Now, Americans must fly with passport to US

WASHINGTON: As of Tuesday, all Americans, Mexicans, Canadians and Bermudians traveling by air to the United States must for the first time carry a passport, said the Department of Homeland Security.   

The new measure is part of the department's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, following the recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission.   

It is aimed at making it more difficult for terrorists to enter the country with fake documents.   

"The department expects a smooth transition to the new passport requirement based on the current numbers of travelers arriving at US airports with passports," the department said.   

It said that more than 90 per cent of Americans, 97 per cent of Canadians, and nearly everybody from Mexico and the Bermudas who traveled to the United States by airplane over the past week arrived with passports, the department said.   

Up to now, all travelers from the four countries, especially from Canada, were allowed to enter the United States with a simple identification document such as a driver's licence.   

A large majority of Americans and Canadians lack a valid passport.   

Travel to the United States by land and sea will fall under "a separate proposed rule," the department said.   

"As early as January 1, 2008, citizens traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea may be required to present a valid passport," the statement added.