Well folks, travel to Mexico and Canada has taken a new twist because as of June 1, new rules requiring passports or new high-tech documents to cross the northern and southern borders will soon take effect.

The new rules are being implemented nearly eight years after the 9/11 attacks and long after the 9/11 Commission recommended the changes; travelers who do not comply with the new rules will get a warning and be allowed to enter the U.S. after an extensive background check.  By the way, this rule also affects sea crossings, so it is not just a land/air-based initiative here.

Keep this in mind as well:

• Under the new rule, travellers can also use a passport card issued by the U.S. State Department to cross land borders; for first-timers, the cost of these cards is $45 -  a cheaper alternative to the regular passport.
• I.D. documents available under the “Trusted Traveller” programs are also accepted; these documents are available for a fee, ranging from $50 to over $100.  these programs are designed to allow travellers faster access to the border.
• Enhanced driver’s licenses, which use a microchip to store a person’s information, are accepted at select locations; currently, Washington state, New York, Vermont and Michigan are the only states that offer them.

There are some exceptions to these rules.  Children 16 and younger travelling with their families, people under the age of 19 travelling in youth groups, Native Americans and members of the military will be able to use different forms of identification.  In addition, travellers on cruises that depart a U.S. port, sail within the Western Hemisphere and return to the same port are exempt from these new rules.  My suggestion to all of you?  Get your passports updated or simply apply for the new forms of ID which will be required effective on Monday, June 1.