News
Jun 09 2007
Passport regulations eased
The U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security will temporarily lift the regulation requiring U.S. citizens to have passports when traveling to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
The agencies announced the decision Friday.
Travelers who have applied and not yet received their passports may present a passport application receipt with a valid government-issued I.D. in lieu of a passport until the end of September.
The suspension will allow passport processing centers to get caught up on the massive surge in applications since the regulation took effect this year. The backlog has caused delays up to three months for some and canceled trips for many.
That was the case for Johnnie Tate of Piedmont who had to cancel the trip he and his wife were taking to Mexico to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. The passports arrived 15 weeks after they applied for them — about a week after they missed their flights to Cozumel.
Tate said the suspension came too late.
Travel agents agree.
Keith Harmon, owner of Around the World Travel, 102 E Main St. in Shawnee, said he is thankful the government lifted the regulation, but the move wasn't soon enough.
"The people that were on the fence, as to whether they were going to get their passport or not, are relieved,” Harmon said. "Unfortunately, some people have already canceled their trips.”
Harmon said the changes should have been made months ago, as soon as the passport centers knew they had a problem.
"Because they waited so long to make this change, it has effectively killed the summer season,” Harmon said. "We've canceled several trips for people who sent off for passports in January and February who haven't received them.”
Trips to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean make up about 80 percent of Harmon's international vacation business. He said the regulation has hurt the entire travel business overall, including tour companies who work closely with travel agents.
Many of his clients have asked Oklahoma congressional officers to intervene.
"Members of my staff have been working tirelessly to help expedite the passport application process for several hundred of my constituents in Oklahoma who have contacted my office in recent weeks,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, in an e-mail.
A spokesman said his office has had more than 400 passport-related requests every day since the first of June.
Aaron Cooper, press secretary for Sen. Tom Coburn, said all the Oklahoma congressional offices have been inundated with calls.
"The State Department got swamped and really wasn't prepared, so we are doing everything we can by making inquiries and getting status checks,” he said. "It's unfortunate, but we're glad the State Department has put measures into effect to help remedy the situation.”
Since January, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has required U.S. citizens traveling by air to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean to have passports. It is part of a broader package of immigration rules enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Between March and May, the department issued more than 4.5 million passports. It has millions more to process, consular affairs officials said.
But the passport rush may not be over.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to go ahead with a January 2008 start for requiring passports at all land border crossings in the United States — a security measure that could trigger a new frenzy of applications. The State Department is still working on creating a cheaper, passcard alternative for such land crossings.
Contributing: The Associated Press
The agencies announced the decision Friday.
Travelers who have applied and not yet received their passports may present a passport application receipt with a valid government-issued I.D. in lieu of a passport until the end of September.
The suspension will allow passport processing centers to get caught up on the massive surge in applications since the regulation took effect this year. The backlog has caused delays up to three months for some and canceled trips for many.
That was the case for Johnnie Tate of Piedmont who had to cancel the trip he and his wife were taking to Mexico to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. The passports arrived 15 weeks after they applied for them — about a week after they missed their flights to Cozumel.
Tate said the suspension came too late.
Travel agents agree.
Keith Harmon, owner of Around the World Travel, 102 E Main St. in Shawnee, said he is thankful the government lifted the regulation, but the move wasn't soon enough.
"The people that were on the fence, as to whether they were going to get their passport or not, are relieved,” Harmon said. "Unfortunately, some people have already canceled their trips.”
Harmon said the changes should have been made months ago, as soon as the passport centers knew they had a problem.
"Because they waited so long to make this change, it has effectively killed the summer season,” Harmon said. "We've canceled several trips for people who sent off for passports in January and February who haven't received them.”
Trips to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean make up about 80 percent of Harmon's international vacation business. He said the regulation has hurt the entire travel business overall, including tour companies who work closely with travel agents.
Many of his clients have asked Oklahoma congressional officers to intervene.
"Members of my staff have been working tirelessly to help expedite the passport application process for several hundred of my constituents in Oklahoma who have contacted my office in recent weeks,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, in an e-mail.
A spokesman said his office has had more than 400 passport-related requests every day since the first of June.
Aaron Cooper, press secretary for Sen. Tom Coburn, said all the Oklahoma congressional offices have been inundated with calls.
"The State Department got swamped and really wasn't prepared, so we are doing everything we can by making inquiries and getting status checks,” he said. "It's unfortunate, but we're glad the State Department has put measures into effect to help remedy the situation.”
Since January, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has required U.S. citizens traveling by air to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean to have passports. It is part of a broader package of immigration rules enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Between March and May, the department issued more than 4.5 million passports. It has millions more to process, consular affairs officials said.
But the passport rush may not be over.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to go ahead with a January 2008 start for requiring passports at all land border crossings in the United States — a security measure that could trigger a new frenzy of applications. The State Department is still working on creating a cheaper, passcard alternative for such land crossings.
Contributing: The Associated Press
