What They Mean; What You Can Do
New rules and regulations have been introduced by the US federal government that will affect international travel both to and from the United States. Below find a summary of each change, with links to more information and details about what NBTA is doing and how you can get involved.
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI): NBTA issued a fact sheet detailing the new State Department travel initiative that requires citizens of the US, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda to present passports or other specified secure documents when (re) entering the United States. Previous rules allowed those citizens to travel between the countries without a passport.
Fact Sheet
Electronic Passports: NBTA continues its longstanding practice of being the conduit of information between corporate travel professionals and government agencies by providing a detailed Q&A on the U.S. State Department's electronic passport program, with answers provided by the State Department in response to questions posed by NBTA. Members were then given the opportunity to voice any questions or concerns they have about the new passports. NBTA carried those concerns to the State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs in a meeting held April 15, 2005. Q&A
Biometric Passport Deadline: In June 2005, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would extend the deadline for countries in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to begin issuing passports with biometric data identifying the passport holder. The one-year extension, to October 26, 2006, will give the 27 U.S. allies in the program an opportunity to implement the required technology, avoiding the possibility of turning away visitors from those nations or requiring them to obtain visas before coming to the United States. For NBTA's statement lauding this latest development, click here.