ID rule to start Monday at border

ALEXANDRIA BAY — Remember to bring your passport.

Starting Monday, travelers crossing the border will be required to present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative document — passports, enhanced driver's licenses or trusted traveler cards — when entering the U.S. by land and sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

W. Howard Kelly, director of the Capital Corridor Trade and Tourism Initiative, said the new requirements are backed by new technology that will facilitate border crossings instead of hampering them.

"It will, over time, expedite crossings," Mr. Kelly said. "It'll be a good thing for the Thousand Islands region in general."

Most WHTI-compliant documents contain a radio frequency identification chip that broadcasts a specific number and allows border control personnel to access records stored in government databases. Personal information is not stored on the chip.

The document requirements are based on recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission. Congress passed those recommendations into law as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

Stepped-up air travel requirements under the initiative went into effect in January 2007.

In spite of concerns raised by some elected officials and regional tourism groups, Mr. Kelly insisted the new requirements are not likely to discourage Canadian tourists from coming to the Thousand Islands region. About 80 to 85 percent of travelers crossing the border in Alexandria Bay carried proper documents, Mr. Kelly said.

"We believe it will be a very seamless transaction," said Kevin A. Corsaro, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. "Nationwide, about 80 percent of travelers already have WHTI-complaint documents."

He said Customs does not expect major delays at the border because of the new requirements.

"The WHTI-compliant documents are machine readable," Mr. Corsaro said. "Eventually, that would facilitate traffic."

The readers would save the Customs officer the time and effort to type in every traveler's information by hand. Mr. Corsaro said about 85 percent of the 39 major ports in the U.S. now have special radio-chip readers.

He also said travelers now abroad and without WHTI compliant documents should not panic.

"Customs officers won't just tell travelers to go back," he said. "However, an individual could be referred to a secondary officer to identify their citizenship."

Also, there are exceptions to the new regulations. Children under age 16 need only a birth certificate.

Groups of children under age 19 arriving by land or sea from abroad and traveling with a school, religious group, social or cultural organization or sports team also may enter the U.S. with a birth certificate as proof of citizenship.

WHTI-compliant documents also include passport cards, which are valid for travel by land and sea, and trusted-traveler program cards, including NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST cards.

For more information, go to www.getyouhome.gov or call U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 1 (877) 227-5511.