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News
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative These requirements are for trips by Air. In September the WHTI law was extended until December 31, 2008 for travel by SEA. WHTI change to driving to Canada and Mexico must be in effect by June 1 2009. Until that time a certified birth certificate may still be used as proof of citizenship. Although the sea section of the law has been extended most cruise lines are requiring passports of all U.S. Citizens. Implementation of the WHTI has been delayed several times. The Caribbean countries have asked that the law be extended because of the economic effect it will have to tourism into the region. Other reasons for extensions have included the lack of trained staff at passport agencies although we have been told by a passport source that problem has been resolved. A special I.D. card for people living on the borders between Mexico and Canada who travel daily across the boarders are still being developed. This new law will be of great benefit to travelers because it will reduce the numbers of passengers who arrive at the airport and are denied boarding because of document problems. What is a damaged or mutilated passport? Passports, which have the appearance of being tampered with, washed or damaged so they are no longer readable by the U.S. Customs equipment are considered mutilated. Often passports are declared mutilated by the Department of State that do not seem that bad to us, but the U.S. Passport Agency is the determining agency. When applying for a new passport due to mutilation, you must write a letter to the Passport agency giving a detailed account of how you damaged your passport. Children’s passports required both parent’s signatures for passport application! When a parent cannot be present the U.S. government will allow this missing parent to complete a form which must be signed before a notary. The original form is required at the time the application for passport is completed. This form is a DS-3053 can be obtained from our Forms section. Children with only one parent or custodians can provide the following: When a parent has died a certified death certificate must be present. If a parent cannot be located then a statement must be prepared in front of a notary concerning the effort to locate a parent must be submitted. This type of declaration could delay the passport application. When parents have full custody of a child a certified copy of the divorce decree (full decree) may be submitted. Custodian of minor children must provide a certified copy of the document. This document must state that the custodian has permission to obtain a passport for the child. For the process of children’s application see: Children under 16 who have never had a passport. What is Acceptable proof of Citizenship? It is important that the birth record be checked carefully as sometimes passengers have a birth registration form which is sent to parents for the purpose of checking the information which has been sent to the State from the hospital. Russian Visa Requirements Changes |
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ited States by air, including U.S. Citizens must have a valid passport. Passports will be required for travel to all countries including Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean.
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