CRUISE INDUSTRY WORK PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

Passport Requirements
The cruise industry encourages all travelers to prepare for changes regarding travel within the Western Hemisphere. The Department of Homeland Security and Department of State issued the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which will require all U.S. citizens to have a passport or other accepted travel document when entering or re-entering the United States from any part of the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Central and South America and the Caribbean).
The current deadlines are:
AIR: January 23, 2007 — A passport will be required for all air travel within the Western Hemisphere and abroad for citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda.
U.S. citizens departing and returning to the United States by air beginning January 23, 2007, will be required to have a valid U.S. passport.
SEA and LAND: As soon as January 1, 2008 — A passport or other accepted document* will be required for land border crossings and sea travel within the Western Hemisphere.
*Sea and land travelers will also be eligible for the PASScard, a less expensive alternative document.
Although the requirement to possess a valid passport or PASScard for sea travel and land border crossings could be extended to as late as June 1, 2009, the government can accelerate this date based on meeting certain standards and is recommending that travelers be prepared for the passport requirement as early as January 1, 2008.
For more information on how to apply for or renew a passport, please visit http://www.travel.state.gov/passport