subject: Will You Need an Expedited Passport Renewal For Your Beach Vacation? [print this page] Will You Need an Expedited Passport Renewal For Your Beach Vacation?
The current crisis in the Gulf of Mexico has some US citizens looking elsewhere for places to soak in the sun by the ocean. It's perfectly understandable if you want to re-route your summer vacation-after all, tar balls do kill the mood. However, to avoid problems, consider whether or not you will need an expedited passport renewal if you choose to visit a beach in another country.
Both Mexico and the Caribbean are covered under the World Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), and passport requirements to visit them vary based on whether you take a plane, a boat or a car.
Any time you are flying out of the country, you must have a US passport book. There are no exceptions to this rule. It doesn't matter how young you are, or how old- flying to Mexico, the Caribbean, or anywhere else that isn't American soil requires a passport.
However, if you are traveling by land or by sea, you have more options in terms of what type of documentation you can use. You can bring your passport book OR one of the following:
A passport card
A trusted traveler card, such as a NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card
An enhanced driver's license, a special type of driver's license available from some states.
There are a couple of exceptions to this general rule if you are traveling by land or sea. For example, if you are on a closed-loop cruise, one that begins and ends in the same US port, you are allowed to travel with only your driver's license and birth certificate. Children under age 16 and children under age 19 traveling in organized, supervised groups (like school groups or church groups) can also bring their birth certificates as proof of citizenship.
However, think long and hard before you decide to travel out of the country with anything less than a passport. Remember, you must have to a passport to fly, so you would need it to fly home quickly in the event of an emergency.
If you are planning a trip out of the country this summer and you don't have a passport, you may want to consider getting an expedited passport renewal. It can take 6 weeks for the Department of State to send your passport back to you in the mail after you apply. By ordering an expedited passport renewal, you can cut this time down to 3 weeks. If you need it any sooner than that, you must make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office or use a private passport expediting company.
