Traveling With Debe

Potential good news on the passport front...

Posted today on CNN:

WASHINGTON (AP)  -- The State Department said Friday it has worked through a massive backlog in passport applications and that processing times are back to normal after months of major delays that disrupted summer travel plans for thousands of Americans.

The department said steps taken to deal with the crisis -- the hiring of hundreds of new adjudicators, temporary transfers of employees to passport centers and the opening of a new facility to handle the deluge -- had brought the waiting period for a standard application back to six to eight weeks and three weeks for expedited service.

"We're very pleased that we've been able to get back to the customer service standard that has long been our desire, and pleased that we've been able to do so in accordance with the commitments that we made to the American people and Congress," deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"So, good news, and we hope that this will ensure that Americans will be able to receive their passports, now and in the future, in a timely and secure fashion," he told reporters.

At one point during the summer, the processing time had stretched to more than three months for a standard application, infuriating many would-be overseas travelers and sparking a rash of harsh criticism from lawmakers.

The surge was largely the result of new post-September 11, 2001 immigration rules that took effect in January requiring U.S. citizens to have passports for air travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Those rules were suspended temporarily until the end of September due to the inability of the State Department to handle the crush of applications.

Casey said the State Department has issued more than 16 million passports since the beginning of budget year 2007 last October and is now poised to get up to 17 million by September 30. The department issued just over 12 million passports the previous year.

By the end of September, Casey said the department will be able to process 500,000 applications per week due to the increase in personnel and capacity at passport production centers.

If you don't already have one, get one.  Now.

Enhanced drivers license for border crossings

Posted on Travel Weekly by Michal Milligan:

WASHINGTON -- Arizona, in cooperation with the Dept. of Homeland Security, announced a plan to develop an enhanced state driver's license that potentially could serve as a form of identification compliant with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

If the state's legislature approves the plan, Arizona would join Washington and Vermont, which are also working with the DHS to develop similar state driver's licenses.

"My hope is that this project will lead to an effective, permanent program that can be implemented nationwide," said Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano in a statement.

As planned, the state of Arizona would develop an enhanced driver's license that would provide residents, who voluntarily apply and qualify, with a document acceptable for crossings at U.S. land borders and seaports.

The enhanced driver's license -- which would require proof of identity, citizenship and residence -- would be slightly more expensive than a standard Arizona state driver's license.

Under the WHTI, a law enacted last January, U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, plus proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate, for admissibility into the U.S. starting next year.

Still a good idea to get a passport and keep it current. 

Passport rules back into effect on October 1st

Posted yesterday in Travel Weekly by Michael Milligan:

WASHINGTON -- Airline passengers will once again need valid passports in order to travel between the U.S. and Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico starting Oct. 1, according to the Dept. of Homeland Security.

On Sept. 30, a temporary rule is set to expire that permitted travelers who had applied for but did not yet receive U.S. passports to proceed with trips to countries within the Western Hemisphere, so long as they had a government-issued photo ID and proof that their passport applications were pending.

Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Imitative, a law enacted last January, all airline passengers are required to present a valid passport in order to enter and depart from the U.S.

However, the law, which will be extended next year to land borders and seaports, spurred millions of travelers to apply for passports.

The "unprecedented" influx of passport applications inundated the State Dept., which was unable to process passports fast enough to keep up with demand.

With tens of thousands of passport applications still unprocessed, the DHS in June issued the temporary rule to allow air passengers to proceed with their summer travel plans.

We've been advising clients for the past year to get their passports in order.  They must be valid for at least 6 months past your return travel date.  A new passport processing center was opened in Arkansas but the waits are still long.  First time passports for US citizens age 16 and older are $97; children age 0-15 are $82.  Yes-infants need there own passport to travel on a plane outside of the 50 United States.  Passports for citizens 16 and older are valid for 10 years; for citizens 0-15 years, 5 years. 

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