As of June 1, 2009, passports are required for all travelers, including citizens of the U.S. and Canada, who enter or re-enter the U.S. by air, land or sea.

There are a few notable exceptions pertaining to land and sea border crossings:

Passports are required for cruises that begin in one U.S. port and end in another.

• Children under the age of 16 who are citizens of the U.S. or Canada are exempt from the passport requirement for land and sea border crossings. In lieu of a passport, children are able to use a birth certificate as proof of citizenship for entry into the U.S. by land or by sea. Children entering or re-entering the U.S. by air are required to have a valid passport.
• A new, lower-cost alternative to the passport, called a passport card, is acceptable for entries into the U.S. by land or sea. Compared to passports, which cost $100 for first-time applicants ($85 for children), passport cards cost just $45 ($35 for children). The passport card is not acceptable for air travel.

Photocopies of required documentation are not acceptable in any circumstance.   They are important if you lose your passport and need to get an emergency (temporary) passport from the consulate….it is faster to process the temporary one.

We strongly recommend that all of our customers travel with a valid passport.  This is because those who need to fly to or from the U.S. unexpectedly during their trip due to a medical, family, personal or business emergency will likely experience significant delays and complications related to booking airline tickets and entering the U.S. if they do not have a valid passport with them. Of course, situations like these are rare, but they can happen.