Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

10-09-2012 • DHS.Gov

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or depart the United States from within the Western Hemisphere.

The travel document requirements make up the departments of State and Homeland Security’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. This change in travel document requirements is the result of recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

This travel initiative was implemented in two phases:

Air travel requirements went into effect January 23, 2007 and now all travelers including children must present a passport or secure travel document when entering the United States by air.

Land/Sea requirements went into effect June 1, 2009 and require U.S., Canadian, and Bermudian citizens to present a WHTI-compliant document when entering the United States.

More About Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Document requirements for WHTI

Current U.S. border crossing procedures and information

Read the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Notice of Proposed Rulemaking