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Senior Citizen Travel & Vacation
New Requirement for Passport to Return to U.S. by
Air is Effective Tomorrow
Next step will require it for land and sea travel,
too
 January 22, 2007 Senior citizens should be aware
of new travel restrictions that become effective tomorrow that will
require all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda
to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air
from any part of the Western Hemisphere. This requirement was announced
last November by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S.
Department of State. As early as next year, a second phase will include
travel by land or sea.
The public awareness of the air travel requirement
continues to grow and current data shows that 88 percent of affected
passengers are already traveling to the United States with passports,
according to DHS. Since the week of Thanksgiving 2006, 83 percent of
U.S. citizens, 94 percent of Canadians, 88 percent of Mexicans, and 99
percent of Bermudans have arrived at U.S. airports with passports.
The air requirement is part of the departments of
State and Homeland Securitys Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).
This change in travel document requirements is the result of
recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, which Congress subsequently
passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act
of 2004.
The Passport Services Office of the Department of
State provides information and services to American citizens about how
to obtain, replace or change a passport. (See link below story.)
The passport requirement does not apply to U.S.
citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S.
citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to
have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S.
territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
The only acceptable alternative documents to a
passport for air travel will be the Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) and
the NEXUS Air card.
The MMD or z-card is issued by the U.S. Coast
Guard to U.S. Merchant Mariners and will only be accepted when used on
official business by U.S. Citizen Merchant Mariners.
The NEXUS Air card is issued to citizens of Canada
and the United States, lawful permanent residents of the United States
and permanent residents of Canada who meet certain eligibility
requirements. The NEXUS Air card will only be accepted when used in
conjunction with the NEXUS Air program at certain airports.
All active duty members of the United States Armed
Forces will be exempt from the requirement to present a valid passport
when entering the United States. Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S.
may re-enter on their I-551 Permanent Resident Card.
A separate proposed rule addressing land and sea
travel will be published at a later date with specific requirements for
travelers entering the United States through land and sea border
crossings.
As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including
U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central
and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including
ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents
as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.
While recent legislative changes permit a later
deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to
meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be
provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for
land/sea entries, according to the Department of State.
Under development, says the Department of State, is
the Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card): This limited-use
passport in card format will be available for use for travel only via
land or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the
Caribbean, and Bermuda. Similar in size to a credit card, it will fit
easily into a wallet. Its purpose is to facilitate the frequent travel
of those living in U.S. border communities and those traveling on
commercial maritime vessels.
Department of State Begins Issuing Electronic
Passports
Last August, the Department of State announced that
in an effort to enhance border security and to facilitate travel it had
begun issuing Electronic Passports (e-passports).
Consistent with globally specifications adopted by
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), this next
generation of the U.S. passport includes biometric technology. A
contactless chip in the rear cover of the passport will contain the same
data as that found on the biographic data page of the passport (name,
date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport issuance and
expiration, passport number), and will also include a digital image of
the bearers photograph.
The Department of State says it has employed a
multi-layered approach to protect the privacy of the information and to
mitigate the chances of the electronic data being skimmed (unauthorized
reading) or eavesdropped (intercepting communication of the transmission
of data between the chip and the reader by unintended recipients).
Metallic anti-skimming material incorporated into
the front cover and spine of the e-passport book prevents the chip from
being skimmed, or read, when the book is fully closed; Basic Access
Control (BAC) technology, which requires that the data page be read
electronically to generate a key that unlocks the chip, will prevent
skimming and eavesdropping; and a randomized unique identification (RUID)
feature will mitigate the risk that an e-passport holder could be
tracked.
To prevent alteration or modification of the data
on the chip, and to allow authorities to validate and authenticate the
data, the information on the chip will include an electronic signature (PKI).
The Department of State says it is confident that
the new e-passport, including biometrics and other improvements, will
take security and travel facilitation to a new level.
For more information about the Electronic Passport,
please visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs website at
>>
Find out how to obtain or change a
passport, click
>>
Private site with help on passports, click
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