A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

Here is a story from CNN about Passport Books being manufactured abroad and the possible security risk that might result. We are not worried about this issue and do not believe we have anything to worry about regarding passports getting into the wrong hands.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2008/03/27/verjee.passport.outsourcing.cnn
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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The new passport card has information encoded electronically in the card to speed processing of citizens coming back into the U.S. The card has been criticized by some for the fact that the data in the card could be hacked into because the data can be picked up from more than a few inches away. The critics say the data could compromise the holder’s personal information.

We have never agreed with this criticism because the only data on the card is a unique number of the holder that has nothing to do with their identity. Instead the number is only good for use on the database of the U.S. Customs officials. When put into Customs computer database, the number will identify the holder, so he or she can be correctly and immediately identified and allowed to enter the U.S.

So even if someone did successfully hack into the card and get the passport card number of the holder, it would only be helpful if they also had hacked into the Customs database, and that is as close to impossible as the government can guarantee. We respect the integrity of the databases of the U.S. government, so we do not think the passport card is a personal security risk.

Read an interesting editorial on this subject by the Buffalo News whose readers are heavily impacted by this card because they are only a few miles from the Canadian border.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The Department of Homeland Security is placing anti-missile systems on several passenger planes flying in and out of John F. Kennedy Airport.

The program will test to see if the anti-missile systems are effective in helping prevent a terrorist from using a shoulder-fired missile to shoot down a passenger jet. Three of the anti-missile systems will be placed on American Airlines flights flying between JFK and airports in California, officials said.

Military jets have the equipment and there were recent tests on non-passenger cargo flights.

The anti-missile system are attached underneath the aircraft and have a jamming technology that causes heat seeking missiles to go off course.

The program has been instituted because the FBI has conducted sting operations in Albany and Newark where several men were charged for trying to obtain or smuggle shoulder-fired missiles into the U.S.

DHS officials noted that there has been no attempts to use these missiles to strike an aircraft inside the U.S., but there have been several incidents overseas.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

A new program signed into law on December 27, 2007, will allow international travelers to register in advance of travel to speed their passage through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.

The government will publish guidelines for the program within about a year. It will be similar to the domestic Registered Traveler program that private contractors operate at U.S. airports.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The Department of Homeland Security is placing anti-missile systems on several passenger planes flying in and out of John F. Kennedy Airport.

The program will test to see if the anti-missile systems are effective in helping prevent a terrorist from using a shoulder-fired missile to shoot down a passenger jet. Three of the anti-missile systems will be placed on American Airlines flights flying between JFK and airports in California, officials said.

Military jets have the equipment and there were recent tests on non-passenger cargo flights.

The anti-missile system are attached underneath the aircraft and have a jamming technology that causes heat seeking missiles to go off course.

The program has been instituted because the FBI has conducted sting operations in Albany and Newark where several men were charged for trying to obtain or smuggle shoulder-fired missiles into the U.S.

DHS officials noted that there has been no attempts to use these missiles to strike an aircraft inside the U.S., but there have been several incidents overseas.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

A new program signed into law on December 27, 2007, will allow international travelers to register in advance of travel to speed their passage through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.

The government will publish guidelines for the program within about a year. It will be similar to the domestic Registered Traveler program that private contractors operate at U.S. airports.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

Passport Update on new Passport Rules From A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

January 4, 2008

FIRST: New regulations go into effect on January 31st that require all persons entering or re-entering the U.S. to show proof of citizenship. Prior to that date, persons can continue to prove citizenship verbally.

Proof of citizenship can be accomplished by presenting a valid passport, an original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate, or an original copy of your certificate of citizenship or naturalization. We recommend a passport because it is the only document that proves both your citizenship and your identity.

SECOND: The Department of State, the agency of the Federal Government that issues passports, issued new rules regarding the new passport card on December 31, 2007. Here is a summary of everything covered in the new regulations. As you will see, there are more rules to be issued in the future telling citizens when and how the State Department will begin issuing passport cards. When and how the State Department will begin issuing the passport cards is not yet known.

