Passport Requirement Again In Effect

LOCAL and NATIONAL REPORTS — As of Monday, U.S. citizens are required to carry a valid passport to fly to Canada, Mexico and the Carribean. The new passport requirement took effect on January 23, but the Bush administration temporarily waivedit to help with a massive backlog of passport applications.

The backlog has largely been resolved, and officials with the U.S. State Department have reported a reduction in passport processing times.

“During the summer when we had a backlog in passport applications, we allowed people to enter if we had proof that they had applied for a passport,” said David Donahue,of the U.S. State Department.”It’s only taking six weeks to get a passport. Everyone is now required to have a passport to enter the United States by air.”

The next development in the passport policy will be introduced on January 31. It specifies Americans driving or travelling by sea back into the U.S. from Canada, Mexico or the Carribean must show a valid passport or birth certificate and another government issued identification card.

Citizens who left the country before Monday can still reenter the U.S. with the documents that were required to leave the country, state department officials said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.