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Consumer's
Guide To Diver's Insurance
Scuba
Diver's Magazine: Guide To Trip Cancelation Insurance
Packing
List
Always
keep a photocopy of your completed packing list at home for
a record of what exactly you have in your luggage in the unlikely
event your luggage is lost or damaged.
You
MUST have a passport for travel outside the U.S.!
New
travel requirements for U.S. Citizens
You will now need a passport to re-enter the U.S. after travel
in the Western Hemisphere. This includes Mexico and the Caribbean.
If you do not have a passport, see
below.
Under
the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)
The proposed
implementation timeline has two phases:
Beginning
January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S.
citizens, traveling by air
between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central
and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required
to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast
Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration
Card, Form I-551, if applicable.
As early
as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S.
citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico,
Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by
land or sea (including ferries), may be required
to present a valid passport or other documents as determined
by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative
changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State
and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements
as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided
to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards
for land/sea entries.
The
passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling
to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S.
citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not
considered to have left the United States and do not need
to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following:
Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa,
Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
Travel
Documents for U.S. Citizens Under WHTI
Under
the proposed implementation plan, the following documents
will be acceptable to fulfill document requirements:
U.S.
Passport: U.S. citizens may present a valid U.S. passport
when traveling via air between the United States and Canada,
Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda,
and may also use a U.S. passport when traveling via sea and
land borders (including ferry crossings).
The
Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card): This
limited-use passport in card format is currently under development
and will be available for use for travel only via land
or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada,
Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Similar in size to a credit
card, it will fit easily into a wallet.
DOS and
DHS also anticipate that the following documents will continue
to be acceptable for their current travel uses under WHTI:
SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and the U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner
Document. As proposed, members of the U.S. Armed Forces on
active duty traveling on orders will continue to be exempt
from the passport requirement.
How
To Get A Passport
Passports are most often issued through the post office.
Both the Clayton branch and the St. Charles branch can take
your photo and do all the processing for you, but many other
locations are now offering expanded passport services. Visit
the above link to get instructions and download the form.
Plan
Ahead! - passport processing has been delayed!
It can take several months to process now!!!
For more Information, see the Passport
Application Processing Times
You
can also check
the status of your passport online.
If
you are about to miss a trip due to not having a passport
(less than 2 weeks away), you must show up in person at the
State Department Office in CHICAGO
to expedite the processing.
See list of national passport agencies HERE.
Passport
Fees (Effective March 8, 2005)
Routine Services (Form DS-11)* Non-Refundable
Ordinarily takes less than 6 weeks.
|
Passport
Service
|
Passport
Fee*
|
Execution
Fee*
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Total
Fees
|
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Age
16 and over
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$67
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$30
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$97
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Under
Age 16
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$52
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$30
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$82
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*Note: Fees must be paid separately. Passport fees are paid
to the Department of State by check or money order. Execution
fees are paid to USPS® in cash, money order, check, debit
or credit card.
Expedited
Service - Add $60 for each application.
Ordinarily takes less than 2 weeks, but is taking longer right
now
For
more information, visit the National
Passport Information Center.
Questions?
Visit the State
Department's Passport FAQs.
FAA
Airport Status
Check the status of airports across the nation.
US
Customs
- "Know
Before You Go"
- Travel
Alerts & Restricted Goods
- Publications
About International Travel
CDC
- Travelers Health
US
Department of State - Safe Travel Abroad
US
Department of State - Travel Warnings
Homeland
Security - Travel & Transportation
- Transporting
Film (through X-Ray machines)
- Transporting
Scuba Equipment
Currency
Exchange
See
It From Space!
- Sand
in the Bahamas
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