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Customs officials extend passport deadline

Air travelers from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will get a break for a month.

By STEVE HUETTEL
Published January 23, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Getty Images] A customs officer checks a passport at Miami International Airport.

Air travelers without a passport will continue to be allowed into the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda for perhaps the next month.

Airlines and travel agents warned customers, including American citizens, since last summer that today marked the start of new rules requiring a passport to enter the country from neighboring nations.

Instead, travelers can use government-issued photo IDs, such as driver's licenses, or birth certificates during a 30-day "break-in" period, said Joe Smagowicz, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Tampa.

"We understood people would come up without passports," he said. "For 30 days, we'll be very, very lenient."

A Customs spokesman in Washington, D.C., said the length of the period is not certain.

Airlines told customers about the rule change through reservations agents, e-mails and in-flight announcements, but still worried that significant numbers of passengers could get stranded today.

"We didn't want an indefinite extension," said David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines. "We thought there had to be some leniency."

The new rules wouldn't have a big impact at Tampa International Airport, which has only about a half-dozen daily international flights. But the change could cause problems at places like Miami International Airport, a hub for flights to the Caribbean.

Federal officials "don't want people to get stuck at the airport and not be able to come home," said Louis Miller, executive director of Tampa International.

The United States and its neighbors traditionally allowed each other's citizens to cross their borders with only basic identification. Americans and Canadians need only a driver's license and birth certificate.

The Sept. 11 Commission recommended making travel documents less susceptible to forgery. Congress passed a law in 2004 that requires passports and a few other specialized credentials as the only valid documents for entering the country.

Customs officials say most travelers heeded the message. Ninety-six percent of Canadians flying to the United States in the second week of January had a passport, as did 94 percent of Americans, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last week. The United States will let Canadian snowbirds fly home without a passport, he said.

Information from Bloomberg Business News was used in this report. Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or 813226-3384.

[Last modified January 23, 2007, 06:59:19]