New Passport Rule No Problem at LAX

At least at Los Angeles International Airport, airline and immigration officials reported a smooth transition on Monday, the first day of a new policy requiring passports or permanent resident cards from all passengers traveling to and from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Nearly all arriving passengers had the required documents. Previously, people traveling between the U.S. and those areas were required to show only a birth certificate and a government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license. But a 2004 law required the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to implement the tougher identification requirements to bolster security and smooth entry into the U.S. Passports can be scanned for instant verification, whereas other documents are tougher to substantiate. But immigration officials didn’t turn away U.S. citizens who showed up empty-handed. Returning U.S. passengers without passports were handed a flier about the new rules along with a U.S. passport application for future travel abroad, as officials ease in the new rules.

There have been news reports of a “run” of sorts at U.S. federal offices by many Americans seeking to obtain and renew passports.

Click here for the full L.A. Times story.

KJ