Travel in Western Hemisphere

New Requirements

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004  (IRTPA) requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States.  In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which was published in the Federal Register in August 11, 2006.

In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative 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:

• January 8, 2007 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
• January 1, 2008 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

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.

On the above date, the Departments of State and Homeland Security announced and submitted for public comment the air and sea phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to secure and expedite travel.  Therefore 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, please visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.