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New Rules Tighten U.S. Passport Requirements Times Headlines
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By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer
Following recommendations of the Sept. 11 Commission, travelers will no longer be allowed to simply show a driver's license or a government-issued photo ID card, officials said.
Similarly, Canadians, who have been able to enter the United States with a driver's license, will need a passport.
Some people in the travel industry have opposed the changes, which will make it harder for travelers to take spur-of-the-moment trips. But U.S. officials point out that the Algerian man who was convicted of trying to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the millennium was admitted from Canada without a passport.
Americans returning from Panama and Bermuda will also need to show passports or secure documents, officials said. Currently, Americans returning from Mexico, Panama or Bermuda need only show a government-issued ID card and a document proving U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or a naturalization certificate.
The tightening is to keep out "people who want to hurt us," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Even with the new requirement, Canadians will be exempt from the requirement that foreign visitors must be fingerprinted on entry to the United States, officials said.
Canadian officials said they might begin requiring Americans to show passports before crossing into Canada.
"We will review our requirements for American citizens, and we're going to do that in collaboration with the United States," Canadian Public Safety Minister Ann McLellan told reporters outside the House of Commons in Ottawa.
The commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks warned that "the current system enables non-U.S. citizens to gain entry by showing minimal identification. The 9/11 experience shows that terrorists study and exploit America's vulnerabilities."
The panel urged that "Americans should not be exempt from carrying biometric passports or otherwise enabling their identities to be securely verified when they enter the United States; nor should Canadians or Mexicans." WASHINGTON — In a move to counter terrorism, Americans will have to show passports or another secure document to enter the country from Mexico and Canada beginning in 2008, U.S. officials said today.Following recommendations of the Sept. 11 Commission, travelers will no longer be allowed to simply show a driver's license or a government-issued photo ID card, officials said.Similarly, Canadians, who have been able to enter the United States with a driver's license, will need a passport.Some people in the travel industry have opposed the changes, which will make it harder for travelers to take spur-of-the-moment trips. But U.S. officials point out that the Algerian man who was convicted of trying to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the millennium was admitted from Canada without a passport.Americans returning from Panama and Bermuda will also need to show passports or secure documents, officials said. Currently, Americans returning from Mexico, Panama or Bermuda need only show a government-issued ID card and a document proving U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or a naturalization certificate.The tightening is to keep out "people who want to hurt us," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Even with the new requirement, Canadians will be exempt from the requirement that foreign visitors must be fingerprinted on entry to the United States, officials said.Canadian officials said they might begin requiring Americans to show passports before crossing into Canada."We will review our requirements for American citizens, and we're going to do that in collaboration with the United States," Canadian Public Safety Minister Ann McLellan told reporters outside the House of Commons in Ottawa.The commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks warned that "the current system enables non-U.S. citizens to gain entry by showing minimal identification. The 9/11 experience shows that terrorists study and exploit America's vulnerabilities."The panel urged that "Americans should not be exempt from carrying biometric passports or otherwise enabling their identities to be securely verified when they enter the United States; nor should Canadians or Mexicans."
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File photo of a U.S. passport.
North American travelers will see a phased-in requirement to carry passports in the coming years. In a multi-national initiative to restrict illegal immigration and travel, a passport layer of stricter identification will be introduced for travel throughout the continent by the year 2008. The US State Department announced the new American travel rules Monday. 

For the most part, North American citizens can now travel to neighboring countries without formal papers. But starting in December 2005, U.S. citizens travelling by air or sea to or from the Caribbean, Central and South America will need a passport to get back into their native nation. Showing a driver's license or a government-issued photo ID card will no longer be sufficient for making the border crossing back.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that passport restrictions will help keep out "people who want to hurt us." 

Rice made a brief trip on March 10 to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox before leaving on her Far East tour. The Mexican meeting was to pave the way for a March 23 summit with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Fox at the President Bush ranch in Texas. Issues concerning immigration, border security and water rights were discussed at the meeting. The intent of the summit was to produce a North American initiative that will strengthen security and economic ties.

The passport rules are a result of that summit.

The next phase of the passport requirements begins Dec 2006, when passports for air and sea travel to, or from Mexico and Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda and US will be required. The final phase involves any travel: whether air, sea or land crossings, passports will be required at borders by Dec 7, 2008.