Passport or No Passport

...that may be the question these days, as the rules seem to change from week to week, and in this case they have. The passport policy flip flop is in effect to make things truly unclear for the air traveler that is not constantly checking the State Department or Homeland Security websites.

New passport rules for air travel came into effect January 23, 2007. Included in these rules was a passport requirement for air travel to countries such as Canada and Mexico, where previously only proof of citizenship was required for U.S. citizens.

In early June, record demand and a backlog on passports led to the government amending its policy - temporarily. Until September 30, if you had applied for a passport, but hadn't received it, you could still travel by air - if you had proof that you had applied.

A synopsis of the air travel rules from the announcement on June 9, and important passport links are present in No Passport, Can Travel

The even more recent changes in brief... Canadians are also subject to the passport rules that came into effect in January. The wait times and backlog have mirrored the United States. Thus Canadians traveling to the United States have also been issued something of a summer reprieve as well. Canadians Crossing Borders Without a Passport addresses the passport issue for Canadians.

The rules (from January 2007) that have been broken - Don't Forget Your Passport - The Must-Have Documents to Travel after January 23, 2007.

Did you pay for an expedited passport and didn't receive it? Get a refund - here's how.

image from travel.state.gov