Fact Sheet
Change in U.S. Law
The "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative" (WHTI) will require all U.S. citizens, Canadians, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document to enter and re-enter the U.S. by January 1, 2008.
Currently, U.S. citizens, Canadians and some citizens of other countries in the Western Hemisphere are not required to present a passport to enter or re-enter the U.S. when traveling within the Western Hemisphere.
Other Accepted Documents
Other accepted secure documents may be acceptable to U.S. officials under this initiative include the Border Crossing Card (BCC - or "laser visa") which currently serves in lieu of a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling to the U.S. from contiguous territory. Other documents are the Customs and Border Protection Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), NEXUS and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program cards. The State Department solicited for comments regarding other possible allowed documents via an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register.
Timeline
December 31, 2006 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
December 31, 2007 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.
The original rule included a December 31, 2005 deadline, but this was removed after the postponement of the rule publication.
Additional Information
For more information about WHTI, please visit: http://www.travel.state.gov/, the consular website for the U.S. Department of State.