New Passport Requirements Kick In

Starting Monday, New Passport Requirements Kick In Passport requirements are changing again. Thats according to "USA Today," which reports that starting Monday, U.S. airline passengers will again need a valid passport when traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda. This summer, the Bush administration temporarily waived new passport requirements that were supposed to take effect in January, after a deluge of applications and complaints of months-long delays in getting a passport. Travelers still needed to show proof that theyd applied for the travel documentation. The State Department says with extra staff on board and the summer travel crunch over, its been able to cut passport processing times to six weeks for a routine application and three weeks for expedited service. For the fiscal year that ends on Sunday, the department says it issued an estimated 18 million passports, up from just over 12 million in 2006. Under the new rules going into effect on Monday, Americans returning by land or sea from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean must show either a valid passport or some other proof of citizenship and a government-issued photo identification such as a drivers license. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-09-28-07 0659CDT