New Passport Requirements for International Travelers

Currently, a driver's license and birth certificate are all that is needed for US citizens traveling to and from Canada and Mexico, but beginning January 8, 2007, the US Department of State will require that all persons traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central and South America must present a valid passport.

The following year (as early as January 1, 2008) passports will also be needed by those traveling on land, sea (including ferries), or crossing the border on foot.

Your new passport will contain an RFID chip in the rear cover that will hold the same information (name, date and place of birth, gender, dates of passport issuance and expiration, passport number) that appears on the biographical page, as well as a digital image of the bearer's photograph. The intent is to prevent alteration and/or fraudulent use of the document, and the Department of State has incorporated technology to help prevent "skimming", or unauthorized reading of the data. If you have an older passport that does not have an embedded chip, it will be accepted until it expires.

If you have not previously applied for a passport, you must apply in person at a Passport Acceptance facility. You can find the nearest facility at http://iafdb.travel.state.gov. The instructions and required forms are also available for download at http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html, and on-line application status checking is available.

If you already have a passport, you can renew by mail. The forms and instructions are available at http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/renew/renew_833.html.

You must allow at least six weeks for processing of your passport application, and with anticipated increased demand due to the new regulations, the earlier you can apply, the better. Should you run short of time, expedited processing is available for an additional fee. http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_831.html