western hemisphere travel initiative

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is a US government program that establishes new travel document requirements for crossing the border to enter or re-enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean ..."The Harper government had been warned that the new passport regulations under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative would hurt Canada's $75-billion tourism industry and Mr. Harper ignored them all. Everyone - businesses, provincial ...The Caribbean forms part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), like Canada and Mexico, so you do not require a visa to visit any of the countries. However, your passport or passport card is certainly required, ...On June 1, CBP will implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission that requires U.S. and Canadian ...CBP Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Program Office Director Colleen Manaher will speak about the successful implementation of WHTI at the IDGA Fifth Annual Border Management Summit. Ronald Reagan Building and International ...From 1st of June 2009, the government of the United States is placing the laws of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) into effect as a means of stabilizing and strengthening the borders involving Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, ...From 23 January 2007, the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires all travelers to and accepted by Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda to a passport or other document, the holder of the ...The changes that have occurred in land, sea and air travel regulations have come about as the result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. This program was launched in 2004 in response to the drafting of Intelligence Reform and ...Starting June 1, 2009, Americans traveling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean will need a passport or passport card to cross borders and return home. But, it's not quite that simple. Here are three exceptions.
I read where the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was changing on June '09. My wife and I will be spending one night in September, in Canada. Is a birth certificate and photo drivers license still acceptable to get into (and out of!) Canada?
From the U.S. and driving to Canada. According to the sites I've been to (they have rather fuzzy details IMO) I only need a birth certificate and a drivers license.


Do you feel Mexico and their border or Canada and their border do more to assist the U.S?
Do both equally help fight against illegals?
Both borders can pose a threat to us, which border do you feel poses a larger threat?

United States and Canada Act Jointly to Combat Cross-Border Crime

Release Date: May 26, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Framework Agreement on Integrated Cross-Border
Maritime Law Enforcement Operations between the
U.S. and Canadian Governments (Shiprider Agreement)
(PDF, 17 pages - 56 KB)

Detroit—The Honorable Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Honorable Peter Van Loan, Canadian Minister of Public Safety, toured port operations today on both sides of the shared United States/Canada border and signed an agreement to make Shiprider—joint law enforcement teams stationed along the international maritime border—permanent.

“The Shiprider concept involves law enforcement officials from both countries operating together in integrated teams. Utilizing Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and U.S. Coast Guard vessels, they combat smuggling, organized drug crime, gun trade and other criminal activity in shared waterways,” said Minister Van Loan. “This agreement sends a strong message to criminals that illegal activity will not be tolerated.”

“Shiprider is a critical security partnership between the United States and Canada, improving our cross-border operations,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Through coordinated enforcement along our shared waterways, we can better interdict offenders trying to flee across our maritime border.”

Today’s agreement underscores the strong partnership between the U.S. and Canada and a mutual commitment to the safety of a shared border.

Shiprider enables the RCMP and the U.S. Coast Guard to cross-train, share resources and personnel and utilize each others’ vessels in the waters of both countries, such as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Working together, Canadian and U.S. law enforcement will help ensure that criminal organizations no longer exploit the shared border and waterways because of the inherent jurisdictional challenges associated with cross-border policing.

Secretary Napolitano and Minister Van Loan also emphasized the importance of managing the shared border in a way that not only strengthens security but also facilitates trade, jobs and economic growth. Specifically, both also reminded Canadian and U.S. citizens alike to ensure that they possess appropriate travel documents, as the June 1, 2009, deadline for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) approaches.


I have an amazing opportunity to perform in Hungary, but I am afraid to check my flute through. (I sure my fellow musicians understand) The TSA website said I could, but I haven't been able to find regulations for other countries. I have a secondary flute, but it isn't performance worthy.

Additionally, (and I'll try to make a long story short) I know that the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires that I have the notarized written consent of both parents (I will be 17 in a few weeks) to travel to Mexico and Canada et al, but I haven't been able to verify the rules for European countries. I would never consider traveling without permission, so don't think I'm a rotten kid trying to escape my parents' authority, but my father is angry at my mother so he is refusing written consent.

This is a huge opportunity for me. I plan to double major in medievel studies and music, so imagine how excited I am at the thought of playing in a 12th Century Chapel!

Thank You in advance for any help at all!
Yes, I already have a passport, I have traveled out of the country with each of my parents, always with a consent form in hand. My mom won't put me on a plane unless she is certain that I won't get stuck somewhere. Are there special rules if I am traveling alone?

BTW: I will be met by a family member on arrival.


