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Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: Passport Requirements

Passports Required of all U.S. citizens, citizens of Bermuda, Canada and Mexico to enter the United States:

The United States Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security have announced the roll-out of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, designed to secure and expedite travel in the western hemisphere.
 
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all U.S. citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Canada and Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States at airports and seaports by January 8, 2007.
The proposed timeline and requirements would be as follows:
January 8, 2007 – Passports, Merchant Mariner Documents (MMD) or NEXUS Air cards would be required for all air travel, and most commercial sea travel, from within the Western Hemisphere for citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda.  This is a change from the previously scheduled date of January 1, in order to accommodate holiday travel.
January 1, 2008 – The statutory deadline for all Western Hemisphere travel, including land border travel.  Passports or other accepted documents determined to sufficiently denote identity and citizenship will be required for anyone crossing at a land border, as well as air and sea.
The passport (U.S. or foreign) will be the document of choice for entering or re-entering the United States through airports and seaports.  In addition, a limited number of other documents will be acceptable:  the NEXUS air card for those enrolled in this international trusted traveler program; U.S. military ID for active-duty military members; and the Merchant Mariner Document (“z” card) for merchant mariners. 

Because document requirements for citizens of Canada and Bermuda traveling to the United States have been the same as those in effect for U.S. citizens, the Initiative will apply requirements similar to those for U.S. citizens to citizens of Canada and Bermuda, beginning with air and sea travel as of January 8, 2007. Mexican citizens arriving by air or sea will need to present passports with visas or Border Crossing Cards with passports for admission to the United States.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov or www.travel.state.gov.