February 22, 07

NEWS / Homeland Security Chief: No passport required for teen travellers

Adolescents under the age of 15 won??™t have to worry about getting a passport if they plan to cross the border into Canada.

Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff told a Detroit audience today that the department will modify a policy that was supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, 2008, and would require U.S. citizens crossing the Canadian or Mexican borders by vehicle or boat to have a passport to get back into the U.S.

The policy is already in effect for air travel and that policy won??™t change.

But the new policy for car or boat traffic will allow people under the age of 15 to cross the borders as long as they have a certified copy of their birth certificate.

People between the ages of 16 and 18, who are traveling with sports teams, church or cultural groups and are being supervised by adults, also will be allowed to pass through the borders with their birth certificate.

Chertoff also left open the possibility of allowing border travelers to use some sort of pass card instead of a passport when crossing the border by car or boat.

???We??™re working with the State Department to come up and issue some type of pass card that would be less expensive than a passport,??? Chertoff said. ???I??™m convinced that with a balanced and sensible approach we can meet the security challenges that came to light after 9-11.???
By KATHLEEN GRAY

Tags: birth certificate, birth certificat,