1. The State Department will issue passport cards. The official name of the document will be “passport cards.” State will continue to issue “passport books” which up until now we have known as a “passport.”
2. The passport card is valid only for passage through land and sea ports between the U.S. and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The passport card cannot be used for flights into or out of the U.S.
3. The passport card will be issued to citizens in all 50 states but it is exclusively for use for land and sea entrance to the U.S. Passport cards cannot be used for international air travel.
4. Passport cards can be used for identification for domestic flights. Remember: the passport card can be used as government-issued proof of identity and proof of citizenship. So, if you do not have a driver’s license and need identification for passing through security for domestic travel, you can use your passport card for proof of identity instead of presenting your driver’s license.
5. Passport cards have the same validity as passport books – 10 years for adults 16 and over and 5 years for children under 16.
6. Citizens will be able to apply for a passport card at any acceptance agent on the same basis as a regular passport.
7. Passport books must be signed on the signature page by the passport holder to be valid. Passport cards do not have to be signed to be valid.
8. The passport cards will be able to be scanned at U.S. borders when a person is in the vicinity of an electronic reader that will be operated by U.S. border control officials. The chip in the card contains only one item of information – a unique identifying number that has meaning only inside the secure database of the State Department and Homeland Security Department. There is no personal information such as name, date of birth, social security number, etc. stored electronically on the chip. So, if someone did pick up the signal, they would not be able to use the data to learn anything about the holder.
9. The execution fee for applying for a passport card is $25. The execution fee for applying for a passport book is $30.
10. The fees for obtaining a passport card for persons without a passport are as follows:
    • Adults: Total $45 — $20 application fee, plus $25 execution fee
    • Children under 16: Total $35 — $10 application fee, plus $25 execution fee
11. Persons who have a valid passport book (Remember: a “passport book” means a person who has a “passport”) and who are applying for a passport card (in addition to holding a valid passport) are not required to pay the execution fee. Thus, persons with a valid passport who also want a passport card can apply for $20.
12. The government may permit alternative documentation for land crossings such as driver’s licenses issued by states that have established methods for determining citizenship acceptable to the Federal government. Several states have already submitted proposals to the Federal government. This matter will be addressed in subsequent regulations issued by the Federal government.

We’ll keep you posted.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The State Department will soon begin issuing passport cards equipped with electronic data chips to U.S. citizens who travel frequently between the United States and Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.

The $45 card will be optional and cannot be used for air travel. The chip will contain a unique identifying number linked to information in a secure government database but not to names, Social Security numbers or other personal information. It will also come with a protective sleeve to guard against hackers trying to skim data wirelessly.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

Remember that effective January 31, 2008, when returning to the U.S. from any destination, you must present proof of citizenship. A passport is the best proof because it also identifies you and it can be scanned and you can quickly move through the border.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

REMINDER:

Starting Jan. 31, adult travelers re-entering the USA by land or via ferry or small boat must carry either a passport or a government-issued photo ID plus proof of citizenship such as a birth or naturalization certificate. …. The change here is that persons driving into the U.S. until Jan. 31st, can get in by just answering questions.

Children 18 and younger need only proof of citizenship.

Effective Jan. 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens (19 and older) will be required to present proof of citizenship, such as

1) a passport or

2) a birth certificate or naturalization certificate supported by a government issued photo ID, when entering the United States through land and sea ports of entry from Canada.

Children ages 18 and under are only required to present proof of citizenship (without ID), such as a birth certificate, naturalization certificate or passport.

If a birth certificate is presented, it must be a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state. A photocopy of a birth certificate will only be accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) if the original has been sent to the Department of State in support of a passport application. In such case, the traveler must obtain and provide proof of passport application.

These changes are significant as compared to the current and long-standing policy that allows CBP officers to accept oral declarations of citizenship from U.S. and Canadian citizens seeking entry into the United States through a land or sea border. Effective Jan. 31, 2008, oral declarations will not be accepted.

All persons traveling by land or sea to Canada to take either a valid passport or a government issued birth certificate and photo ID beginning Jan. 31, 2008.

All persons traveling by air should be reminded to bring a passport. The passport requirement for air travelers entering the U.S. from Canada has been on the books since Jan. 8, 2007.

Please note that travelers holding NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST cards will continue to be accepted for cross-border travel.

Eventually, at an unspecified date by mid-2009, the Department of State will require passports, or soon-to-be announced passport alternatives, from ALL travelers at ALL points, including air, land and sea, within the Western Hemisphere.

Prior to the effective date, the State Department intends to make available a Passport Card, which is specifically designed for land and sea travel from neighboring countries. The primary advantages of the Passport Card are that it will be less expensive and smaller than a traditional passport.

In addition, several states including Washington, Vermont and New York are creating an Enhanced Driver_s License that will, according to the CBP, also fulfill the proof-of-citizenship requirement at land and sea borders. Further details of these alternative products are unknown.

However, CBP says that ample notice of the exact date of implementation will be provided to ensure travelers can obtain the appropriate documents.

Since passports are the gold standard for entering and exiting the country from all foreign destinations, ALL travelers, including those traveling by land or sea in the Western Hemisphere, should be encouraged to obtain, and travel with, a passport.

Specific documentation requirements for land, sea and air travel may be found at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/.

To learn more about NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST, visit www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/.

The State Department recommends that all persons obtain a passport for any international travel. If you need a passport or have questions, contact A Briggs. If you need an expedited passport, A Briggs can obtain one for you as quickly as one day.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.