US Passports - Application Pending...
Posted Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 6:58 PM by Lonely Planet
Since January this year, an unprecedented number of Americans have waited unprecedented periods for their little blue books. The result of the niftily named "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative", new requirements for travel to neighbouring Mexico, Canada and Caribbean countries saw a pre-emptive rush on passports and the US government's security obsession, turn into an administrative nightmare.
In part, it is a myth that Americans don't travel - traditionally, passport numbers have not necessarily accounted for those who cross borders to the country's North and South. So where as it is true that until two years ago less than a quarter of the population were in possession of a passport, many more may have travelled 'internationally' on other ID documents.
Now as numbers near the 30 percent mark, it is apparent that although still low in comparison to other Western countries, this amounts to approximately 12 million new passports in 2006, 16 million in 2007 and a projected 22-25 million in 2008.
Where as we welcome the positive potential for Americans to travel further a field, gain increased cultural awareness and facilitate the peace process, US Congress spin chooses to focus on the new capacity to prevent terrorists and reduce the use of fraudulent documents.
We encourage all Americans to consider the impact of their travelling, beyond the very attractive prospect of drinking Sol at only $1US dollar a bottle! Certainly there is the grass-roots opportunity to improve foreign relations, but also the imperative that if you tread widely, to attempt to tread lightly. But this of course goes for all travellers.
September is National Passport Month in the US. For more information see: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/passport.
For US citizens who require more information on applying for a passport visit: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.
Labels: Passport, The Americas
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8 Comments:
to all those Americans who have been patiently waiting for their passports (and those who have been impatiently waiting in queues or on hold) - we hope once you have it that you enjoy your travels!!!
Department of state are now claiming all applications are going through in the prescribed 6-8 week period: http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/processing/processing_1740.html
My boyfriend and I recently travled to Canada from the US. He received his expedited passport in less than two weeks!
I've definitely heard a lot more postive reports back from people lately - some receiving their passports within 2-3 weeks so the backlog seems to be lightening up.
I wrote an article last year about the benefits of owning a passport.
http://www.futuregringo.com/index.php/2006/04/02/passport-article/
Among other reasons, a second form of identification: A passport can benefit you in the United States as well. Should your personal identification be lost or stolen, the immediate task is a day at the DMV and other offices, and hours of getting things back in order. However the passport sitting in your file cabinet at home is acceptable proof of identity everywhere and a perfect backup in the meantime. It’s a lifesaver if you lose your I.D. and flying domestically. It’s accepted when cashing a check, or maybe you just want to grab a beer with friends, (while commiserating over your DMV visit).
It looks like they're back on track now. We applied for a new passport on August 31 (sent regular mail at a post office right before Labor Day wih $60 expedite fee) and received it yesterday! That's less than 2 weeks with 2 weekends including Labor Day in there.
I sincerely appreciate your comment about traveling with a smaller impact or footprint. It's been on my mind a great deal lately as I plan future trips, from the impact on climate change of my plane trip, to the influence tourism has on the communities I visit. It's be great for Lonely Planet to do more education to travelers about how we can reduce our impacts, though your own site and through other media outlets. Thanks!
I see that as of January 2008 there are new laws regarding proof of identity and citizenship for US citizens coming back into their own country, and that in 2009 all people entering the US MUST show a passport...I am a little confused as to what this means for US citizens... on re-entry into the US do they stamp your passport?
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