NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF MEXICO & CZECH REPUBLIC:
As
of July 13, the government of Canada requires that citizens of Mexico and the
Czech Republic have a visa in order to enter the country. This new requirement
was made effective immediately. Canadian government officials will only allow
entry to Mexican and Czech citizens with a valid Canadian visa. Mexicans with a
valid U.S. green card are not required to have a visa to enter Canada.
PASSPORT INFORMATION:
ALL PERSONS traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.
LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
The following summarizes information available on the Department
of Homeland Security’s website.
Update: Birth certificates will no longer be an accepted travel document for any passenger, regardless of age or citizenship, on Panama Canal cruises or Western Caribbean cruises calling in Roatan on sailings departing on or after March 6, 2010. All passengers must present a WHTI compliant document at cruise check-in.
U.S. PASSPORT AND WHTI COMPLIANT DOCUMENTS:
 | U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present
a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S.
and the aforementioned Western Hemisphere countries.
| The
Passport Card: Passport card applications are
currently being accepted in anticipation of land border travel document
requirements. Based on current projections, we expect the passport
card to be in full production beginning in July 2008. We will provide
additional updates as available. Once in production, the passport card it
will only be valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada,
Mexico, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda.
| |
For further information see U.S. Customs and Border protection.
ABOUT
WHTI
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a result of the Intelligence Reform
and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), requiring all travelers to present
a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering
the U.S.
The goal of the initiative is to strengthen U.S. border security while
facilitating entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by
providing standardized documentation that enables the Department
of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler.
Federal Regulations
| Final
Rule - Air Phase (PDF)
| Final Rule -
Passport Card (PDF)
| Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking on Land/Sea Rule (PDF) | |
Other
Relevant Links
| Department of Homeland Security
| U.S. Customs and Border Protection
| Applying for
a Passport | |