Washington Delays Passport Law By BBC - Caribbean June 15, 2007 ........................................................................................................................................ Americans travelling to the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda have been given some more time to get their US passports. A new US system called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, introduced in January, requires US citizens to have a passport in order to re-enter America when they travel to these countries. But it's become bogged down in bureaucracy and controversy and today Americans were told they can continue travelling to these areas, for the time being without, passports. On Friday the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to delay for 17 months the new rules requiring passports for Americans airline and cruise ship passengers. Caribbean concerns Caribbean governments and tourism officials, as well as US tourists welcomed the announcement. Up to now Americans travelling to the Caribbean were only required by regional governments to show a passport or driver's licence. But the US Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is putting a stop to that. It requires all Americans travelling to the Caribbean, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico to have a passport to re-enter the United States. Caribbean governments and tourism experts fearing a downturn in US tourist arrivals had lobbied for the requirement to be delayed. System gridlock However the new system, which took effect in January, has become bogged down in bureaucracy with large numbers of passport applications and an equally massive backlog. Even within the US the new system has had its critics. Washington has now apparently bowed to pressure. The US government announced today that Americans travelling to the region and the other listed areas can, until the end of September this year, use special documents provided by the US State and Homeland Security Departments. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is intended to strengthen US border security. It's being introduced in separate stages for airline and cruise passengers. The first phase - for airline passengers - took effect in January this year. latest news Jamaica Police Investigages Scam British Prime Minister Sorry for Slavery CARICOM Issues Explored Angllicans Face Difficult Summit Trinidadian Carnival Exodus New Caribbean Program Premiers on NY TV Exemption for Antigua Nurses More Complaints About CARICOM Grenada Goofs: Anthem Mixup Windies Selectors to Mull Over CWC Squad More Cricket World Cup Semis Tickets on Sale JA Airport Revamp Won't Be Ready for Cup Celebrating Bob Marley with Food & Fashion CARICOM Single Space Travel Begins Caribbean Tops Prisoner's List AIDS Discrimination in the Caribbean Whaling Showdown Likely Record Year for Global Tourism Five Killed by Jamaican Police Four Dead in Haiti UN Operation   | | | | |