New Passport Laws in effect

[Jennasis]

just a reminder for those taking a Canadian, Mexican or Carribbean vacation this year, you now need a passport to do do. According to Yahoo News... "Americans flying to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean made sure to bring their passports Monday because of a new rule going into effect Tuesday that requires them to show one to get back into the country."

I just applied for one for my trip to China in October, but I wanted to make sure everyone out there knows they need one if they're leaving the country. Cruise passengers seem to be safe though "For now, the rules affect only air travelers. Land and sea travelers will not have to show passports until at least January 2008. Air travelers who cannot produce a passport will be interviewed by customs agents, who will decide whether to let them into the country."

PS...it is $97 to apply for a new one!

 

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

Don't forget this includes kids!

 

[Jennasis]

Absolutely. The law is for ALL citizens. I believe a child's passport costs $57...though it might be $67. I can't remember if it was $20 or $30 less than an adult passport.

Also, to apply you need your birth certificate. NO copies. Must be the original (which will be mailed back to you with the new passport).

 

[T. Lynn]

Stupid question but how often do they need to be renewed?

 

[CarolG]

Stupid question but how often do they need to be renewed?

Adult passports are good for 10 years; passports for children (under 16, I think) are good for 5 years.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Still need to get one.

 

[Jennasis]

I takes about 8 weeks to receive a new one. You can pay extra to expedite processing and have it in (I think) 3 days. I think it's around $150 for expedited processing.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

so do we need one simply to enter Canada? or technically just "flying" in....don't mean to be so obtuse. I am tossing around an idea for a long weekend this spring in Niagara Falls........we will need them anyway for cruises soon enough, so we should just do it I suppose..... but the Niagara Falls trip was going to be a last minute surprise for DH - this will make it trickier

 

[Charade]

Also, to apply you need your birth certificate. NO copies. Must be the original (which will be mailed back to you with the new passport).

Supposedly you can use a previous passport as proof of citizenship.

 

[Charade]

http://www.passportsandvisas.com/passport/new/standard.asp

 

[Charade]

Damn! They really make you jump through hoops to get one! You must have a desitination already planned (and have a tickets?)?

F) Proof of Departure

You must provide a copy of ONE of the following :
your foreign travel plane ticket

your printed travel itinerary showing foreign travel

If this is a business trip, you may present a business letter from your employer. Click here for more instructions and a sample letter.

 

[Bob Slydell]

so do we need one simply to enter Canada? or technically just "flying" in....don't mean to be so obtuse. I am tossing around an idea for a long weekend this spring in Niagara Falls........we will need them anyway for cruises soon enough, so we should just do it I suppose..... but the Niagara Falls trip was going to be a last minute surprise for DH - this will make it trickier

The new law (for now) is only for air travel. I believe next year, any form of travel is going to be included.

 

[Hercules10]

The new law (for now) is only for air travel. I believe next year, any form of travel is going to be included.

Yup. For now it's air travel. Sea cruises are still good to go.

Even for air travel. If you don't have a passport you'll be subjected to a secondary search. I.e. they'll make it a time consuming PIA if you don't have a passport.

 

[LisaNJ25]

so do we need one simply to enter Canada? or technically just "flying" in....don't mean to be so obtuse. I am tossing around an idea for a long weekend this spring in Niagara Falls........we will need them anyway for cruises soon enough, so we should just do it I suppose..... but the Niagara Falls trip was going to be a last minute surprise for DH - this will make it trickier

I wonder how this is going to hurt tourism. Personally, I am not buying my family of 6 all passports to go to Niagara Falls for a few days.

I did read something you have to watch with certain ports of cruises also.. something about it you get sick and have to fly out of on of the countries.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

The new law (for now) is only for air travel. I believe next year, any form of travel is going to be included.

thank you!

 

[Luv'sTink]

Supposedly you can use a previous passport as proof of citizenship.

When appliying or ?

When you renew your passport they take the current one.(and send it back with a hole punched in it) I just renewed DS and he had to have the current, it wasn't expired, passport and birth certificate. I asked why and they said it was the way it worked.

 

[suzannen]

Damn! They really make you jump through hoops to get one! You must have a desitination already planned (and have a tickets?)?

F) Proof of Departure

You must provide a copy of ONE of the following :
your foreign travel plane ticket

your printed travel itinerary showing foreign travel

If this is a business trip, you may present a business letter from your employer. Click here for more instructions and a sample letter.

That's only if you are asking and paying for an expedited passport through a service like the link provided earlier. The US Dept of State's official website with information, downloadable forms, passport locations and FAQ's is at
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

I did all of this last week since my DD's expires in a few months. Beware, you can also have problems if your passport will expire within 6 months of travel. And, in NYC, at least, you are told not to smile for your photos anymore.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I wonder how this is going to hurt tourism. Personally, I am not buying my family of 6 all passports to go to Niagara Falls for a few days.

I did read something you have to watch with certain ports of cruises also.. something about it you get sick and have to fly out of on of the countries.

I agree - many people probably will not - I don't think I would want to include that cost in a simple vacation to Canada....if we didn't need them for larger vacations/cruises! It is really going to be a pain for people who live near the border and are used to coming and going for a day or so - or others who just want to do along weekend! Canada is close enough for us that these are our quick/cheap trips we try to fit in.

 

[cardaway]

Thanks for the reminder. We even went to the trouble of getting our birth certificates and didn't follow through with getting the passports.

Good to get on this now because it can take awhile. Certainly not something you can wait to do at the last minute.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Good to get on this now because it can take awhile. Certainly not something you can wait to do at the last minute.

I was doing the math last night when the news had a story about this and realized we have to take care of this literally this weekend, since we're flying to the Caribbean after Easter and the kids don't have passports yet (and mine's expiring, although not until after our trip).