New travel rules set off confusion, rush for passports
For thousands of travelers flying into the USA from Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, Tuesday is D-Day. Or P-Day, as it were.
That's when new government regulations take effect requiring all incoming air travelers — including U.S. citizens — to have a passport. Previously, a birth certificate or driver's license sufficed for U.S. citizens. The new regulation has prompted record numbers of Americans to apply for passports in the run-up to the deadline. The State Department processed 12.1 million passports in 2006 and expects to receive up to 18 million applications this year. At present, 27% of Americans have a passport.
Despite the onslaught of applications, wait times have not exceeded the standard six-week turnaround, State Department officials say. In addition to 17 passport centers, 9,000 individual sites, such as post offices and libraries, are accepting applications. Those sites will operate indefinitely, says State Department official Frank Moss. (First-time applicants must apply in person. To find the nearest location, go to travel.state.gov and type in your ZIP code.) Cost of a new passport is $97 for adults and $82 for children.
As early as January 2008, cross-border land and sea travelers also will have to show a passport, or alternatively, a passport card, a new form of identification that will be less expensive ($45 for adults; $35 for children). It is valid only for land and sea passengers who are traveling from Mexico, the Caribbean or Canada.
Despite the attempts to get the word out, many travelers are putting off applying, if an online poll this month is any indication. In a survey of 1,100 users of the Internet booking site Kayak.com, 32% said they planned to get a passport, but only about half of them had initiated the process. And one in five respondents said the new regulations would cause them to alter their travel plans.
Another poll by Travelocity said one in four surveyed were unaware of the new passport requirements.
Russell Black, an avid kayaker from Faribault, Minn., is among the confused. He intended to go kayaking this summer in the Boundary Waters that straddle Minnesota and Canada but scrapped the plans after learning he would need a passport.
"I don't even know what the process is," he says. "I don't want to get out there and get caught without a passport. I'm unclear about the rules. I just know enough to make me nervous."
But more than 90% of Americans returning by air from Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada already are using passports as identification, Moss says.
Meanwhile, as U.S. possessions, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are exempt from the new rules and are anticipating a windfall in bookings from travelers who don't want to deal with the time and expense of getting a passport.
Not surprisingly, Caribbean islands aren't happy about the change. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, head of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, issued a statement saying the rules are confusing and could hurt travel to the islands.
In an effort to lure reluctant travelers, a number of Caribbean hotels and tour operators have rolled out incentives ranging from rebates on passport fees to upgrades and free nights. For a list of promotions, visit www.onecaribbean.org/information/categorybrowse.php?categoryid=31.
Posted 1/18/2007 5:49 PM ET |
