State Department Recommends Travelers Apply Now for WHTI-Compliance Documents for Land and Sea Travel
The State Department has issued a notice recommending that travelers apply now for travel documents that will be required at all land or sea border entry points as of June 1, 2009 under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
(In April 2008, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule which, effective June 1, 2009, requires U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant citizens of Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico to present a government-approved document that denotes both citizenship and identity when entering the U.S. from within the Western Hemisphere at sea and land ports of entry. See ITT's Online Archives or 04/04/08 news, 08040405, for BP summary of the final rule.)
Processing Times for Passport Books/Cards Approximately 3 Weeks
According to the State Department, the U.S. passport book and the U.S. passport card are the premiere documents that denote both citizenship and identity. Processing times for passport books and passport cards are currently approximately three weeks.
(A list of other government-approved documents is available at http://www.getyouhome.gov/.)
Passport Card Incorporates RFID Technology, Etc.
The passport card incorporates vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which enables U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases.
The State Department notes that the passport card is valid only for entry to the U.S. at land border crossings and sea ports of entry when traveling from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda, and is not valid for international air travel.
(The final rule on WHTI land and sea entry implemented the second phase of WHTI. The first phase (the air portion) was implemented on January 23, 2007. See ITT's Online Archives or 11/30/06 news, 06113015, for BP summary.)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 06/30/08 news, 08063005, for BP summary of CBP's plans to modernize 39 ports of entry for WHTI identification technology.)
State Dept. press release (dated 12/11/08) available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/dec/113151.htm