see also: in June 2007 News Releases:   CBP, ATF Join Canadians in Launching Firearms Public Information Campaign Along U.S.-Canadian Border   Marijuana-Embedded Bricks Crumble at El Paso Port   FDA, CBP Advise of Potential Health Risks from Unpasteurized Cheese After Large Cheese Seizures at Laredo Border   CBP Officers Discover Exotic Birds at California Border Station   U.S., New Zealand Establish Joint Trade Security Arrangement   CBP Reminds Pleasure Boaters of Reporting Requirements When Returning from Foreign Locations   California CBP Officers Find Smuggled Persons in Truck Engine Compartment ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers   Air Travel on the web:   Checking the Status of Your Application   Consular Information Sheet

contacts for this news release

NOTE: The accommodation described below does not affect entry requirements of other countries. It is strongly recommended that U.S. citizens verify the specific documentary requirements for their destination country available through the U.S. Department of State or consult with the Embassy of the country they are visiting and with their airline to determine what documents are needed to meet the entry requirements of that country. These requirements could include a certified birth certificate or even a passport for entry into that country. ( Consular Information Sheet )

Washington – The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced today that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda who have applied for but not yet received passports can nevertheless temporarily enter and depart from the United States by air with a government-issued photo identification and Department of State official proof of application for a passport through September 30, 2007.

The federal government is making this accommodation for air travel due to longer-than-expected processing times for passport applications in the face of record-breaking demand.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was mandated by Congress in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for citizens and legitimate international visitors. WHTI requirements for air travel took effect on January 23, 2007. ( Air Travel )

Adults who have applied for but not yet received a passport should present government-issued photo identification and an official proof of application from the U.S. Department of State. Children under the age of 16 traveling with their parents or legal guardian will be permitted to travel with the child’s proof of application. Travelers who have not applied for a passport should not expect to be accommodated. U.S. citizens with pending passport applications can obtain proof of application at U.S. Department of State web site. ( Checking the Status of Your Application )

This accommodation does not affect entry requirements to other countries. Americans traveling to a country that requires passports must still present those documents.

Since implementation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has and will continue to exercise its current authorities in unique circumstances to allow individuals subject to the WHTI requirements into the United States based on other evidence of identity and citizenship.

As early as January 2008, the departments will begin to implement WHTI at land and sea ports of entry. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking outlining a phased implementation is expected to be published in the Federal Register within the next two weeks.

Travel document security remains a top priority for the U.S. Government. Both the 9/11 Commission and the U.S. Congress urged strengthening of travel documents to prevent entry of terrorists across our borders, reduce use of fraudulent documents and speed entry procedures.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.