EPT - Passport rules kick in June 1

El Paso Times

Passport rules kick in June 1

By Ramon Bracamontes / El Paso Times

Posted: 04/28/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

EL PASO -- This time the deadline for passports is for real.

Starting June 1, any U.S. citizen returning to El Paso from Juárez must have a U.S. passport. It doesn't matter if it is a traditional blue U.S. passport or one of those new passport cards that look like a driver's license, officials said.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"All of the land and sea requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative go into effect in June 2009. That means any U.S. citizen traveling to Mexico or Canada needs a passport to return."

"Originally, the passport requirement for entering the United States by land was scheduled to go into effect in January 2008 but was pushed back to June 2009. The passport requirement for air and sea travelers was originally scheduled for January 2007. It too was pushed back."

"Since November 2006, the district clerk has processed 55,680 passport applications, which generated $1.7 million in revenue for the county."

&

"A passport costs $100 for an adult and $85 for a child. The passport cards costs $45 for adults, $35 for children."

_____

Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6142.