I'm 17 but i'm turnin 18 in the next 5 months. I see on the western hemisphere travel initiative the if you are 18 and under you'll onli need proof of citizenship is this true? I trying to go to florida in the summer by land so i'd like to know? End of august is my date. Has anyone 18 and under recently got into the u.s from canada under this rule?


If you plan to travel internationally and do not currently have a valid passport, please take a few minutes to review the updated travel regulations according to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
By Air: As of January 23rd, 2007, all passengers travelling between the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico by air are required to present a valid passport.

By Land or By Sea: Beginning in the summer of 2008, all passengers travelling between the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico by land or by sea will be required to present a valid passport.
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If this is true, and I am to travel by land from Canada to the United States, when does this take effect?


I have an 8-year-old child whose father has only seen him for one and a half years out of his life and that time was spent in two different segments. I don't have any custody paperwork for my child. I have no way to reach his father. He left us without notice years ago and he does not pay any child support. My family takes vacations to Mexico every year, but in January the final segment of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative takes effect and I will need a passport for my child? Is there any way to get my child a passport with only one signature?


I've heard that under NAFTA Canadians can visit the USA for 180 days without a visa before becoming illegal, while Mexicans can only remain the USA for 3 days before they are considered illegal.

That's quite a large discrepancy ... given the current immigration debate regarding comprehensive reform and the recently implemented Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative how do you think this will impact those travelling between these 3 countries?


Hi all,

I am a Canadian citizen, born in the country and have never lived outside of Canada. I am going to be travelling into the US by land, and want to make sure that I will be able to enter the country.

I do not have a passport, so I was planning to use a birth certificate, but that has been misplaced. It will take several weeks too long for me to get a new one in time for the trip, so I wanted to confirm what other documents I will be able to use as proof of citizenship when entering the US.

I have valid photo ID in the form of a driver's license, a valid Social Insurance card, provincial health care card, and a few other documents that do not 'directly' give proof of citizenship, but require citizenship to obtain in the first place.

Can anyone who has recently travelled to the US now that the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) is partially in effect shine some light on what documents I will need if I cannot provide a passport or a birth certificate?

Thanks in advance
Hi all,

I am a Canadian citizen, born in the country and have never lived outside of Canada. I am going to be travelling into the US by LAND--not by air--and want to make sure that I will be able to enter the country.

I do not have a passport, so I was planning to use a birth certificate, but that has been misplaced. It will take several weeks too long for me to get a new one in time for the trip, so I wanted to confirm what other documents I will be able to use as proof of citizenship when entering the US by land.

I have valid photo ID in the form of a driver's license, a valid Social Insurance card, provincial health care card, and a few other documents that do not 'directly' give proof of citizenship, but require citizenship to obtain in the first place.

Can anyone who has recently travelled to the US now that the WHTI is partially in effect shine some light on what documents I will need if I cannot provide a passport or a birth certificate


So I am going to be travelling from Seattle to Alaska. Will I need a passport for this? I checked the web site out and could not find an answer. it says US territories, you do not need one, so it would be weird if you needed one for Alaska, but you never know...





Although she claims that national security is of paramount importance, New York Senator Hillary Clinton vigorously opposes a plan developed in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks and designed to strengthen border security

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires all travelers, U.S. citizens and foreign nationals alike, to present a passport that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The goal is to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the U.S. with standardized, secure and reliable documentation that officials can easily verify.

Clinton is fighting the implementation of this simple yet reliable system because she believes it will have a severe economic impact on the state she represents in the U.S. Senate. Clinton also believes that the system will somehow pose security and privacy issues for residents along New York’s northern border.

cont.
Motivated by these concerns, Clinton sent the U.S. Department of State a lengthy submission in which she makes a case against the new security system, which is supposed to be implemented by early next year.

Clinton writes that imposing the travel restrictions could have a profound economic and social impact on border communities and that they could even devastate the tourism and retail industry. More importantly, Clinton writes that protecting the country can also greatly disrupt life on both sides of the American-Canadian border.

She goes on to say that this issue is not solely driven by economics by including a touching example of how American children play sports in Canadian youth leagues and Canadian families visit relatives in the United States. Clinton tells the State Department that the people who live in these shared border areas do not regard themselves as Americans or Canadians, but rather as one community of neighbors.

cont....
Absent from the senator’s letter were intelligence officials’ documented northern border security concerns or the arrest this year of 17 terrorists in Canada with three tons of ammonium nitrate, the material used to make the Oklahoma City bomb in 1995. They could have easily slipped in the U.S. through more than 4,000 miles of northern border.