[pct-l] Fwd: [PCT2007] Passports needed

[gwtmp01 at mac.com]

On Jan 13, 2007, at 10:02 AM, Stephanie Wilson wrote:
> I noticed this paragraph in an article in the Washington Post this
> morning.  I had mistakenly thought the new passport requirement was
> still a year off.  From: Canadians Fear Fallout Of U.S. Passport Rules
> (By Doug Struck, The Washington Post)
>
> "Starting Jan. 23, all airline passengers landing in the United States
> will have to carry a passport, not just the driver's license and birth
> certificate that can now be used by Canadians crossing the border and
> by U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and the
> Caribbean."

Note the reference to 'airline passengers'.  I believe that if you
are entering the US at a land crossing then the passport requirement
is still a year off.  Here is a State Department page describing the
future requirements: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/ 
cbpmc_2223.html

I'd still recommend getting a passport.  It simplifies things now and
you'll avoid the rush later.

Important: While a passport isn't required until 2008, it is *NOT*
sufficient to simply have a driver's license!!  In addition to a
driver's license you must have a birth certificate or a passport or
a certificate of citizenship/naturalization.  See
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1225.html
for lots of details.

Over the last few years I've heard and read about many PCT hikers who
simply crossed into Canada with their driver's license and no other
documentation.  Many hikers had delays, frustrations, and lots of
questions during their return to the US.



Gary Wright (Radar)