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Immigration

Department of Homeland Security Temporarily Suspends Passport Requirement for Certain Travelers

In response to a large backlog of U.S. passport applications, the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security have temporarily suspended the passport requirement for U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by air through September 2007. Instead, passport applicants can provide a Department of State-issued receipt showing they have applied for a passport along with a government-issued ID such as a driver's license in order to gain entry. Minor children accompanying a parent or legal guardian need only present proof of passport application. Travelers may experience increased security-related scrutiny when they travel. Americans traveling via land or sea are not yet required to present passports to gain entry to the U.S., but will be required to do so as early as January 2008.

As of January 2007, all travelers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda are required to present passports to enter or re-enter the U.S. when arriving by air from anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. This rule was enacted as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), part of a broad package of immigration rules implemented as a result of recommendations by the 9/11 Commission, and the subsequent passage of The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) into law.

Please contact us with any questions regarding this announcement.