New Passport Rules for the New Year

Filed in archive Aviation Travel on December 13, 2007

If you haven't gotten your passport yet, keep this in mind. On January 31, the rules for entering USA will get tougher. If you are arriving into the USA by land via a boat, you will need both a valid passport (or government-issued photo ID or driver's license) AND proof of U.S. citizenship like a birth certificate. Due to the overwhelming demand for passports, there's a wait time of four to six weeks to get one. So, jump on it.

The latest changes are part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, launched after 9/11. All U.S. travelers returning from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean by air have had to carry passports since Jan. 23 - a requirement that sparked months-long processing delays earlier this year. Turnaround time for a standard passport is now four to six weeks and three weeks for an expedited version.