Passport Requirements "2009"
Passports Requirements:
US Passports and Visas Click Here
As of June 1, 2009, passports are required for all travelers, including citizens of the U.S. and Canada, who enter or re-enter the U.S. by air, land or sea.
There are a few notable exceptions pertaining to land and sea border crossings:
- U.S. citizens on cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port and travel to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda or Central America are able to re-enter the U.S. with proof of citizenship other than a passport or passport card. Acceptable proof of citizenship includes an original or certified copy of your birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license). Passports are required for cruises that begin in one U.S. port and end in another.
- Children under the age of 16 who are citizens of the U.S. or Canada are exempt from the passport requirement for land and sea border crossings. In lieu of a passport, children are able to use a birth certificate as proof of citizenship for entry into the U.S. by land or by sea. Children entering or re-entering the U.S. by air are required to have a valid passport.
- A new, lower-cost alternative to the passport, called a passport card, is acceptable for entries into the U.S. by land or sea. Compared to passports, which cost $100 for first-time applicants ($85 for children), passport cards cost just $45 ($35 for children). The passport card is not acceptable for air travel.
Photocopies of required documentation are not acceptable in any circumstance.
Even though passports are not required at this time for U.S. and Canada citizens who sail on cruises to the above destinations that begin and end in the same U.S. port, we strongly recommend that all cruise passengers travel with a valid passport anyway. This is because guests who need to fly to or from the U.S. unexpectedly during their cruise will likely experience significant delays and complications related to booking airline tickets and entering the U.S. if they do not have a valid passport with them. For example, a passenger missing a cruise departure due to a late inbound flight to Miami would need a passport to fly to meet the ship at the next port. Similarly, guests needing to fly to the U.S. or Canada (via the U.S.) before their cruise ends because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, or a mechanical problem of some sort with the ship, would need a passport. Of course, situations like these are rare, but they can happen.
Passports are not required for U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from Hawaii or a U.S. territory, including Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Passports are required for cruise travel to all International destinations not mentioned above, and for cruises that involve air travel that begins or ends outside of the U.S. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the last day of travel.
For information about obtaining a passport for the first time, or about renewing a passport, click here to visit the U.S. Department of State's Web site. For more information about passport cards, click here.
Legal U.S. Residents (Non-Citizens)
Legal permanent residents of the U.S. must have a valid passport from their country of citizenship and a valid Alien Registration Card (Green Card) to enter or re-enter the U.S.
Non-U.S., Non-Canada Citizens
The following countries participate in a visa waiver program with the U.S., and citizens of these countries must have a machine-readable passport for entry into the U.S.:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
Citizens of the countries listed above who do not possess machine-readable passports, and citizens of countries not listed above must present a valid passport and a valid United States visa upon entry into the U.S. For those whose travel plans include multiple entries into the U.S., such as a cruise that begins and ends in a U.S. port, a multiple-entry visa is required.
Visas
All travelers, including U.S. and Canada citizens, are responsible for verifying visa requirements with consular officials, and obtaining visas where required, for every country visited during their trip, including countries visited via connecting flights.
How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry
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Expedited Service |
See http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/get/processing/processing_1740.html for current processing times. |
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Routine Service |
See http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/get/processing/processing_1740.html for current processing times. |
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Life or Death Emergencies |
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Payment Method |
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Passport Agency |
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Mail-in |
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Post Office, Clerk of Court, Other Location |
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All Passport Agencies accept applications only by appointment. Click here for more information.
Immigration Department
Phone number:1-800-375-5283
6/4/2009 Revised
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