Citizens of the US, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda will have to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere on Jan. 23, 2007.
This is the first phase of a two-pronged plan of the Departments of State and Homeland Security, as the result of 9/11 Commission recommendations which the US Congress passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
The full regulations may be viewed at www.regulations.gov.
A separate proposed rule regarding travel by land and sea will be published at a later date. As early as Jan. 1, 2008, US citizens traveling between the US and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda by land or sea could be required to present a valid US passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.
In 2006, the Department of State issued a record 12.1 million passports to US citizens, and anticipates issuing 16 million passports in 2007.
For more information about how to apply for a passport, go to travel.state.gov or call 877.487.2778.
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