U.S. passport requirement changes

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ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFNEWS) --  As of Jan. 23, citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda are required to present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere.

This change in travel document requirements is the result of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

The purpose of the initiative is to strengthen border security and ease entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized, secure and reliable documentation which allows the Department of Homeland Security to quickly, reliably and accurately identify a traveler.

All active duty members of the armed forces traveling with military identification will be exempt from the requirement to present a valid passport when entering the United States.

Military family members, Department of Defense civilians, and DOD contractors of the U.S. military must present a valid passport. No exceptions will be made even if entering through the United States through a U.S. military base.

The passport requirement does not apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport.

U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands
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For more information, visit the Foreign Clearance Guide at https://www.fcg.pentagon.mil/fcg.cfm.

(Courtesy of 36th Wing Military Personnel Flight)

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