Traveling outside the United States next year?
As of Tuesday, January 23, 2007, all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air to Canada, Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport or an Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card to re-enter the country.
A valid driver's license will no longer suffice for re-entry documentation. The new strict regulations can vitally affect cruise travelers as well.
If you are planning to travel out of the country next year, it is recommended that you apply for a new passport, or check your current passport to ensure it is still valid. It can take up to six weeks to process a new one, so plan ahead.
While the new regulations affect only air travelers in 2007, the new requirements are expected to be extended in January 2008, to cover all persons traveling by land or sea.
As general manager of Away U Go Travel in Flushing, I urge all cruise passengers to immediately heed the January 2007 rules as they apply to air passengers. If a medical or other emergency should occur during a Caribbean cruise that necessitates remaining at a port of call, those affected may encounter extreme difficulty in returning to the U.S.
The new passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory because they are considered to have not left the United States. U.S. territories include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The changes in travel document requirements are the result of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
Passport applications can be downloaded on the State Department website or picked up and later signed in person at an authorized acceptance facility like a post office, library, or a passport agency.
The Flushing Post Office's Passport Window is currently open Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Saturday, it is best to arrive before 11 a.m. because only the first 100 applications are accepted. The address is 41-65 Main Street and the phone number is 718-321-6893. Native-born U.S. citizen first-time applicants must bring an original certified birth certificate with raised seal and government-issued picture ID, such as a driver's license, plus other supporting identification, such as social security card, credit cards, utility bills, etc.
Two passport photos are required (which can be purchased at the post office). Bring cash, checks, or money orders (also available at the post office). For adults, the Postmaster charges $30 plus the U.S. Department of State fee of $67 for a total cost of $97. The application process normally takes about six weeks. For expedited service (about two weeks plus delivery time), you can pay an additional $60 to the State Department, and the post office charges for Express Mail.
For more information, go to www.travel.state.gov, call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778, or e-mail Don Capa at awayugotravel@aol.com.
Don Capa is general manager of Away U Go Travel in Flushing in association with Pisa Brothers, Inc. Travel Service.
