What is the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative? And when do new passport requirements go into effect?
The County of San Diego is alerting travelers who plan to travel internationally or who want to cross the Mexican border to have a passport book, passport card or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security. On June 1, 2009 the second phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) went into effect, and travelers are required to have these documents to be able to re-enter the U.S. when returning from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea ports-of-entry. The first phase of this initiative, which went into effect in 2007, required passports for re-entering the U.S. by air in those locations. The passport card is different from a passport book because it was designed to meet the requirements of the land and sea phase of the WHTI. The passport card is valid in border communities where crossing the border is a daily occurrence. The passport card is not valid for international air travel. The passport card may only be used at U.S. and se
