Homeland Security Issues Final Passport Regulations

The Department of Homeland Security today issued their "final" rule for the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), requiring travelers to present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the US, effective June 1, 2009. The rule announced today affects cruise passengers arriving at US ports, as well as those crossing the border from Canada and Mexico.

In addition to a valid US passport, WHTI-compliant documents include a Trusted Traveler Card (NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST), or a Washington State EDL. These are used by residents of areas on the Canadian border who frequently travel between the countries. The State Dept. is accepting applications for the new Passport Cards and additional states and Canadian provinces will be issuing EDLs in the next several months - all of which are options specifically designed for land and sea border use, according to the Homeland Security department.

As before, I still highly recommend all cruisers get a passport. This is the "gold standard" in identification, and allows you to travel almost anywhere, whereas the other types of secure documents don't permit entry into other countries requiring US and Canadian citizens to have passports. In addition, should something happen on your cruise and you need to fly rather than cruise home, a passport simplifies that process as well.