Passports required at border on June 1

Kalispell Acting Postmaster John Sistok expects a little deja vu as the number of people seeking passports ramps up in coming weeks.

"Last year, we went through the same run when they were going to require" all U.S. citizens crossing the border by land and sea to have a passport, Sistok recalled.

A year ago the State Department and the Homeland Security Department - in response to a deluge of passport applications - agreed to temporarily relax the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

But the time has come for all Americans traveling outside the country to show a passport or special passport identification card to drive home from Mexico or Canada.

Starting June 1, travelers entering the United States by land or sea no longer will be able to use driver's licenses or birth certificates to get back into the country.

They will be required to present a passport or government border-crossing card that shows their name and proof of citizenship.

The first phase of the federal travel initiative went into effect in January 2007, requiring air travelers to show a passport to enter the United States from Mexico or Canada.

As a result of the new requirements, demand for passports skyrocketed and the State Department issued a record 18.4 million passports in fiscal year 2007, compared to 12.1 million in 2006. The new regulations stemmed from the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to strengthen border security.

Though the number of passport applications likely will increase from now until June, Sistok said that right now the passport work load is about half what it was a year ago.

The processing time isn't as long either, he said. It takes about four weeks right now to get a passport; a year ago it was seven to 10 weeks.

Passports are issued at the Flathead County Clerk of District Court office and at the Whitefish, Bigfork, Eureka and main Kalispell Post Offices.

Applicants must bring certified copies of their birth certificates or naturalization papers and photo identification. The cost for people 16 and older is $115. A passport book for those 15 and younger is $100.

Passport cards cost $45 for those 16 and older, $35 those under 16 or $20 if requested with a new or renewed passport.

More information about the upcoming changes is available online at Getyouhome.gov.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com