The Bush administration slipped out a press statement in April detailing new passport requirements for US citizens travelling to nearby countries. Not a lot of people noticed it but it will affect anyone who wants to take a Carribean cruise which they return from after 1 January 2006. Two years later you will need a passport even to pop over the border to view the Niagra Falls from the Canadian side (and to get away from the frankly rather bleak parking lot that doubles as a “national park” on the US side) or to spend Spring Break in Tijuana. The bus loads of elderly stocking up on prescription drugs in Canada will need them.
There is a yellow box on the front page of the State Department site with a link to the details but many US citizens are used to casually slipping over the borders and are unused to the need for passports. All this is being done in the name of national security but there’s a line in the announcement that could mean these measures are a way of getting National Identity Cards accepted by stealth.
This is the “proposed timetable” on the State Department site:
# December 31, 2005 – Passport or other accepted document required for all travel (air/sea) to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America.
# December 31, 2006 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.
# December 31, 2007 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air, sea and land border crossings.
The press statement lists a few exceptions to the passport requirement. These mostly apply to journeys to Canada or Mexico.
As previously noted, the passport (U.S. or Foreign) will be the document of choice for entry or re-entry into the U.S. However, another document that we anticipate will be acceptable under the travel initiative is the Border Crossing Card, (BCC – or “laser visa”). Currently, the BCC serves in lieu of a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling to the U.S. from contiguous territory. Other documents that we anticipate will be acceptable under this Initiative are the Customs and Border Protection Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), NEXUS and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program cards.
These othere schemes seem designed mostly for frequent travellers who are not US citizens but the list of documentation required for a Sentri ID is interesting:
1. Evidence of Citizenship. Birth Certificate, U.S. Passport, or Naturalization Certificate
2. Valid Passport/Visa or other entry document, if applicable
3. Evidence of Lawful Permanent Residence in the United States, if applicable
4. Valid Driver’s License issued by the state in which you reside
5. Current Vehicle Registration (not vehicle title) and evidence of U.S. Automobile Insurance – if the vehicle is not registered in the name of the applicant, a notarized letter authorizing its use by the applicant is needed. A company vehicle requires written authorization on company letterhead. Vehicles registered in Mexico must be covered by an insurance policy written by a company authorized to write motor vehicle liability insurance in the U.S.
6. Evidence of Employment or Financial Support. Most recent year’s tax return, most recent pay receipts, or Direct Deposit Salary Statement. Self-employed applicants must present business license, current tax information, and bank statements.
7. Evidence of Residence. Mortgage or rent payment receipts and utility bills
Back to the press statement,
Additional documents are also being examined to determine their acceptability for travel. The public will be notified of additional travel document options as those determinations are made. The government would expect that acceptable documents must establish the citizenship and identity of the bearer, enable electronic data verification and checking, and include significant security features. Ultimately, all documents used for travel to the U.S. are expected to include biometrics that can be used to authenticate the document and verify identity.
So although they say they are currently looking at non-passport ID documents issued by other countries, these have to include biometric data. Acceptable documents within the EU for ID and travel entry (where these border controls exist) are passports or National Identity Cards. Here is where an initially voluntary ID card could be sold in the US. Make it valid for travel to the areas currently passport free for US travellers and it is a good alternative for many. Add a selling point that it makes identity theft difficult (an angument used by Blair here) and the Homeland Security message and who could resist getting one at cheaper cost than one of those clumsy passports?