Uniform Passport Rules Requested

ICCL Statement: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Update

ARLINGTON, Va. (June 27, 2006) — All U.S. citizens are required to have passports for travel within the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda) by January 1, 2008, per the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and the 2004 Intelligence Reform law. To implement the law, the Departments of State and Homeland Security proposed a phase-in program referred to as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The proposed deadlines, as set in the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, for U.S. citizens to obtain a passport are:

• December 31, 2006 – Passport or other accepted document required for all air or sea travel within the Western Hemisphere.

• December 31, 2007 – Passport or other accepted document required for all U.S. land border crossings.

The cruise industry prefers implementation of all phases of the WHTI to be delayed to a unified date for all modes of travel. There is no basis for treating travelers who travel by air or sea any differently from those who travel over land borders, and having two different sets of rules, depending on one’s mode of travel, is extremely confusing to travelers.

In addition, having a unified implementation date for all modes of travel will give much needed time to the federal government, the travel industry, and most importantly, the traveling public, to adapt to the new passport program. The Western Hemisphere includes the regions that are the most heavily visited cruise destinations in the world, accounting for approximately 70 percent of all cruise ship visits, or 7.6 million passengers. Currently, the State Department estimates that less than 30 percent of all Americans have passports.

A recent survey* of the cruise lines found that only 30-40 percent of U.S. passengers on short cruises in the Western Hemisphere (two to five days) currently have passports. On longer voyages, the number of U.S. citizens traveling on cruises with passports only increases to a total of 50-65 percent. Taking a cruise is typically a group vacation and if one individual or more does not have a passport, it could deter the entire family or group from taking a cruise. The survey showed that 65 percent of groups traveling to and from U.S. ports have at least one member who does not have a passport.

The cruise industry’s highest priority is the safety and security of our passengers and crew, and we clearly understand that the government has a legitimate need to enhance the security at the borders. Requiring a standardized identification document, (e.g. passport) is an important aspect of that effort and it simplifies the process of border crossings to have a single recognized document in place. Sufficient time should be allotted to allow for the public to understand the new rules, for the travel industry to be able to communicate the new requirements to their customers, and most importantly, for the public to obtain their passports.

* conducted by ICCL with its member lines for passengers carried in 2005 and the first quarter of 2006