Beginning Jan. 31 of this year, U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 19 and older should no longer expect that an oral declaration alone will be sufficient to prove identity and citizenship for entry into the country. Instead, travelers will be asked to present documentation, such as the passport book, birth certificate or driver's license, from a specified list of acceptable documents when entering the U.S. at land and sea ports of entry. It is expected that by June 2009 the only identity documents to be accepted will be the passport book or the less expensive passport card which can only be used for selected land or sea border crossings to WHTI countries.

U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for the new U.S. Passport Card on Feb. 1, 2008, in anticipation of land border travel document requirements. The U.S. Department of State expects that cards will be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008. See next article for new passport fees.

For more information on these new land and border crossing procedures go the Department of Homeland Security web site. Also available is a helpful FAQ on the New Border Crossings.




New Passport Fees for 2008

Beginning February 1, 2008, the Department of State will institute a new fee schedule for passport services. At this time applicants will also have the option of pre-ordering a new Passport Card, a low cost, limited use (land and sea only) alternative to the Passport Book designed for those living along the border. In addition, the age for which both parents must appear and sign a passport application on behalf of a child will increase from 14 to 16 years old.

Fees are being adjusted to cover the cost of providing efficient and secure passport services including infrastructure, technology and staff. The Passport Execution fee collected by passport acceptance centers and U.S. consular sections abroad is being reduced from $30 to $25. Go to the State Department web site for more details.




State Department Issues Proposed Ruled for New Passport Card (October 17, 2006)

The State Department issued on October 17, its proposed rule for a Passport Card that would be used by American citizens when traveling by land and sea between the U.S. and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Below are a few highlights

• Passport Card is not a substitution for the Passport when traveling internationally elsewhere,
• Application cost is $20 for adults 16 and over and the card is valid for 10 years,

• Application cost is $10 for children under 16 and card is valid for 5 years
• Passport execution fee is $25 for first time applicants and others who need to apply in person - a $5 reduction from the current fee
• Passport Card will use radio frequency proximity read technology so card can be scanned from up to 20 feet
• Passport Card will use the same documentary requirements and procedures as currently used for the Passport Book, and
• Citizens can apply for both the Passport Card and Passport Book at the same time.

   

  Comments for this proposed rule are due December 18, 2006. Click here for a PDF of the proposed rule.

   

  Congress Changes New Passport Deadlines for WHTI (October 1, 2006)

  Over the weekend before Congress left for its election recess, it extended the WHTI passport and pass card deadlines for traveling across the U.S. border by sea and land until no later than June 1, 2009.  The extension was part of the 2007 fiscal year Homeland Security Appropriations Bill approved by the House and Senate.  The January 8, 2007 deadline requiring passports for traveling by air were left unchanged.  The State Department could shorten the June 1, 2009 sea and land deadline if Passport Services can meet specific technology, administrative and personnel training requirements specified in the legislation before that date.

  In a colloquy on the Senate floor, Senator Gregg, Chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, states,
  “I wish to emphasize that the Departments of Homeland Security and State can move forward with the full implementation of WHTI before June I, 2009--but to do so they must comply with all legislated criteria. These legislated criteria are designed to ensure that the PASS Card protects the privacy of our citizens, that readers have been installed at all ports of entry, that all employees have been properly trained--in short, that the system works, before it is used by millions of citizens. And I emphasize that implementation, meaning putting the system into operation can occur at any time but no later than June 1, 2009.”

   

  NY Times Explains Impact of WHTI on Traveling Abroad (October 1, 2006)
  Published a week later than originally expected, the Practical Traveler column in the Sunday New York Times Travel Section (10/1/06) had the headline, “New Passport Rules May Mean Delays.” The column discusses how obtaining a passport through normal Passport Services procedures may take longer than usual.

  NAPVS firms are listed as an option for obtaining passport services in an expedited fashion. Specifically, the article states,
   “There are also private rush services that specialize in speeding customers through the bureaucracy. For varying fees, these companies can often get passports approved in as little as 24 hours. (A list of expediting services is at www.napvs.org.) But in recent years, some passport agencies have been reducing the number of daily submissions such rush companies are allowed. The New York regional passport agency used to allow them to submit applications in unlimited numbers; in February it limited each company to 20 or fewer a day.”

  For the complete article go to
  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/travel/01prac.html?_r=1&ref=travel&oref=slogin You may need to register with nytimes.com before you can access the article.