Story Published:
Jan 22, 2007 at 10:23 AM PST
Story Updated:
Oct 11, 2007 at 7:35 PM PST
Rikki Tuesley of Granger, Ind., signs a passport application for her children Elli, 4, and Evan, 1, at the post office in South Bend, Ind., Jan. 4, 2007. Tuesley is planning a trip for her family to the Caribbean.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Get those passports ready.
New government regulations now require air travelers flying into the U.S. to show passports, including American citizens and citizens of Canada, Mexico and Bermuda.
All that had been needed by people traveling to the U.S. from within the hemisphere until now was a birth certificate or driver's license.
The State Department says it's had more people applying for passports recently. The Travel Business Roundtable says its own survey found only about 27 percent of Americans have passports.
But it says most people who have been flying out of the country do have them, so it doesn't expect problems at airports.
Still, Canadian and Caribbean officials are worried the new rules will hurt commerce and tourism.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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