Passport Rules

American citizens must have a Passport to re-enter the United States from foreign countries by air. You can get your passport photos taken at any AAA office.

Effective January 31, 2008, all U.S. citizens must have proof of citizenship (a birth certificate or naturalization certificate, passport or some other recognized secure document) to re-enter the United States at land and sea points of entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Verbal declarations of citizenship are no longer accepted. Additionally, travelers age 19 and older re-entering the U.S. without a passport, must also show government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license. Such photo ID is not required for children 18 and younger (they can travel by land and sea with just a birth certificate for now).

The U.S. State Department is also offering a U.S. Passport Card to facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The card may not be used to travel by air, but will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. Passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards.

No later than June, 2009, re-entry into the U.S. at land and sea points of entry will require a passport (or other accepted secure documents such as the Passport Card, Enhanced Drivers License or Nexus Pass).

Approved and developed with federal authorities, the Washington Enhanced Drivers License can be used in lieu of a passport (or the birth certificate/photo ID requirement) for land and sea travel to Canada — for example a driving trip or ferry to British Columbia — and other Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative countries. The Enhanced Drivers License is not valid for air travel. For more information on the EDL, visit the Washington Department of Licensing Web site www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/edl.htm.

For border identification regulations, consult the Department of Homeland Security’s site www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/crossingborders.

First-time passport applicants must apply in person at a passport facility (the cost is $100 for ages 16 and older; $85 for those under 16). The Passport Card costs $45 ($35 for children) for first-time applicants. For adults who already have a standard Passport, the cost is $20. Passport regulations can be found on the State Department’s site at www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

For more on the Passport Card, visit:
www.travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html.

For the Nexus Pass program, visit:
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/.

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