If you're planning to travel to a timeshare on the warm, sunny beaches of the Caribbean or Mexico for the winter holidays, make sure you apply for your passport now. The government has finally caught up on its processing backload and the temporary reprieve is over. Beginning Monday, October 1, U.S. citizens returning to the country from Mexico, Bermuda, the Caribbean or Canada will be required to show their passports.
Although the new passport rule went into effect in January, it was temporarily rescinded in June because government workers couldn't keep up with demand. In January the average wait for a passport was 6 to 8 weeks; 3 weeks if you paid for expedited service. By the beginning of summer, more than 2 million people were still waiting for their passports. Public ire over missed and cancelled trips led the government to accept photo ID and proof of passport application in lieu of an actual passport over the summer. (If you left the country before September 30, you can still return using an ID and proof of application.)
"Right now, all of our passport service agencies are back to a 6- to 8-week processing time for routine passport applications and no more than 3 weeks using our expedited service, said Cy Ferenchak, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs. "If you plan ahead under those standards you should have ample time to apply for and receive a passport before your scheduled departure time."
Before the terrorist fears of 9/11, U.S. citizens could travel between Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Canada without a passport. Now air travelers must show a passport to return to the U.S., and in 2008 land and sea travelers will also have to meet the requirement which could cause another logjam of applications in early 2008. The standard passport application fee is $97 for delivery in 6 to 8 weeks; add $60 plus the cost of overnight delivery for expedited 3-week service. Passports are good for 10 years. For more detailed information on passport regulations, visit the U.S. State Department's website at http://travel.state.gov/travel.
You'll find application forms on the State Department's website, but you can also apply at many post offices. This fall many communities are sponsoring passport events at local town halls and libraries. The goal of these community events is to make winter travel easier for residents by bringing to one location forms, passport photo services and officials who can answer questions and accept completed passport applications. Check with your local government community affairs office or post office to see if such an event is planned in your area.
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