As you note they might need a passport some time in the future. Unless
the idiots in DC shuffle the rules again. Now though they may not need
a passport.
Brian K wrote:
> On 4/7/2007 1:53 AM Dan Harris wrote:
>
>> "Odysseus" wrote in message
>> news:hdmdnZn1LY2bKIvbnZ2dnUVZWhednZ2d@insightbb.com...
>>
>>
>>> In article
>>> ,
>>> kurtullman@yahoo.com says...
>>>
>>>
>>>> In article ,
>>>> Ray Goldenberg wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:57:06 GMT, AZ Nomad
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> How did he get on that ship? You can't board an international cruise
>>>>>> without a passport.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>> As a matter of clarification, US passports are NOT required when US
>>>>> citizens are boarding cruise ships departing from a Florida or San
>>>>> Juan port. You can use a government issued photo ID along with a
>>>>> certified copy of your birth certificate in instead of a passport.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Isn't this any US port, as long as you are re-entering the US
>>>> through the same port??
>>>>
>>>
>>> In the case of this cruise, it departed and returned to New Orleans.
>>> The docs from RCI said that a passport was not necessary but was
>>> recommended.
>>>
>>> Some of the people at my table said that they did not have passports.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> Perhaps that was the case four months or more ago, but it is my
>> understanding that as of 1 January 2007 a passport became required for
>> ANY cruise that leaves the USA...
>>
>
>
> PLEASE NOTE: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
>
> or http://tinyurl.com/8agkq
>
>
> Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
>
> The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:
>
> Beginning *January 23, 2007*, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens,
> traveling by *air* between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central
> and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to
> present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant
> Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.
>
> As early as *January 1, 2008*, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens,
> traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South
> America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by *land* or *sea* (including
> ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents
> as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent
> legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State
> and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as
> possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to
> obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.
>
> The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or
> returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning
> directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the
> United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories
> include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
> American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
> Mariana Islands.
>
> Travel Documents for U.S. Citizens Under WHTI
>
> Under the proposed implementation plan, the following documents will be
> acceptable to fulfill document requirements:
>
> U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when
> traveling via air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central
> and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and may also use a U.S.
> passport when traveling via sea and land borders (including ferry
> crossings).
>
> The Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card): This limited-use
> passport in card format is currently under development and will be
> available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries)
> between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Similar
> in size to a credit card, it will fit easily into a wallet.
>
> DOS and DHS also anticipate that the following documents will continue
> to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI: SENTRI,
> NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document. As
> proposed, members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on
> orders will continue to be exempt from the passport requirement.
>
> Background
>
> The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires
> the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to develop
> and implement a plan to require all travelers, U.S. citizens and foreign
> nationals alike, to present a passport or other document, or a
> combination of documents, that denote identity and citizenship when
> entering the United States. Congress amended portions of the Act in
> 2006. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is the Administration’s
> proposed plan to implement this mandate.
>
> The goal of the Initiative is to strengthen border security and
> facilitate entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate
> foreign visitors by providing standardized, secure and reliable
> documentation which will allow the Department of Homeland Security to
> quickly, reliably and accurately identify a traveler.
>
>
> (for more detailed information and additional links see the above link.)
> |