Need a passport? Better apply for one now

Beat the rush and apply for your U.S. passport now if you're planning on traveling out of the country in the next year.

There could be a surge of passport applicants in winter and spring, thanks to a new U.S. law. As of June 1, 2009, all travelers returning to the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda — including those who go by land or sea — must have a passport or one of several other federally approved IDs. (A passport already is required for all international air travel.)

Unlike now, the new law means Americans won't be able to head to Vancouver, B.C., and use just a driver's license and birth certificate as ID when driving across the U.S.-Canada border.

From now until the end of the year is traditionally when the fewest Americans apply for passports, said Trip Atkins, assistant regional director of the Seattle Passport Agency. It takes about three weeks (or fewer) to get a passport in the next few months.

Next year, getting a passport could take longer, especially as the June 1 deadline nears. Applications for passports are expected to swell over the next year to more than 18 million nationwide, said Atkins, from about 16 million for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

More processing staff has been added, said Atkins, so travelers won't face the months-long delays in getting passports that occurred last year. Those long waits came after the first part of the U.S. law, called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, took effect in early 2007 and required passports for American air travelers re-entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

With the tougher identification requirement for land/sea travel now approaching, here's a look at ID options:

Passport

What: A passport (formally called a "passport book") is the gold standard for crossing borders, proving both U.S. citizenship and identification.

The good: A passport is internationally recognized for travel worldwide — by air, land and sea.

The bad: Passport fees can add up, especially for families. A first-time passport is $100 for an adult, $85 for a child under 16. (An adult passport is valid for 10 years, a child's for five years.)

How to apply: Get details and forms at www.travel.state.gov/passport/ or phone 877-487-2778. First-time applicants and children under 16 must apply in person at a passport acceptance facility; there are 9,000 across the country, including at post offices, libraries and local government offices. Find them by ZIP code at http://iafdb.travel.state.gov.

Passport card

What: The U.S. passport card is a cheaper, limited alternative to a traditional passport, valid for land and sea travel only between Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative countries (the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda). The U.S. started issuing the passport card in July.

The good: A passport card is cheaper than a passport, $45 for an adult (valid for 10 years) and $35 for a child under 16 (valid for five years). It's also portable, resembling a driver's license. Travelers who want the convenience of both a passport and a passport card can get one for just $20 when applying for a passport.

The bad: A passport card cannot be used for any international air travel and isn't valid beyond the Western Hemisphere initiative countries.

How to apply: Like the passport, the passport card is issued by the State Department: www.travel.state.gov/passport/ or 877-487-2778.

Washington enhanced driver license

What: This special state-issued driver's license (and a similarly-enhanced Washington State ID card) can be used to cross U.S. land and sea borders. It works as proof of identity and U.S. citizenship; information is embedded in a radio tag that's read at border stations, like passports and passport cards.

The good: It costs just $15 more than a standard driver's license, and you need to carry only one document.

The bad: The enhanced license can't be used for international flights or beyond the Western Hemisphere initiative countries.

How to apply: It's issued by the Washington State Department of Licensing. Proof of U.S. citizenship and Washington residency is required; www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense or 866-520-4365.

Children's ID, Nexus cards

• Children under 16 will be able to continue crossing land/sea borders using just a U.S. birth certificate (or naturalization certificate) after the new law takes effect in June. Either the original birth certificate or a copy can be used.

Groups of teens aged 16 to 18, when traveling as part of a school, sports, religious or other group under adult supervision, also can use just birth certificates or naturalization certificates as ID at land/sea border crossings. However, all children must have passports for international air travel.

• Certain trusted-traveler cards, issued for travel between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico, can be used as proof of identification and citizenship, including the Nexus card for U.S.-Canada border crossings. To get a Nexus card, a traveler must be preapproved through an interview (and fingerprinting). Cardholders also can use a special fast-clearance lane at some land borders, including Blaine's Peace Arch crossing. The Nexus card is issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/.

Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com