The New Requirements

• Phase I:  All U.S. citizens traveling by air to or from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America are now required to have a U.S. passport.  Prior to September 2007, a driver's license or birth certificate would work from many of these countries. Children traveling with parents must also hold a passport.  Currently exempt from the requirement are those entering the country by auto or on a cruise ship. Also important, check the requirements for the country you plan to visit. Mexico, for example, now requires a birth certificate if you do not have a passport.
  
  Passports are still not required for persons returning home from a U.S. territory because they are not considered to have left the United States. Thus, visits to Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Swains Island or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands do not require a passport. Passports are still necessary for travel to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific region.
• Phase 2: As of  June, 2009, all persons returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America at land and sea borders will also be required to hold a passport.  U.S. and Canadian children under the age of 15, with parental consent, may show a birth certificate instead of a passport. And U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 16 to 18 traveling with school, religious, cultural or athletic groups under adult supervision will also be allowed to travel with only their birth certificates.

Some Exceptions
Members of the U.S. armed forces on active duty are exempt. A few other exceptions exist, involving some previously acceptable documents.  These are the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) or a Trusted Taveler Card (NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST) or a Washington State enhanced driver’s license (EDL).  The State Department is developing a credit card sized PASS card that can be used when returning by auto or by sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.  No timetable has been set for implementation.

Beginning June 2009, the Department of Homeland Security will initiate special procedures that allow school children and other organized groups of children under the age of 18 who are U.S. or Canadian citizens to enter the U.S. with proof of citizenship only. 

Lost or Stolen Passports
Customs agents will handle lost or stolen passports as they have in the past, i.e., on an individual basis. You can reenter the United States if your story is believable, but greater proof will be required to support your claim and expect more delays at the entry port.

Costs
Passports cost $97 for adults and $82 for children younger than 16, with an additional fee of $60 or more for expediting the processing time. A renewal (for adults only) is $67. The limited-use PASS card will probably be $20 for adults and $10 for children, plus a $25 registration fee.

Obtaining a Passport
Information can be obtained at the State Department's Web site, http://travel.state.gov, or its U.S. National Passport Information Center (phone (877) 4USA-PPT), along with a list of 9,000 locations where you can apply. Normal processing time is six weeks, but most can expect processing times to be much longer at present.  Hundreds of new workers have been hired to speed up the application process, but it will take months to train them and notice the benefits. The greatest processing delays occur from January to July, and they drop off from August to December. Delivery time can be reduced to two weeks if you pay the $60 expedited fee. Fast and more convenient service is available from private companies that act as couriers to drop off and pick up your passport.  Links to these services are provided on our Web site.

Rush Passport Service for a Fee:
American Passport.com; Visa Express.com; Lastminutepassports.com; and ItsEasy.com.