New Passport Laws Affect Tourism to Small Town in Mexico - Expedited Passports

The small village of Nuevo Progreso lies just on the other side of the Texas/Mexican border. Known for its safe streets and great bargains on everything from alcohol to medications to souvenirs, over the past few decades Nuevo Progreso has built an economy based largely on Texans who like to winter in Mexico. In the summer, they depend on casual tourists who cross the border to shop.

However, after the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect on June, 2009, the ability to casually pop over to the Mexican side of the border became a thing of the past for US residents without passports. The new law requires that citizens show US passports or passport cards to get back into the country. Previously, all you had to have was your driver’s license and a birth certificate.

Since the rules went into effect, tourism in Nuevo Progreso has plummeted, according to this article in the Brownsville Herald.   According to Nuevo Progreso civic leaders, business is down 60 percent since the winter. For many in town, this is the slowest slow season they can remember.

For example, the article quotes Smiriam Hernandez, a local shop owner, who said that her 30-year-old establishment has never before lost so much money.  She told the Brownsville Herald that “The problem is the passport.”

However, there is hope: traffic across the border is slowly increasing, and according to Nuevo Progreso’s chamber treasurer, Dr. Maribel Martinez, more Americans living near the border are beginning to understand the necessity of having passports.  She told the Herald:  “People said they had problems with the cost, or gathering their documents. But it seems to be getting better and people are more conscientious now. Before, people didn’t want to accept it.”

Applying for a passport can be intimidating, and it does cost a little bit money. A private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can make it by easier by offering personal assistance and faster processing. With RushMyPassport, you’ll be connected to a professional passport specialist and receive detailed, easy-to-understand instructions to help you through the application process, step by step.

Plus, applications for passports submitted through us are delivered directly to the Department of State for faster processing-often as quick as 24 hours!

Don’t miss out on everything Mexico has to offer- apply for your passport with us today!

At the beginning of this month,  new passport rules went into effect for travel between the US and Canada,  Mexico and the Caribbean.  Before June 1st, you could have traveled to these countries with a birth certificate and a driver’s license. Now, you need a US passport or another approved document.

Why were these new passport rules necessary? Why isn’t it enough to be able to produce a valid driver’s license or state ID card to prove your identity, and a valid birth certificate to prove that you are a US citizen? Over on the Dual Citizenship blog, there’s a great post by Fred Burton, formerly the Deputy Chief of the Counter-Terrorism Division of the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, that explains the rationale behind the new rules.

According to Burton, the main problem with the old system was that driver’s licenses and birth certificates are relatively easy to fake and to obtain on the black market: (more…)

On June 1st, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative became law. The new laws require that Americans traveling to Canada by land or sea carry passports with them. Apparently, obtaining a passport is too much trouble for many Americans, as tour operators are reporting a shift towards domestic destinations.

According to this article on Canada.com, motor coach tours to visit destinations in Canada are down by 30% over the past year. This is almost the same as the percentage of tour members who stated that they didn’t have a passport and didn’t want to get one. Since 2001, after security became more of a concern and travel regulations became stricter, day trips are down by 70%.

So, is obtaining a passport to go to Canada really worth it? Definitely! For more details, check out the Top Reasons to Get an Express Passport and Visit Canada This Summer.

If you’d like to travel to Canada, you’ll need to allow at least 6 weeks for processing if you apply through the government with normal processing. The government’s expedited processing takes at least 3 weeks. For faster processing and better customer service, consider using a private passport expediting company. You’ll have knowledgeable, professional passport experts to help you through the application process, and processing times as fast as 24 hours!

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Four US states (Washington, Michigan, New York and Vermont) have started offering enhanced driver’s licenses (EDL’s), which can be used instead of a passport to travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  If you live in one of these states, should you trade your old license in for an EDL, or should you get a passport?

Ultimately, the decision is yours to make, based on how often you travel out of the country and whether you usually drive or fly. Here are some factors to consider:

• Cost: EDL’s are less expensive than getting a passport, but they still cost more than a traditional driver’s license. In Washington, it’s an additional $15 over the cost of a regular driver’s license renewal. In Vermont, it’s an additional $25. In Michigan, it’s $45. In New York, it’s $30.
• Time: Because EDL’s are accepted as proof of citizenship, you must bring your official birth certificate or other proof of citizenship to apply. Also, you may have to go to a special DMV office to get an EDL.
• To apply for a passport, you’ll still need proof of identification and proof of citizenship, but the process may go a little bit faster since you can apply at a passport acceptance facility (often your local post office) instead of having to go to a DMV.
• EDL’s are only good for land or sea travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. They won’t work if you’re traveling by plane, or if you’re traveling to any other countries.  Passports are good everywhere.
• Passports are good for 10 years. EDLs are only good for five.

If you decide to get an EDL, you’ll have to wait for your application to processed and the license to be sent to you in the mail. The processing time depends on the state, but may take around 3 weeks. Processing time for a passport varies: at least 6 weeks with regular processing and at least 3 weeks with expedited processing.

The bottom line is that an EDL is great for someone who frequently drives into Canada or Mexico for day trips. If you prefer to travel by plane or you plan to visit countries that are not in the Western Hemisphere, getting a passport is probably a better idea for you.

