Document-Free Border Crossings Headed Out?

For years, a birth certificate or a driver’s license have been all a vacationing U.S. citizen needed to jet off to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean isles. But on Dec. 31, that could begin to change.

Under regulations prompted by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, the U.S. State Department has proposed phasing in a requirement that all Americans -- even those taking short hops over the border -- carry the same formal passport long necessary for travel overseas.

On Thursday, President Bush ordered a review of the changes, expressing concern that requiring a passport might “disrupt the honest flow of traffic” between the U.S. and its closest neighbors.

The State Department had previously announced that the proposals would not be final until after a public comment period this fall.

If the new rules are ultimately put in place, as of Dec. 31, air and sea travelers to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central and South America would need passports.

By 2007, the requirement would also apply to Canada and Mexico.

And it would be broadened to include land border crossings by 2008.

Question: What is a passport?

Answer: It is an internationally recognized document in use for centuries to verify the identity and nationality of the holder.

Issued by the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, the pocket-sized 24-page booklet is covered in woven cloth and contains the person’s photograph and physical description and space for entry and exit stamps from foreign countries.

The root of the word comes from the French verb passer, to enter or leave. A U.S. passport requests that foreign governments permit the holder to travel in their territories and enjoy access to local aid and protection. During the 19th century, the U.S. government required travelers to obtain passports only in wartime, but that changed in 1914.

Q: Why are changes now being proposed?

A: Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, federal officials were directed to develop a plan requiring U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present a passport whenever entering the country.

Q: Would it apply to children as well as adults?

A: Any American citizen leaving or reentering the country would need a passport, including babies. The documents are valid for 10 years -- five years for people who are 15 or younger when they get them.

When parents of a child under 14 are divorced, both parents must consent to the issuance of a passport unless one has sole custody. The parent applying for the child’s passport must bring a written statement, under penalty of perjury, that the other parent agrees to issuance or is unavailable.

Q: Where can passports be obtained?

A: Nationwide, the Bureau of Consular Affairs offers them through more than 6,000 public facilities, including post offices, libraries and local government offices. California has 672 places to apply, 63 within 10 miles of downtown Los Angeles, according to the State Department website, travel.state.gov.

Submitting an application generally is not the time-consuming ordeal that California drivers often experience at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Many post offices, especially in smaller cities, have short lines and even take the required photographs of applicants. The forms can be filled out ahead of time by downloading the documents from the State Department’s website.

Because passport applications tend to surge just before the summer travel season, applicants should expect speedier service from September through December.

Q: What records would an applicant need?

A: There are forms to be filled out, available on the State Department website. In addition, applicants must provide:

* Proof of citizenship, usually by producing a prior passport or a certified copy of one’s birth certificate. Foreign-born applicants can bring certificates of naturalization or U.S. citizenship.

* A separate identification such as a valid driver’s license or government or military ID.

* A Social Security number.

* Two identical 2-by-2-inch color photographs of the applicant taken within the last six months (full face, front view, eyes open, from top of head to bottom of chin, shot against a plain white or off-white background). One will be glued into the passport, the other kept on file.

Q: What does it cost?

A: The fees for first-time passport applicants total $97, $82 for those under 16. The renewal fee is $67.

Citizens can renew by sending the proper form along with their original passport and two fresh, 2-by-2-inch color photographs to National Passport Center, P.O. Box 371971, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971.

Expedited service costs an additional $60.

Q: How long does it take?

A: It usually takes about six weeks, sometimes a little less. People requesting expedited service should expect to receive their passports within two weeks. For expedited service, applicants must make an appointment at one of 13 “Passport Agency” offices spread around the country from Miami to Seattle; California has two such offices, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Los Angeles office is in the Federal Building at 11000 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000. Private companies can also help obtain passports quickly, sometimes in a matter of days, for an additional fee.

Q: How is a passport different from a visa?

A: A U.S. visa is an identification document similar to a passport but required only of noncitizens visiting or working in the country. They include foreign tourists, exchange students and businesspeople.