Yesterday, the Departments of Homeland Security and of State issued the
final rulemaking concerning the requirements of passports for land and sea
border crossings under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. After
years of development following 9/11, this ruling is the end of the process
and can be considered FINAL when helping your clients
ensure they have the proper identification when traveling.
Effective June 1, 2009, the following rules take effect for cruise
passengers:
U.S. citizens on cruise
voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port (closed-loop
itineraries) must show proof of citizenship* and government-issued photo
ID (such as a driver’s license). A passport will not be required for
passengers that fall into this category.
*Documents include: Original or certified copy of birth certificate;
Naturalization papers; Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by
Department of State
All other passengers and/or itineraries (such as
cruises which begin in one U.S. port and return to a different U.S. port
or any cruise that begins or ends in a foreign port) will require a
passport or other recognized document. For a list of accepted documents,
see www.travel.state.gov.
The good news for a majority of cruise passengers – American citizens
that leave and return on their cruise from the same U.S. port – is that
the travel document requirements will remain largely unchanged from how
the industry is operating today.
CLIA continues to encourage travelers to obtain passports to allow the
broadest travel opportunities. Your clients can visit www.travel.state.gov to obtain information on how to apply at more than 9,000 passport
acceptance facilities in the United States. |
