you’ll need to be prepared.
Here’s the deal. By January 1, 2008, each of these destinations will require valid passports from all travelers of all ages. No exceptions. Among these countries, Mexico and the Caribbean will be first to ask for the passport, effective January 1, 2006. Then the others will follow, such as Canada by January 2007.
Although the effective dates are still somewhat fluid, the best professional recommendation for traveling to any of these locations is to carry a passport. This is one deadline not to take lightly, so be sure your travel consultant checks out the official requirements before you leave home.
Whether you’re a frequent traveler south of the border, a Caribbean cruiser or a ski bunny every winter in Canada, you’ll need a passport. Instead of waiting until the last minute passport frenzy, go ahead and get yours now. A new passport takes about two weeks from start to finish to complete, unless you want to pay rush charges.
To update an old passport, it takes less time and can be handled by mail. American passports are valid for 10 years, so it’s a good idea to renew it several months prior to expiration. If you plan now, you can avoid participating in the rush to obtain or renew a passport before the clock strikes.
You’re probably thinking, oh great, another thing to do and remember to pack for your next vacation. But once you get in the habit of traveling with your passport to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico or Canada, it’ll be a no-brainer. It’s not like travelers will now decide to avoid these destinations, we’ll just need to be re-trained to carry proper identification.
Actually, this new passport requirement will probably serve to speed things up a bit at customs. Even today, without passport conditions for these locations, we must clear security and counter checks to enter a foreign country. With the standardization of passport laws, the procedure should work more efficiently to sort us in and out of America.
Just to be clear, the passport rules are still months and years away from becoming fully effective. The new regulations do no affect visas, whose requirements are staying the same. But once we ring in the New Year on January 1, 2008, you’d better be traveling with your valid American passport if you want to make that international flight.
Why delay. Dust off your old passport, make sure it’s current, and prepare to travel. Don’t leave home without it.
Commentary provided by Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com, the Los Angeles-based travel management company with an office in Valencia. He can be reached at 661.775.7511..
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