TRAVEL NEWS
Monday, July 21, 2008
Travelers start applying for pocket-sized passport
People who chafe at the cost of a passport or worry about carrying one to the beach soon will have a cheaper, easier option.
The government is on the cusp of releasing passport cards that fit in a wallet and cost half the price of a new passport. About 350,000 Americans have applied for the new card, the latest step toward ratcheting up border security.
People who apply now can expect a four-week wait for cards after the government mails them out to earlier applicants.
The U.S. State Department expects the number of applicants to swell to 4 million by June 1, 2009. That's when U.S. travelers cannot re-enter the country from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean without a passport, a new passport card or an equivalent document.
Starting in January, travelers could no longer re-enter the country from Mexico or Canada by verbally declaring their U.S. citizenship. They must carry valid travel and identification documents, but a grace period remains in effect until next summer.
The changes stem from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, one of a string of post-Sept. 11 security requirements. Gradually, the government has tightened travel ID procedures in an effort to better track who enters and leaves the country.
Ultimately, many millions of passport cards should be in circulation, helping day-trippers and frequent visitors who travel by land or sea. A regular passport is required for air travel.
The government issued 18 million regular passports last year, and the number is steadily climbing.
The State Department is encouraging people to apply early for the cards, in part to avoid the kind of rush on documents that happened a year ago when the government required a passport for people flying into the United States from elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere.
Project manager Derwood Staeben said 200,000 people submitted comments and many complained about the cost and inconvenience of getting passports.
The new cards fit inside a wallet and, for first-time adult applicants, will cost $45, compared with $100 for a first-time traditional passport. For people who hold a passport or apply for one simultaneously, the card will cost an extra $20.
One concern for privacy advocates is that each passport card will contain an embedded radio transmitter chip. Known as RFID, the technology is controversial because critics fear that data from the chips could unknowingly be lifted by remote readers, in what's called "skimming."
Staeben said a skimmer would only get a meaningless ID number from the passport cards. The number allows customs agents to automatically pull up a passport file on a computer from government databases, but skimmers would not have access to the raw data. As an added precaution, travelers could cover their cards in a sleeve that blocks transmissions.
RFID chips have been embedded in every passport issued since August 2006. Staeben said security measures, including an embedded metal cage to block out skimmers, were featured in the newer passports to protect privacy and combat skimming.
Source: usatoday.com
The government is on the cusp of releasing passport cards that fit in a wallet and cost half the price of a new passport. About 350,000 Americans have applied for the new card, the latest step toward ratcheting up border security.
People who apply now can expect a four-week wait for cards after the government mails them out to earlier applicants.
The U.S. State Department expects the number of applicants to swell to 4 million by June 1, 2009. That's when U.S. travelers cannot re-enter the country from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean without a passport, a new passport card or an equivalent document.
Starting in January, travelers could no longer re-enter the country from Mexico or Canada by verbally declaring their U.S. citizenship. They must carry valid travel and identification documents, but a grace period remains in effect until next summer.
The changes stem from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, one of a string of post-Sept. 11 security requirements. Gradually, the government has tightened travel ID procedures in an effort to better track who enters and leaves the country.
Ultimately, many millions of passport cards should be in circulation, helping day-trippers and frequent visitors who travel by land or sea. A regular passport is required for air travel.
The government issued 18 million regular passports last year, and the number is steadily climbing.
The State Department is encouraging people to apply early for the cards, in part to avoid the kind of rush on documents that happened a year ago when the government required a passport for people flying into the United States from elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere.
Project manager Derwood Staeben said 200,000 people submitted comments and many complained about the cost and inconvenience of getting passports.
The new cards fit inside a wallet and, for first-time adult applicants, will cost $45, compared with $100 for a first-time traditional passport. For people who hold a passport or apply for one simultaneously, the card will cost an extra $20.
One concern for privacy advocates is that each passport card will contain an embedded radio transmitter chip. Known as RFID, the technology is controversial because critics fear that data from the chips could unknowingly be lifted by remote readers, in what's called "skimming."
Staeben said a skimmer would only get a meaningless ID number from the passport cards. The number allows customs agents to automatically pull up a passport file on a computer from government databases, but skimmers would not have access to the raw data. As an added precaution, travelers could cover their cards in a sleeve that blocks transmissions.
RFID chips have been embedded in every passport issued since August 2006. Staeben said security measures, including an embedded metal cage to block out skimmers, were featured in the newer passports to protect privacy and combat skimming.
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Canadians confused about when they need passport to travel to U.S.: survey
Many Canadians are confused about when a passport is required to enter the United States, even though a majority believe they are aware of current regulations, a new survey suggests.
canadianpress.google.com (page not found)
canadianpress.google.com (page not found)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Ireland, UK to end passport-free travel
Britain and Ireland are to end a passport-free travel arrangement between the two countries that has existed since the foundation of the Irish Free State in the early 1920s...
theage.com.au
theage.com.au
Friday, October 12, 2007
Passport-free travel in Europe
Planned expansion of the Schengen area provokes anxiety across Europe.
economist.com
economist.com
Labels: Europe, passport, schengen
Friday, October 05, 2007
Passport now required for some air travel
U.S. citizens now required to have passport for air travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
ifallsdailyjournal.com
ifallsdailyjournal.com
Friday, September 14, 2007
Wait for passports returns to normal
The U.S. State Department has restored passport service to the standard six to eight week processing time for routine applications, and no more than three weeks for expedited service.
seattletimes.nwsource.com
seattletimes.nwsource.com
Monday, July 23, 2007
Official Takes Blame for Passport Mess
The current passport mess is rare among government foul-ups: A top federal official has publicly taken the blame and expressed regret.
forbes.com (page not found)
forbes.com (page not found)
Labels: passport
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Passport to Frustration
To get an American passport these days, you have to know which buttons to push, starting with those on your touch-tone phone.
washingtonpost.com
washingtonpost.com
Labels: American, application, passport
Thursday, October 05, 2006
UK launches hi-tech passport
A new biometric passport, containing a secure chip with an image of the holder's face, has been launched today for all British citizens renewing their passport.
travel.timesonline.co.uk (page not found)
travel.timesonline.co.uk (page not found)
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