That's My Story

HEADS UP FOR NEW PASSPORT REGULATIONS

Originally Published Week of November 20, 2006 Western Outdoor News

Just a reminder for any of our readers who are going to be headed into Mexico, especially at the beginning of the year. You’ll need a passport next year to fly in or out of Mexico.

As part of the war against terrorists, starting January 8, 2007 , you will need a passport to fly in or out of the U.S. That includes flying in or out of Canada or Mexico as well as basically anywhere in North, Central or South America or the Caribbean. Previously, for many of these destinations, it was OK to have merely a picture i.d. and a certified birth certificate.

Give this some thought. Getting your passport is not quite so easy as uno, dos, tres so you should plan ahead. For instance, if you’re leaving the country for the Christmas holidays but planning to come back AFTER the deadline and you don’t have your passport you COULD be refused entry back into the United States. You might love staying some extra time in Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco or St. Thomas, but your boss might not be too happy.

This only applies to air travelers. It does not apply to folks traveling by boat or over land. According to the U.S. Department of State (Homeland Security) , that part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative kicks in June of 2009.

The biggest issue that has arisen from this is how to deal with frequent travelers who cross the border regularly. Many people on both sides of the border traverse the border for work, vacations, visits and shopping or it’s required for business. In addition to the economic hardship on the traveler, many were worried about the severity of the impact on Mexican and U.S. businesses who thrive on the border traffic especially those within proximity of the border. . Thousands of Mexicans and Americans legitimately cross the international borders daily. For many, especially Mexicans, it would be nearly impossible to obtain passports.

According to USA Today, there is a proposal up for debate which might alleviate the situation. It involves the implementation of a credit-card sized travel card that would substitute for a passport. The cost would be a mere $20.

These high-tech cards would use radio technology and allow border agents to quickly scan the card from as far as 20 feet away. For example a motorist commuting from Rosarito to San Ysidro wouldn’t even have to get out of his or her car.

They are still wrangling with the fees somewhat. Originally, the card would cost $50 which is about half the price of a passport, but now they are saying $20 for adults and $10 for kids under $16 with an additional $25 fee for a background check. It still seems pretty exorbitant to me. That’s about half-a-months wages to a lot of my Mexican friends. I guess there’s no easy answers.

They are still working out the bugs. Originally, all of this was to have been implemented by January of 2008, but heavy lobbying has pushed this back to June 2009. In the meantime, if you’re flying, you should look into getting your paperwork started to get your passport. For more info, check out: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

By the way, holiday flights to Baja are booking up or prices are getting jacked up real fast. Don’t miss your flights by sitting on your hands!

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.