The New Passport Rules – What You Need to Know
Starting January 23, 2007:
- All persons traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda must present a valid U.S. passport or other accepted document (Air NEXUS card or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document) that establishes the traveler’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States.
- U.S. citizens traveling directly between the United States and its territories do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- U.S. citizens may also use a passport or other documents when traveling via land and sea (including ferry crossings), although for those modes of transport, such documentation won’t be formally required until January 1, 2008.
