November 2, 2006

If you’re going away for the holidays, plan on packing a passport

New passport requirements for U.S. citizens

As travelers plan their holiday vacation, getting a passport should be at the top of their shopping list, or they could find themselves stranded at the border. New federal regulations will be in place, and could affect a traveler’s Caribbean cruise or Canadian ski trip over Christmas and into the New Year.

Effective Jan. 8, 2007, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all U.S. citizens to have a valid passport for exiting and reentering the United States for all air travel. The requirement also extends to Citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Canada and Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to be able to enter or re-enter the United States by Jan. 8, 2007.

Mundi Travel recently added to its consumer Web site (www.munditravel.travel) a passport section with the current updates on passport regulations from the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security.

“Travel agents must help their clients be ready for these new rules and encourage them to apply for their passports this fall rather than waiting until the rules take effect,” said Guisselle Nuñez, marketing director for Mundi Travel.

In the proposed implementation plan, 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 will be as follows:

- Air travel: Passport deadline is Jan. 8, 2007.

- U.S. citizens will be required to have a valid passport for exiting and reentering the United States starting Jan. 8, 2007 for all air travel.

- Sea and land border entry ports: Passport/PASS card deadline is June 1, 2009.

U.S. Citizens traveling by sea and land within the Western Hemisphere, Caribbean, Bermu-da, Canada and Mexico will be required to have a valid U.S. passport or a yet-to-be-determined, new economical travel document known as a Passport Card on or before June l, 2009.