Passport restrictions eased for air travel abroad
June 11th, 2007 - Category: TravelWeary travelers have gotten a reprieve.
On Friday, the Bush administration temporiarly waived a portion of its post-September 11 travel restrictions at least until September.
For weeks, a proposal had been floating around Washington seeking to have travel restrictions for passport travel relieved for the next upcoming months. Since the beginning of 2007 new restrictions for citizens traveling abroad have meant most travelers needed a passport. Before this year many destinations such as Mexico and Canada only required a birth certificate for U.S. citizens to enter and leave the country.
But in an effort to crack down on the potential for terrorists to enter the country, tighter restrictions went into place.
Since the beginning of the year would-be travelers have bombarded passport processing centers. The surge has created a backlog of passport applications. Applications that once took four weeks to process are now taking up to three months.
The delays are causing frantic travelers to lose their normally cool demeanors. Some travel plans have been postponed while others have been cancelled completely.
Nelson County Circuit Clerk Diane Thompson has heard many of the horror stories related to trying to get a passport on time for a trip. My story was one she listened to this year.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my first-hand experience of the hassle it took to get my passport which finally arrived by over-night delivery less than 24 hours before my flight to Jamaica — I had sent for my passport 11 weeks prior. At the time I was told it would take four to six weeks. I was willing to wait and that’s just what I did — wait, wait, and wait some more.
It was only through the aid of a kind woman in Congressman Ron Lewis’ office that I was able to get my passport on time. I called the Lewis’ office after several frantic calls to the passport processing office. At the processing office that had basically told me I wasn’t going to get my passport on time. It was stuck — figuratively and literally — in the name checking stage. The processing office staff wanted me to drive to the nearest Regional office in Chicago and have it done there. They said it just couldn’t be sped up on their end. Well, one call to the Congressman’s office and magically the passport was rushed through and it arrived just in time.
I, like many other travelers, had done what the federal government asked me to do in order to fly out of the country. I realized the restrictions were implemented for my safety and other U.S. residents. These restrictions would better enable them to keep terrorists out of the country, the government reasoned.
I, along with my fellow citizens, didn’t complain. We did what we were asked to do.
The problem was when our return result didn’t happen. After weeks and weeks of patiently waiting the passports didn’t come.
“To say people must have a passport to travel and not give people a passport is right up there in the stupid column,†Rep. Heather Wilson, R-New Mexico, said in an article on CNN.com.
Her comment rang true in the many ears of travelers who had plans to vacation but were stuck without the aid of a required passport.
Realizing the problem was growing with passport processing centers and not lessening as peak travel times began to roll round, some state lawmakers petitioned the government to ease the restrictions for travelers who haven’t received their passports yet but who have applied.
Friday, the restrictions were eased for the coming summer months. Travelers going to and from those few select destinations will see brighter skies ahead as they don’t have to wait for the processing center to release their precious passport.
The passport required-suspension would last until the end of September. Long enough to get through the busiest travel season of the year.
This doesn’t mean residents traveling abroad don’t have to apply for a passport. Normal procedures have to be followed with the hope a passport would arrive before their travel date. However, the bright spot in this passport suspension is that if a passport does not arrive on time, the traveler will not miss their vacation. With valid proof that a passport has been applied for, that person can travel with only a few minor changes. Extra scrutiny at the airport and at customs will come along with the deal. But compare that to not being able to go on the trip and most would agree to the extra questioning by customs’ agents.
The government could see another surge next year for passports. In 2008, passports will be required for all land crossing abroad as well. This year the requirement went in for air travel only to those destinations that in 2006 just required a birth certificate.
Maybe, just maybe, if we’re lucky, someone at the federal government level will figure out this before more delays hamper travel next year. We should keep our fingers crossed.
information from : www.kystandard.com