If you need to a get a passport for an upcoming trip, getting a passport through a private passport expediting company is your best bet. Expediting companies simplify the process of getting a passport by making sure you know exactly how to fill out the paperwork and which documents are needed. By hand-delivering your documents to the US Passport Agency, they can also dramtically reduce the time that getting a passport takes, sometimes to as little as 24 hours!

Get ready to travel this summer-apply for a passport today!

US Representative Gary Peters of Michigan has managed to get an amendment through the House of Representatives requiring the government to review the economic impact of the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The new rules, which became law on June 1st, 2009, require Americans to use passports or another special government-approved document to travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean by land and sea.

Prior to June 1st, Michigan and Canadian citizens who wanted to cross the US/Canadian border by land or water could do so with a state-issued photo ID and proof of citizenship, usually a birth certificate. Under these rules, it was still relatively easy for people to patronize businesses on the other side of the border.

The amendment sponsored by Rep. Peters made in through the House on June 10th, according to the Detroit Free Press. If it passes the Senate, it will compel the Obama administration to review the economic impact of the new rules, especially on small businesses. The state is already suffering due to the economic crisis and the financial woes of American car companies, who were major sources of employment in and around Detroit.

In the Detroit Free Press article, Peters told the paper that he sponsored the amendment because “We need to know exactly how new passport requirements are affecting Michigan’s economy.” Michigan does $67 million worth of business each year with the Canada, the largest of any US state.

Of course, chances are that the requirements will stay in place, no matter what happens to Rep. Peters’ bill. In previous interviews about the passport requirements, Janet Napolitano, head of the Department of Homeland Security, has dismissed people who worried about the economic impact of the rules.

If you need a passport to travel to Canada, remember to allow enough time when you apply. Currently, applications for passports are taking at least 6 weeks to process. Even with the government’s expedited service, expect to wait 3 weeks or longer.

The easiest way to get passports quickly is to use a private passport expediting service. These services hand-deliver your application to the US Department of State. They can get passports processed remarkably quickly, often within 24 hours.

Don’t let the rules mess with your travel plans this summer. Order your passports today!

As a consequence of the new travel regulations that went into effect on June 1, many places in Canada and Mexico that depend on tourism are expecting  a slow summer, according to TampaBay.com. The report noted that some Niagara Falls tourists that were surveyed said they would not be back due to the new rules, which require adults to carry passports for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The article also noted that only 20% of Americans have a passport at this time.  Why such a low percentage? Part of the reason is cost: a passport book, good for 10 years, is $100.00 for Americans aged 16 and older. That’s only ten dollars a year, but it’s still a significant upfront expense for many Americans. Also, getting a passport can be kind of a hassle-there are a lot of forms to fill out, your passport pictures have to be “just so,” and you have to gather up supporting documents. So, people tend to put off getting a passport until they are sure they will actually need one for travel.

The problem with putting off getting a passport until the last minute is that passport applications take some time to process. For example, right now, if you apply for a passport with regular processing, it can take approximately 2 months to get your new passport in the mail. If you apply using the government’s expedited service, it can still take at least 3 weeks.

Fortunately, there is a faster and easier solution to the problem of getting  a passport. A private passport expediting company can help you with the paper by providing clear, easy to understand directions. Then, they can hand-deliver your application to the US Department of State. This drastically reduces processing times, so your new passport could be on its way back to you in as little as 24 hours!

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The Department of State put a lot of effort into publicizing the changes to US travel requirements that became law on June 1st. They added a clock to US Passport Agency’s web site, counting down to the second when the new rules would go into effect. They made announcement after announcement, starting months ahead of time.

However, for all their outreach, there were at least 2 people that the State Department failed to reach with their warnings: Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.  The two ex-presidents were asked about the new requirements during a joint appearance in Toronto on Saturday, May 29th.

As reported in the Winnepeg Free Press, here’s how they responded:

“I’ll be frank with you Frank, I don’t know about the passport issue,” Bush told the crowd of 6,000.

“I thought we were making good progress on using a driver’s licence to cross the border. What happened to the easy-pass card?”

Clinton too said he’d only heard about the passport requirement a day earlier, adding that in all likelihood most Americans were completely unaware of it as well.

Apparently, our two former presidents would have benefited from reading our blog! The new requirements were put into place as part of the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). To sum them up:

• All adult American citizens traveling to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean must have a US passport or another document approved by Homeland Security to get back into the country. Previously, you could use your driver’s license and a birth certificate if you were crossing by land or by sea, but that is no longer the case.
• Children under the age of 16 can use a birth certificate when traveling by land or sea.
• Children ages 16-18 can use a birth certificate when traveling by land or sea as part of an organized, chaperoned group, like a sports group or school group.
• Passengers of any age can use a driver’s license and birth certificate (or naturalization certificate) if they are on a closed-loop cruise that begins and ends in the same US port.
• Air passengers of any age need a US Passport Book.

