Passports will soon be needed again to fly to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean

By the end of the month, air travelers will again need passports when flying between the USA and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean (including Bermuda). Faced with an overwhelming backlog of passport applications, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a temporary ruling in June that allowed air travelers to fly as long as they carried proof that their passports were pending, according to Travel Weekly (free registration).

But with that temporary reprieve about to expire, the DHS sent out a press release yesterday “reminding air carriers and the traveling public that the temporary Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) accommodation allowing U.S. citizens to travel by air within the Western Hemisphere using a Department of State (DOS) official proof of passport application receipt will end as scheduled at midnight on Sept. 30.” Next year, the law will be extended to include land border crossings, according to Travel Weekly.