Passport to re-enter US

[diverbrian]

I guess that I had better get off my hiney and get my passport done then. I haven't traveled to countries that required one in so long that I have been using my driver's license and Birth Certificate.

It's nice that they tell us now.

 

[archman]

CNN's reporting a different timeline for this... 2008.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/04/05/us.travel.ap/index.html

 

[ScubaTexan]

That's what I saw on MSNBC.com, too -- 2008.

 

[Rick Inman]

That's what I saw on MSNBC.com, too -- 2008.

THIS should settle it.

Washington, D.C. – The Departments of Homeland Security and State announced today the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to secure and expedite travel. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all U.S. citizens, Canadians, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document to enter or re-enter United States by January 1, 2008.

 

[miketsp]

Interesting......I think I will visit my local photo equipment shop and buy me a lead film bag to put my passport in. That ought to cause some discussion at certain places during a trip. But the lead bag would prevent I am pretty sure stealing info.
Just a thought
rich

I have one of these from when I used to travel when the x-ray machines at airports used a much higher dosage and I used a lot of high-speed film.
If I'm feeling really obnoxious I put it in my bag - it really turns the security guys on to see this big black object on their screens.

But if I wanted to protect one of these chips, say in a passport, I would add a layer of copper foil for extra RF screening.
Also it's quite easy nowadays to buy lead coated copper sheet or strip. So it would only take a few minutes work to make up a custom passport envelope.

 

[simbrooks]

I've given some of the best years of my life in the defense of my country, served in a war and other various hostile situations, yet I'm going to have to be treated like a common criminal and inspected like I'm a potential terrorist threat.

While i respect your service to your country, these are modern times and really anyone can whip up a birth certificate or drivers license, chips in passports might be a bit harder to work with. This is how the rest of the world has been running for decades, requiring passports to enter countries, even in the EU where free movement is allowed between the member countries, you still have to carry your passport across the border.

Meanwhile, hundreds, if not thousands of illegals enter my country every day over portions of un-guarded border.

And now they want to make them all US citizens by default. Imagine that.

And add to that the tariff system that prevents more than a certain number of legal folks from any one country staying in this country, or makes them wait 4 or so years to get a green card, i should have just jumped the border and got this for free rather than keeping my nose clean and working with the system, guess i'll just continue to wait to be allowed to stay in the country - i know its a privaledge, not a right, but they seem to hand it out rather arbitrarily these days contrary to a logical system. I should probably just marry my US GF and be done with it, but i want that to not be viewed as about the green card, so will continue paying my tax dollars into the system and wait on the paperwork mountain to be filed and accepted while others just get the stuff handed to them.

 

[Scubaroo]

I think it's pretty funny that you're complaining about having to have a passport to leave/re-enter the country - you've finally caught up with the rest of the world!

 

[Mako Mark]

Get With The Program People....

 

[Derek S]

I'm not against getting a passport. Obviously as a diver it is something we should all have anyway, you never know when that "too good to pass up, buddy calls you at the last minute trip" comes along.

What I do have an issue with is that by mandating we have them (at the time I wrote my original post, the local news stated that we would need them in 2005, and I live very close to the CAN border and plan to do quite a bit of diving up there), the proccessing will take longer, and the borders are woefully under-staffed, which will probably result in even longer delays.

As usual, like Simbrooks pointed out, those of us who follow the rules are the ones being hurt by the bureaucracy.

 

[simbrooks]

I'm not against getting a passport. Obviously as a diver it is something we should all have anyway, you never know when that "too good to pass up, buddy calls you at the last minute trip" comes along.

What I do have an issue with is that by mandating we have them (at the time I wrote my original post, the local news stated that we would need them in 2005, and I live very close to the CAN border and plan to do quite a bit of diving up there), the proccessing will take longer, and the borders are woefully under-staffed, which will probably result in even longer delays.

I could understand being annoyed at being told as you were about to cross the border, but really most folks should have passports and certainly with the great deal of time to get one before 2008. I could see the 2005 deadline being somewhat tighter though...

I have let a bunch of dive trips out of country slide due to visa issues (have paperwork filed and approved, but no time to get the stamp in my passport to re-enter the US - all very kosher before anyone thinks i live and work here without a visa), but i will change that this winter when i get that stamp officially in there! First trip is to Gran Cayman, with possible trips out to Little and Brac.