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Washington, D.C. – The Departments of Homeland Security
and State formally submitted the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
proposal for public comment. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will
require all U.S. citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of
Bermuda, and citizens of Canada and Mexico to have a passport or other
accepted secure document that establishes the bearer’s identity and
nationality to enter or re-enter the United States by January 1, 2008.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 mandated
that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary
of State, develop and implement a plan to require U.S. citizens and foreign
nationals to present a passport, or other secure document when entering the
United States.
In the proposed implementation plan, the Initiative will be rolled out
in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected
public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed
timeline will be as follows:
- December 31,
2006 – Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or
from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and
Bermuda.
- December
31, 2007 – Requirement extended to all land border
crossings as well as air and sea travel.
In April 2005, the Departments of State (State) and Homeland Security
(DHS) announced a proposed plan to be implemented in three phases beginning
on December 31, 2005 for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. After
further review and considering the delay in publishing the public notice in
the Federal Register, State and DHS recognized that implementing the
December 31, 2005, phase would be problematic for travelers. This new
timeline will simplify the implementation and provide a longer lead-time
for travelers to come into compliance with the requirements.
As previously noted, the passport will be the document of choice for travel
within the Western Hemisphere or re-entry. However, another document that
we anticipate will be acceptable under the travel initiative is the Border
Crossing Card, (BCC – or “laser visa”). Currently, the BCC serves in lieu
of a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling to the U.S. from
contiguous territory. Other documents that we are considering for
acceptance under this initiative are the Customs and Border Protection
Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), NEXUS
and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program cards.
No currently existing documents other than the BCC, SENTRI, NEXUS or
FAST cards are under active consideration as substitutes for the passport.
However, DHS and State are reviewing new technological developments
regarding options for secure travel documents. Acceptable documents must
establish the citizenship and identity of the bearer, and include significant
security features. Ultimately, all documents used for travel to the U.S.
are expected to include biometrics that can be used to authenticate the
document and verify identity.
To provide vital information to the general public, the Departments of
Homeland Security and State are issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the plan to the public and requesting input and/or
comment on the suggested documents and possible alternative documents that
can meet the statutory requirements. A more formal rulemaking will be
issued later this year following review of those comments to implement the
first phase of the initiative. This rulemaking will take into account
comments received from the ANPRM as well as soliciting further comments on
the rulemaking itself.
Those wishing to comment on the proposal may access the Federal
e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov
and follow the instructions for submitting comments.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov
or www.travel.state.gov
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September
1, 2005
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