Passports - You need one and why you should care

Passport rules are continuing to change and are working toward a time when everyone will need a passport to exit and return to the United States.

A lack of understanding about passports is creating confusion and people are being denied travel – with no refunds!

Passport rules are continuing to change and are working toward a time when everyone will need a passport to exit and return to the United States.

A lack of understanding about passports is creating confusion and people are being denied travel – with no refunds!

A recent travel industry survey revealed that the majority of Americans do not know that a passport is now required when returning to the US via air from other countries in the Western Hemisphere. Over half of the travelers (56 %) could not correctly identify that passports are required for air travel regardless of the country, including Europe, Japan, and China. Less than 1 in 20 understand that a passport is required for sea travel from Asia and Europe. Even more don’t know when a passport is required for land and sea travel from US ports.

A friend of mine works at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport for one of the tour vendors. She tells me that almost every flight departing for Mexico or the Caribbean  someone is denied boarding because they didn’t know they needed a passport. Would this be you because you don’t have a passport?

The average time to process a passport application and return the passport has risen from 4-6 weeks, but at times this has extended to nearly 3 months.

The passport must be valid for at least the length of the trip. But, this is where it can get complicated. Some foreign countries require that the passport be valid for as long as 6 months beyond your length of stay. Contact your travel professional or check the requirements at http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm.

When is a passport required for travel?

These requirements apply to adults and children of all ages.

Travel by air or sea. If you travel by air or return to the US by air from anywhere outside of the US or US territory you need a passport now. (The territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.)

If you board a ship in a foreign country and travel to the US, you need a passport now. If you don’t have proper documentation, you will be denied boarding by the airline and/or cruise line, and they will not issue a refund.

Travel by land or sea. All persons traveling by land or sea (including Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean) are not required to have either a passport or other proof of citizenship (certified copy of a birth certificate with a government issued photo ID, i.e. driver's license). This requirement will change sometime before June 2009 to requiring a passport only. This date is dependent on the Department of State developing a Pass Card – a temporary substitute for a passport for land crossing for Canada and Mexico. The US Congress has given the Department of State a deadline of June 1, 2009, to implement the Pass Card. So, we don’t know exactly when a passport will be required for land and sea travel between the US, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. Continue to check at http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm for updates.

Do you need a visa?

No, we’re not talking about a credit card. A visa indicates that an application for entry into a country has been reviewed by the country’s consular officer at an embassy or consulate, and that the officer has determined you’re eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose. Some countries require a visa to enter and as a traveler, it is your responsibility to know if you need a visa and apply for it. Visas take additional time for application and require planning ahead.

Again, you can check with your travel professional or http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm to verify if you need a visa.

Some examples

These examples apply only to US citizens. Non-US citizens have different requirements and must check with their embassy.

Mexico vacation. Suppose you book a trip on Funjet to Cancun. You absolutely must have a passport because you will be flying from the US to a foreign country.

Mexico from a ship. If you sail from San Diego to Mexico and return on the ship to San Diego, you do not need a passport. However, you will need citizenship documentation of your birth certificate and driver’s license. But here a catch – suppose you get sick or injured while on the trip and need to fly home. You will need a passport to enter the US by air from Mexico

Alaska from Seattle. Let’s suppose you take an Alaska cruise that departs Seattle and return to Seattle. This has the same requirements as the Mexico trip on a ship.

Alaska inside passage. What if you board the ship in Anchorage and sail to Vancouver and fly home from Vancouver, or vice versa and fly into Vancouver. You must have a passport because you will be entering and or leaving the US by air from a foreign country.

Europe to the US. It doesn’t matter if you fly or enter the US by sea – if you board the plane or ship in Europe, you must have a passport.

My recommendation

Don’t mess around, get a passport now. You will eventually need one if you ever travel outside the US. Passports for adults are valid for 10 years. Children's passports are valid for 5 years. You can find out where to apply at http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm. There are over 8,000 facilities that accept applications and you can locate them by your zip code.

A friend of mine works at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport for one of the tour vendors. She tells me that almost every flight departing for Mexico or the Caribbean  someone is denied boarding because they didn’t know they needed a passport. Would this be you because you don’t have a passport?

The average time to process a passport application and return the passport has risen from 4-6 weeks, but at times this has extended to nearly 3 months.

The passport must be valid for at least the length of the trip. But, this is where it can get complicated. Some foreign countries require that the passport be valid for as long as 6 months beyond your length of stay. Contact your travel professional or check the requirements at http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm.

When is a passport required for travel?

These requirements apply to adults and children of all ages.

Travel by air or sea. If you travel by air or return to the US by air from anywhere outside of the US or US territory you need a passport now. (The territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.)

If you board a ship in a foreign country and travel to the US, you need a passport now. If you don’t have proper documentation, you will be denied boarding by the airline and/or cruise line, and they will not issue a refund.

Travel by land or sea. All persons traveling by land or sea (including Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean) are not required to have either a passport or other proof of citizenship (certified copy of a birth certificate with a government issued photo ID, i.e. driver's license). This requirement will change sometime before June 2009 to requiring a passport only. This date is dependent on the Department of State developing a Pass Card – a temporary substitute for a passport for land crossing for Canada and Mexico. The US Congress has given the Department of State a deadline of June 1, 2009, to implement the Pass Card. So, we don’t know exactly when a passport will be required for land and sea travel between the US, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. Continue to check at http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm for updates.

Do you need a visa?

No, we’re not talking about a credit card. A visa indicates that an application for entry into a country has been reviewed by the country’s consular officer at an embassy or consulate, and that the officer has determined you’re eligible to enter the country for a specific purpose. Some countries require a visa to enter and as a traveler, it is your responsibility to know if you need a visa and apply for it. Visas take additional time for application and require planning ahead.

Again, you can check with your travel professional or http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm to verify if you need a visa.

Some examples

These examples apply only to US citizens. Non-US citizens have different requirements and must check with their embassy.

Mexico vacation. Suppose you book a trip on Funjet to Cancun. You absolutely must have a passport because you will be flying from the US to a foreign country.

Mexico from a ship. If you sail from San Diego to Mexico and return on the ship to San Diego, you do not need a passport. However, you will need citizenship documentation of your birth certificate and driver’s license. But here a catch – suppose you get sick or injured while on the trip and need to fly home. You will need a passport to enter the US by air from Mexico

Alaska from Seattle. Let’s suppose you take an Alaska cruise that departs Seattle and return to Seattle. This has the same requirements as the Mexico trip on a ship.

Alaska inside passage. What if you board the ship in Anchorage and sail to Vancouver and fly home from Vancouver, or vice versa and fly into Vancouver. You must have a passport because you will be entering and or leaving the US by air from a foreign country.

Europe to the US. It doesn’t matter if you fly or enter the US by sea – if you board the plane or ship in Europe, you must have a passport.

My recommendation

Don’t mess around, get a passport now. You will eventually need one if you ever travel outside the US. Passports for adults are valid for 10 years. Children's passports are valid for 5 years. You can find out where to apply at http://www.awatravel.com/info/passports.htm. There are over 8,000 facilities that accept applications and you can locate them by your zip code.