If you need a passport to travel to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean, you should be prepared to wait. It’s currently taking at least 4 to 6 weeks to process a passport application submitted with standard processing. New passport applications submitted using the government’s expediting service take at least 2-3 weeks, and that’s if you pony up the cash for overnight shipping to and from the Passport Agency.

Can’t wait that long? A private passport expediting company is a convenient way to get your passport more quickly. An expediting company hand-delivers your application materials and then sends you your new passport. Because your application goes to the top of the stack, it gets processed much more quickly-in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t let the new passport regulations interfere with your summer vacation-order your passport now!

Today, Border Patrol officials began asking Americans for passports at the American and Canadian borders.  The final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is in effect, and a passport or another government-approved document is now required to re-enter the country.

How has this affected traffic across the borders? Not much, it seems. The Houston Chronicle is reporting that wait times at both the northern border with Canada and the southern border with Mexico are normal today, and that the new rules haven’t caused an increase in travel time for most American citizens.

However, not everyone who regularly crosses the border has the correct documents.  FoxTV in El Paso reported that a flood of people applying for a last-minute passport has led some residents to camp out at the local county courthouse to make sure that their passport application gets in.

The new regulations require that American citizens returning from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean show a US passport, US passport card, or other approved ID to reenter the country. There are some exceptions for children and certain cruise passengers.  For more on the new regulations, see Do I Need a Passport For Travel To Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean?

For now, the government is letting people through without passports with a written warning, often after delaying them for a background check. However, they aren’t saying how long that policy will continue, so if you’re planning on visiting our neighbors to the north and south anytime soon, you need to apply for a passport.

Passport applications usually about two months to process, so you should apply well in advance. Even if you ask for the government’s expedited processing service, expect to wait at least a month. For faster service, you can submit your application through a private passport expediting company instead. These companies will carry your application to the Department of State by hand for processing times that can be as quick as 24 hours. Unlike the process of applying for an emergency passport directly through the government, there are no appointments necessary and you don’t have to travel out of your way to a Passport Agency office. The expediting company handles all of that for you!

Don’t get caught unprepared at the border-order your passport today!

Monday, June 1st, regulations regarding travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean will change.  Under the old rules, passports were only required for air travel to and from these countries. However, the new rules require adult citizens of the US to present an approved document, such as a passport, to return to the United States from these countries.

What do the new rules mean to you? If you’re going to travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean in June, you’ll need to get a passport fast! If you need to rush your passport, the easiest and  quickest way to do it is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

Currently, rush passport applications sent directly into the government are taking 3 weeks or longer to process. Without using an expediting company, the other option is to cross your fingers and hope you can get an appointment at US Regional Passport Agency Office. These offices are appointment-only, and there are only 21 to serve the entire country, so you may not even  have one near you.

An expediting company makes getting a rush passport much simpler. There are no appointments to make, and you don’t have to drive to Regional Passport Agency Office. You can simply take your application to a passport acceptance office, like a designated library or post office, get it “sealed,” and then send it to the expediting company, along with your proof of identity, proof of citizenship and any other supporting documents.

Once the expediting company receives your rush passport application, they take it directly to the Department of State for processing, sometimes in as little as 24 hours! The expediting company can also help you by providing information about what documents you need and how to fill out the application.

Visit us to order your rush passport-we’ll walk you through the rest of the process, so your trip can go off without a hitch!

In just 6 days, on June 1st, US travel document requirements will change for Americans traveling to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean by land or sea.  US passports were previously only required for air travel to these countries-people traveling by land or sea could simply use their driver’s licenses and birth certificates (or other proof of citizenship). Now, all adults are required to show a US passport or another approved type of ID to return to the US, no matter what method of travel they are using.

To help residents comply with these travel regulations, some states are offering Enhanced Drivers Licenses, or EDLs.  EDLs contain a radio frequency identification chip that contains information about the person the EDL was issued to, so they are harder to fake than a regular driver’s license.

Currently, only 4 states offer EDLs: Michigan, New York, Vermont and Washington. If you live in one of those states, should you get an EDL or a passport?

An EDL will allow you to make quick trips across the border to Canada or Mexico by car or by boat. However, you should be aware that an EDL cannot be used for travel to countries other than Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean nations included in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. To visit those countries, you would still need a US Passport.

The EDL is also not valid for international air travel. Even if you are only flying in to Mexico or Canada, you still need a passport if you’re leaving the country by air.  Which brings us to another good reason to choose a US passport over the EDL-what if there’s an emergency while you’re in another country and you need to fly home unexpectedly? Your re-entry into the US will go much more smoothly if you have the proper form of ID!

What are the advantages of having an EDL?  First of all, they are cheaper than getting a passport. Secondly, they fit more comfortably in your wallet than a passport book does, so they are more convenient. If all you need a WHTI-approved ID for is quick excursions on the other side of the border, an EDL may be fine. However, if you’ll be visiting our neighbor to the north (or south) for any length of time, it’s safest to travel with your passport.

Currently, it takes about 2 months to get a passport if you apply directly to the Department of State with normal processing. If you pay the additional $60 to have it expedited, you’ll still be waiting at least 3 weeks. However, a private passport expediting company can often have your passport processed in as little as 24 hours.

June 1st is almost here: Order your US passports today!