Passport rule changes will help in-hemisphere travel

Passport rule changes will help in-hemisphere travel The all-important tourism industry in Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America got a boost from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Friday, with the announcement that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be able to travel without passports provided they have applied for passports.
   New passport requirements for the close U.S. neighbors took effect in January, putting a chill on travel, especially for tourists. The situation was complicated because of a massive surge in applications for passports, without a corresponding increase in the number of federal employees processing passports. That dramatically increased wait times for processing passport applications.
   The DHS has eased the policy so that travelers who have applied for, but not received passports, can temporarily move between the United States and the specified countries by air with a government issued photo identification and State Department official proof of application for a passport.
   The rule change will remain in effect through Sept. 30, allowing the State Department time to catch up on the backlog of passport applications.