Passports For Traveling

Posted on November 15, 2006
Filed Under Travel Tips |

Beginning Jan. 8, U.S. citizens will be required to have a valid passport for all air travel internationally. Travelers to the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and Panama previously did not need passports to enter and re-enter the U.S.; drivers licenses and birth certificates had been sufficient.

For people who do not yet have a passport, officials are recommending they do so now if they’ve put it off until the last minute because a passport application can typically take up to six weeks to process.

“Last year we were telling clients that they should be preparing and go ahead and get a passport,” said Diana Ritter, president of Village Travel in the Brettwood Village shopping center. “The problem is if they’re booking last minute, they’re probably not going to be able to get a passport just because it’s so close now. If they wait another month, they may not get it in time to go.” Read