RGS - NM May Get Break on Passport Requirement

From my archive of press clippings:

Rio Grande Sun

NM May Get Break on Passport Requirement

Department of Homeland Security will probably push deadline for Real ID act, which requires passports for all New Mexicans traveling by air


By Joe Crawford
SUN Staff Writer


Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 12:22 PM MST


A recently publicized federal law that would require New Mexicans to present a passport before boarding an airplane will probably be changed or its implementation postponed, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"In a statement, the Department announced that if Congress doesn’t come up with a legislative solution, the Department plans to grant extensions to states such as New Mexico that have yet to comply with the Real ID Act. The Act, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, would effectively make New Mexico driver’s licenses insufficient forms of identification to get through airport security, even for domestic flights."

"The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 and it establishes nationwide standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and other identification cards. Because New Mexico and the majority of other states have not come into compliance with the act, their IDs would no longer meet minimum requirements for certain purposes, notably boarding an airplane."

"In New Mexico, post offices are the only locations to apply for passports and many offices do not have the capacity to offer the service, U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Barbara Wood said. That’s mostly because it takes at least several minutes to process an application, Wood said."

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"The passports cost $100, plus $15 for the Post Office to take an applicant’s photo, she said. The IDs take approximately four to six weeks to process and they are valid for 10 years, according to the Department of State’s Web site."

MT - County clerk cancels passport program. Residents still can take applications to the post office; staffing levels forced the move.

Mail Tribune

County clerk cancels passport program. Residents still can take applications to the post office; staffing levels forced the move.

March 10, 2009

By Damian Mann

Mail Tribune

Local residents no longer have the convenience of heading to the Jackson County Clerk's Office to get passports because of recent staff reductions.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"In 2008, the U.S. began issuing passport cards, which can be used to enter the country from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as land border crossings or sea ports of entry.

So far, 700,000 U.S. passport cards have been issued, with an average wait time of three weeks. The cards are about the size of a credit card and are less expensive than a passport book, but cannot be used for international air travel.

The card costs $45 for a first-time adult passport applicant and $35 for all minor applicants under age 16. Adults who already have a fully valid passport book may apply for the card as a passport renewal by mail and pay only $20.

For passport application forms, documentation, fees or international travel information, go to www.travel.state.gov."

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Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or dmann@mailtribune.com.