Flying to Canada or Mexico? It's finally time to get a passport

Five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks prompted action, the U.S. government is on the verge of implementing security-inspired changes to passports that will affect millions of travelers.

On Jan. 23, air travelers to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean for the first time will need a passport to cross the U.S. border.

And starting in the spring, all U.S citizens applying for a passport will get an electronic version that's embedded with a "smart" chip designed to thwart forgery.

The new regulations represent the most significant changes in border control in years, as federal officials try to bring the process of checking identification into the digital age.

Information

Passport information: Call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778 or see the State Department Web site, www.travel.state.gov

Travel Industry Association: It offers passport information at www.GetAPassportNow.com

Finding a passport facility : For a first passport, you must apply in person at one of the 9,000 passport-acceptance facilities nationwide; they include post offices and other government agencies, including local courts and city-government offices. To find a location near you, type in your ZIP code at iafdb.travel.state.gov/. Adult passport renewals can be done by mail.

Many people heading to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean now travel with just a driver's license for identification (although proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate technically also is required). Under the new rule, U.S. citizens traveling by air must have a passport.

The passport rule could apply to land and sea travelers in 2008, although a firm date is not yet set.

For Americans who don't want to pay $97 for a passport ( $82 for children under 16), the State Department plans by the end of this year to introduce a new "passport card" that would work like a passport. The card, which would cost $20 for adults, is good only for those driving or traveling via ship to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. (There's also a bit of wiggle room for U.S./Canada air travelers: Those who have a Nexus Air card, issued under a U.S.-Canada cooperative program to prescreened travelers, is acceptable.)

The State Department issued 16 million passports in 2006, compared with 12 million in 2005, largely the result of the new rule. It's already issuing the smart-chip "e-passport" in some areas.

To get a passport for the first time, you must go in person to one of 9,000 passport-acceptance facilities located around the country with two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship and a photo identification, such as a driver's license. The passport acceptance facilities include some post offices and other government offices.

"Smart" passports

The new e-passport looks like the traditional type, but its chip stores the traveler's photo and personal information. If the chip is broken or malfunctions, the holder can continue to use the document as a non-electronic passport, or get a new one. Traditional passports will remain valid until they expire.

Critics have pointed out that transmitting information wirelessly can compromise security, and important data could fall into the wrong hands. With proper equipment, someone could remotely intercept personal data, a practice called "skimming."

Ann Barrett, a top passport official at the State Department, says the department has responded by adding metallic anti-skimming material to the passport's cover. It has added another layer of protection by encrypting the information so it can be read only by authorized devices.

Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center says the State Department should be given credit for responding to privacy concerns. But he says it still needs to add safeguards to the passport card.

Caleb Tiller, a spokesman for the National Business Travel Association, says the organization is satisfied with the changes made by the State Department.