New Passport Rules

Just a reminder for all of you island-hoppers: As Matt mentioned in a recent post, the passport rules are changing this week. Here's what you need to know...

WHAT: The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

WHAT'S DIFFERENT: You probably already know you need a passport when traveling overseas by air - but with this new initiative, you will also be required to show a passport (or the new passport card, which is sufficient for most Caribbean destinations) when traveling by land or sea. So cruise-shippers and yachties, take note: a birth certificate and proof of identity will no longer be enough to enter your favorite Caribbean ports.

WHEN: Effective June 1, 2009

WHY: Because it's just fun to shake things up. But really it's meant to tighten border security and streamline the protocol for reentry to the U.S. from most foreign destinations.

Of course there are a few exceptions to the new requirements, so check out the official State Department site for the whole scoop plus links to purchase or renew your passport and/or passport card:

www.travel.state.gov

Bon Voyage!

Passport from Paradise

Once you land in the Caribbean, it's a fair guess that you won’t be in any big hurry to get home. But when at last you are ready to get back to the grind, it's always nice to know that you can. So if you’ve planned that perfect summertime getaway (and if you haven’t, you should; the deals right now are smokin'), you should be aware that as of June 1, U.S. citizens will need to present proof of citizenship to get back into the country from destinations in the Caribbean (as well as Mexico and Canada). Acceptable documents include the old-fashioned passport, one of the government’s new passport cards, the chip-embedded “enhanced driver’s license" issued by a few state DMVs or, for regular border-crossers, a “Trusted Traveler” card from SENTRI, NEXUS or Global Entry.

The rules are a little different for vacationers under 16 and those traveling by cruise ship, so check out the Customs and Border Protection Department’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative page to make sense of it all. And don't delay: Processing time for passport applications is currently about four weeks, according to the State Department.