07 August 2009

New Requirements at U.S. Borders

Dance students from Baltimore, Maryland, learn some steps as they participate in an exchange with a samba school in Rio de Janeiro.

Crossing borders in this hemisphere requires a bit more planning that it used to. Traveling American students need to heed recent changes in the document requirements for their travel and ignore their big brother’s fond memories of driving across the Canadian border with just a wave to the border guard. That was then; this is now.

Travelers must be carrying documents of identity and nationality to enter the United States, according to the newest update to the law. The latest requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) took effect in June 2009. They call for travelers to present a passport or other approved, secure document denoting citizenship and identity.

Passport offices became busy when U.S. citizens prepared for new passport requirements.

The requirements are one of many measures implemented in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks to improve security and to protect the American public.

The first phase of the WHTI took effect in 2007 and required all travelers by air to present a passport, including children. The 2009 phase requires documents from all travelers by land and sea, and travelers who were previously exempt, including citizens of the United States, Canada, and Bermuda.

There are some exceptions. Children under the age of 16 are allowed to present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. Children ages 16 to 18 traveling with church, school, or sports groups will also be allowed entrance with a birth certificate if there is adult supervision of the group. Native Americans can also use alternate forms of identification.

The new rules also apply to travelers by sea.