The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) recently added to its consumer Web site a passport section with current updates on passport regulations from the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security. Effective…
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) recently added to its consumer Web site a passport section with current updates on passport regulations from the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security. Effective Jan. 1, 2007, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all U.S. citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Canada and Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States by Jan. 1, 2008.
“Travel agents must help their clients be ready for these new rules and must be in touch with current clients to have them getting passports this summer rather than waiting until the rules take effect,” said Kathryn W. Sudeikis, CTC, ASTA president and CEO. “It is critical that ASTA agents are well informed about travel regulations and alerted when issues arise that have a bearing on the way in which we do business, such as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.”
In the proposed implementation plan, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:
December 31, 2006 – Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
December 31, 2007 – Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.
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