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New Requirements
for Travelers Between the United States and the Western Hemisphere
Travelers
to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada will be required
to have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the
United States. 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.
What is the
new travel document requirement?
All travelers to and
from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Canada or Mexico will be required to have a
passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and
nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. This is a change from
prior travel requirements. The goal is to strengthen border security and
facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign
visitors. This new requirement will be known as the Western Hemisphere
Travel Initiative.
Proposed Timeline
for Implementation for Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Requirements
The
travel initiative requirements 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 implementation timeline is
as follows:
 | December
31, 2005 – Passport or other accepted document required for all
travel (air/sea) to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South
America.| December
31, 2006 – Passport or other accepted document required for all
air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.
| December
31, 2007
– Passport or other accepted document required for all air, sea and land
border crossings. | |
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