What To Know When Flying To Canada And Mexico

  7 ON YOUR SIDE

Oct. 1, 2007 - KGO (KGO) -- What a difference a few months make. New passport requirements went into effect today for people flying to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

This was the second time, but things went much smoother this time around, and now after today's changes, you can expect even more changes to the rules in January.

A steady stream of travelers passed through the security checkpoint at San Francisco International Airport.

Starting Monday, you need a passport to get to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean by air. Birth certificates or driver's license no longer will do, and authorities say today went without any major problems.

"The lines have been really average for Monday. Long, but keep moving throughout the day. And we don't anticipate any problems," said Mike McCarron from San Francisco International Airport.

A supervisor with Air Canada says only about one passenger on each flight this morning had to be turned away because they didn't have a passport.

One man we talked to had to pay a $700 dollar fee to re-book to a later flight so he could go get his passport.

"We had forgotten we had put them in the safe deposit box and hadn't taken them out. Our fault," said Roger Miller from Walnut Creek.

The new rules originally were implemented at the beginning of the year. But before summer hit, the rules had to be placed on hold.

Here's why: The line of applicants this spring was streaming out the door at the San Francisco passport office and into the street.

The wait time for a passport was four to six weeks longer than normal. People who couldn't get passports on time had to cancel travel plans and on Monday, there was no line.

"We're so happy to say that the wait time is back to our regular processing time which is 6-8 weeks," said Tracy Graff from the San Francisco Passport Agency.

Now is a good time to get a passport if you don't have one already. The rules change again on January 31 when you'll need a passport to travel to any international destination whether you're going by land, sea or air.

Those who would rather not pay for a passport will be able to get a passport card hopefully by next summer.

"The passport card will be a less expensive document that you can also substitute for a passport. Currently there still developing that. As soon as they develop that, they test it and make sure everything is ok, you'll be able to get one of those also," said Roxanne Hercules from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The passport card will not be accepted in all countries, so you are going to need a passport just in case if you are traveling.

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