Passports Required: New Travel Rules

By: Britney Glaser

Beginning January 23rd, there will be new passport regulations affecting everyone flying away from U.S. soil. At the Lake Charles Post Office, passport clerks are seeing the highest number of applicants ever to come through their doors.

Prior to October, the Lake Charles Post Office had been steadily seeing about 40 people per month applying for passports, but last month brought in a huge influx with 40 per day. These applicants are getting ready for the new list of regulations and if you're planning on traveling abroad any time soon-then you might be next in line.

The new regulations are a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. Congress amended portions of the Act in 2006, and now, the Department of Homeland Security is prepared to require all travelers to present a passport when entering the United States.

Postal Service Passport Clerk, James Coleman, says, "The increase with the new demands for passports in 2007 and 2008, yes, people are kind of panicking right now getting passports and having them ready for special cruises, traveling, or a lot of citizens that are naturalized here in the United States have to be able to go home."

The new passport requirements come in two phases. The first phase takes effect January 23rd, 2007 and requires all persons traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda to carry passports. The second phase takes effect the following year and will require passports for land or sea travel to the listed destinations.

If you need to get a passport, here's what you need to bring to the passport office: birth certificate, two passport photos, a driver's license and a form of payment (check, cash or credit card). And remember, it takes 6-8 weeks to receive a passport, so allow plenty of time before your travel date. The current price for a passport is $97.00, but if expedited it costs $187.00.