Congress passes bill delaying passport rule for land, sea travel
Passports still required for air travel as of Jan. 8, 2007
By Michael Milligan, Travel Weekly, 10/02/2006
WASHINGTON -- Congress on Sept. 29 approved an amendment that would delay implementation of new passport requirements included in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a law requiring U.S. travelers to have passports in order to re-enter the U.S from abroad.
The last-minute revision, which was inserted into a Homeland Security Dept. appropriations bill, delays implementation until June 1, 2009 the requirement for passports for land crossings at the Canadian and Mexican borders and for cruise passengers returning to the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada or Bermuda through the same date. All U.S. citizens, however, will need passports for travel by air starting Jan. 8, 2007, as previously proposed.
According to Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the co-sponsors of the amendment, the legislation will allow more time to perfect a system that will also make PASS cards an available alternative to passports for land crossings at the Canadian and Mexican borders. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law.
Under the amendment, Congress requires the DHS and the State Dept. to first complete seven benchmarks in order to implement the passport requirement as well as develop the proposed PASS cards.
The amendment represents a significant victory for the travel industry, which lobbied heavily for a delay in the implementation of the passport rule.
"[The government] needed more time to implement this," said Rick Webster, vice president, government affairs for the Travel Industry Association, told TravelWeekly.com . "There was no way that they were ready to go by January."
Webster said that while the measure delays implementation of the passport rule until June 1, 2009, the government could move sooner if they're ready. "They can move sooner than that and we would want them too. But we want them to move when [they're] ready and when the traveling public is ready to comply.
"That is the key. We don't want the government to say 'we are ready to comply' before the traveling public is educated to what the requirements are and what the final rules are and understand their options. We want people to keep traveling."
The Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Caribbean Hotel Association, along with local hotel associations in the region as well as tourism ministers and commissioners of foreign affairs had lobbied strenuously for a deadline extension for passengers returning to the U.S. by both air and sea.
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, CTO's secretary general, earlier had argued that "while we agree with the intent [of the WHTI], we want more time to educate the U.S. public so that any harm to the Caribbean's tourism business will be at a minimum."
Caribbean hotel and tourism officials were expected to release formal statements Oct. 3 regarding reaction to the passport extension for cruise passengers returning to the U.S.
Meanwhile, according to Jim Santini, legislative counsel for the National Tour Association, "A major crisis has been averted at our nation's land borders. This common-sense adoption of a June 1, 2009 deadline ensures that proper security procedures and technologies are in place so that legitimate travel and tourism remains unimpeded. This is a great victory for North American tourism"
The International Council of Cruise Lines also praised Washington's decision.
"The cruise industry applauds Congress' efforts to increase security at our borders but to do so reasonably," said Michael Crye, president of the ICCL. "We will continue to work with the government to raise awareness of the requirements and encourage the traveling public to secure proper identification."
Webster said the travel industry's relationship to the passport requirement always centered on "timing and reasonable deadlines. That's what we were looking for and that's what this amendment gives us."
While both cruise passengers and travelers entering Canada and Mexico by land would be able to use the proposed PASS card, Webster said the industry still recommends that travelers apply for passports.
"For people who are concerned or confused about the options, what they can do is just get a passport," Webster said. "The simple way to achieve peace of mind and security is to simply get a passport. They can do that right now."
Johanna Jainchill and Gay Nagle Myers contributed to this story.