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Until passports are required, citizens of the U.S. and Canada may use an original or certified copy of their birth certificate AND a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license), in lieu of a passport, for trips that consist of land travel between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico, or for cruises that sail roundtrip from U.S. ports (including Puerto Rico) and visit the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. Children under the age of 16 are not required to present a photo ID in addition to their birth certificate. Photocopies of required documentation are not acceptable.

There are a few notable exceptions pertaining to land and sea border crossings:

• U.S. citizens on cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port and travel to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas or Bermuda will be able to re-enter the U.S. with proof of citizenship other than a passport or passport card, such as a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Passports will be required for cruises that begin in one U.S. port and end in another.

• Children under the age of 16 who are citizens of the U.S. or Canada will be exempt from the passport requirement for land and sea border crossings when the rule goes into effect. In lieu of a passport, children will be able to continue to use a birth certificate as proof of citizenship for entry into the U.S. by land or by sea. Children entering or re-entering the U.S. by air are still required to have a valid passport.

• A new, lower-cost alternative to the passport, called a passport card, will be acceptable for entries into the U.S. by land or sea. Compared to passports, which cost $100 for first-time applicants ($85 for children), passport cards cost just $45 ($35 for children). The passport card will not be acceptable for air travel.

Passports are not required for U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from Hawaii or a U.S. territory, including Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Passports are required for travel to all International destinations not mentioned above, and for trips that involve air travel that begins or ends outside of the U.S. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the last day of travel.

For information about obtaining a passport for the first time, or about renewing a passport, click here to visit the U.S. Department of State's Web site. For more information about passport cards, click here.

Legal U.S. Residents (Non-Citizens)

Legal permanent residents of the U.S. must have a valid passport from their country of citizenship and a valid Alien Registration Card (Green Card) to enter or re-enter the U.S.

Non-U.S., Non-Canada Citizens

The following countries participate in a visa waiver program with the U.S., and citizens of these countries must have a machine-readable passport for entry into the U.S. :

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Slovenia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom

Citizens of the countries listed above who do not possess machine-readable passports, and citizens of countries not listed above must present a valid passport and a valid United States visa upon entry into the U.S. For those whose travel plans include multiple entries into the U.S., such as a cruise that begins and ends in a U.S. port, a multiple-entry visa is required.

Visas

All travelers, including U.S. and Canada citizens, are responsible for verifying visa requirements with consular officials, and obtaining visas where required, for every country visited during their trip, including countries visited via connecting flights.

Always check with your Vacations To Go travel counselor at the time of booking to verify the documentation requirements for your vacation.