A run on passports as rules change

WASHINGTON —  U.S. citizens traveling by air from Canada, Mexico and most Caribbean islands must present passports to reenter the country starting Jan. 23, the government said Wednesday.

The new regulation, mandated by Congress in 2004, is designed to beef up security in airports, where Americans returning from those countries have needed only driver’s licenses or other forms of photo identification.

The passport requirement will apply to border crossings and ship arrivals in January 2008, the Department of Homeland Security has said.

Travel between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- which are U.S. territories -- will be exempt.

“The ability to misuse travel documents to enter this country opens the door for a terrorist to carry out an attack,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “We cannot continue to allow loopholes that could facilitate access to the United States through false claims of citizenship or fake identities.”

The rule for air travelers had been expected to take effect sometime in January, and many Americans already have taken steps to get passports. Applications were up about 20% in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, to 12.1 million, according to a State Department spokesman. And since Oct. 1, they are up 54% compared with the same period last year.

The passport requirement has drawn protests from Caribbean nations, where tourism could suffer if some U.S. travelers decide it’s too much trouble and stay home.

A study by the Caribbean Hotel Assn. last month found passport restrictions on air, land and sea travel could cost the region $2.6 billion a year in lost tourism business and 188,300 jobs. The association had called for an extension of the deadline for enforcement of the regulations, and asked that they be enforced on all forms of travel at the same time.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that one in four Americans already has a passport. Passport applications typically have taken six to eight weeks to process, but an increase in staffing has cut that time to about four weeks, said Frank Moss, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport services.

New applications must be made in person, with proof of citizenship and identification, although renewals are available online. Each application costs $97 for those 16 and older; $82 for children. Those traveling within 14 days can apply for an expedited passport for an extra $60.

The postal service expanded the number of offices that process passports in the Los Angeles area from a handful to more than 100 during the past year, and has been sponsoring a series of “passport fairs” that offer expedited processing.

The next two fairs in Los Angeles will be from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the John W. Marshall Post Office Building, formerly the Hancock Post Office, 8200 S. Vermont Ave.; and Wednesday at Airport Station, 9029 Airport Blvd. There will be more such events in the area, Los Angeles postal spokesman Larry Dozier said, with dates and locations to be announced.

As post offices gear up for their busiest month of the year, it is recommended that those applying for passports try to avoid the lunch hour, especially during the week of Dec. 18.

“You’ll be waiting in line. Those will be really, really crowded days,” postal spokeswoman Joanne Veto said.

Since many post offices only process passport applications until 2 or 3 p.m., Veto recommends visiting from 10 a.m. to noon. Identification is required -- a birth certificate and valid driver’s license or one of a list of documents available online or at the post office.

“People always forget to bring their ID,” Veto said. “They think because we receive your mail there we know who you are.”

For details about applying for a passport, call (877) 487-2778, or visit www.travel.state.gov or www.usps.com/passport.

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molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com