Does a US citizen need a passport to go to the Bahamas as of today 11/12/07?

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roundater

if you fly - YES - otherwise see below:

AIR TRAVEL

Implemented on January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Securityâ€™s website.

* JANUARY 31, 2008
U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driverâ€™s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. DHS also proposes to begin alternative procedures for U.S. and Canadian children at that time.

* SUMMER 2008
At a later date, to be determined, the departments will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have either a U.S. passport; a U.S. passport card; a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, FAST, or SENTRI; a valid Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or a valid U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders.

The implementation date will be determined based on a number of factors, including the progress of actions undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security to implement the WHTI requirements and the availability of WHTI compliant documents on both sides of the border. DHS and DOS expect the date of full WHTI implementation to be in the summer of 2008. The precise implementation date will be formally announced with at least 60 days notice.

Note: The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory.

U.S. PASSPORT AND OTHER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

* U.S. Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S. and the aforementioned Western Hemisphere countries.
* The Passport Card: This limited-use, wallet-size passport card is not yet available and is under development. When available it will only be valid for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean region (includes Bermuda).
* Other Accepted Travel Documents: SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and the U.S. Coast Guard Mariner Document. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty traveling on orders are exempt from the passport requirement. DHS has more information on these travel documents. This information may be seen at www.dhs.gov.

ABOUT WHTI

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), requiring all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on February 22 its intent to propose, as part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), significant flexibility regarding travel documents required for U.S. and Canadian children as part of WHTI requirements for U.S. land and sea border entry in 2008.

The goal of the initiative is to strengthen U.S. border security while facilitating entry for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardized documentation that enables the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler.

Media Notes

* 09/04/2007 DHS Reminds Carriers and Traveling Public About the End of the Temporary WHTI Accommodation
* 06/08/2007 Joint Departments of State and Homeland Security Announcement: U.S. Citizens with Pending Passport Applications Allowed Temporary Travel Flexibility Within Western Hemisphere

Federal Regulations

* Final Rule - Air Phase (pdf PDF)
* Proposed Rule - Passport Card (pdf PDF)
* Comments Submitted in Passport Card Rule Making Proceeding (DOS-2006-0329-0001)
* Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Land/Sea Rule (pdf PDF)

Other Relevant Links

* Department of Homeland Security
* U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Charlie

If you FLY, you MUST have a passport. If you travel by SEA, you do not need a passport until SUMMER 2008. See website below ro confirm this info. Read the top half of the page carefully to get the CURRENT state dep't info. Now, if you are going on a cruise...some cruise lines want their passengers to have passports even tho the law does not YET require them. So...it is best to CALL and ask the cruise line. the material quoted in the answer above is not current or correct. It gives the original PROPOSED timeline...which has since been changed.

Meneses

Actually no, any U.S. ID is enough.

stella39

Yes, if you fly.

No, if you take a cruise and leave from a USA port and return to a USA port)

kimiij

YES. The only places in the Caribbean that you don't need a passport to visit are the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

King$mity

Q: Do I need a passport for travel to Mexico, Canada or the Bahamas?

A: The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future.

In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:

January 8, 2007 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
January 1, 2008 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel. http://www.myoutislands.com/passports_faqs.php#2