ARE YOUR PAPERS IN ORDER? PASSPORT RULES TO TAKE EFFECT.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer VAN NUYS -- Planning on flying down to Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (popularly known as just Cabo) is a small city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula at , in the municipality of Los Cabos in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. or Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi ? Better get your U.S. passport in order. New security restrictions more than five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks require air travelers to and from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean to hold U.S. passports starting Jan. 23. In the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. region, applications for the document have shot up 25 percent at post offices. ``It's crazy,'' said Diane Morehead, supervisor at the Van Nuys Main Post Office, where the line to the passport desk was two dozen deep and an hour long Friday. ``People have had the misimpression mis·im·pres·sion n. A faulty or mistaken impression. that people have to have a passport to travel anywhere, and that's a misconception.'' Long delayed by the State Department, the new passport rules are intended to beef up security as well as speed passage through busy border bottlenecks, officials said. While the air regulations go into effect this month, travelers by land or sea to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean must have passports by as early as January 2008. In addition, passports distributed this spring will include a ``smart chip'' designed to thwart forgery. A $20 ``passport card'' good for land and sea entry is in the works for late 2007. ``The idea of all of this is that we want to keep people traveling so that passports can be read easily and reliably, and that we have extra security,'' said Steve Royster, a State Department spokesman. On Friday, Carlos Rivera
dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 HOW TO GET A PASSPORT Air travelers to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean must have U.S. passports starting Jan. 23, obtainable at dozens of post offices throughout the region. An adult passport for age 16 and up costs $97 and is good for 10 years. Applicants will need: A certified copy A photocopy of a document, judgment, or record that is signed and attested to as an accurate and a complete reproduction of the original document by a public official in whose custody the original has been placed for safekeeping. of a birth certificate issued by the state where you were born (hospital-issued birth certificates not accepted), or an original certificate of naturalization naturalization, official act by which a person is made a national of a country other than his or her native one. In some countries naturalized persons do not necessarily become citizens but may merely acquire a new nationality. . A valid photo I.D., such as a California driver's license Noun 1. driver's license - a license authorizing the bearer to drive a motor vehicle driver's licence, driving licence, driving license license, permit, licence - a legal document giving official permission to do something or I.D. card. Two identical 2-by-2-inch passport photos. Passport application processing can take up to eight weeks. For emergency passports in less than 14 days, call (310) 575-5700. To check the status of a passport application, call (877) 487-2778. For information on how to obtain a U.S. passport, go to www.travel.state.gov, or www.usps.com/passport/welcome.htm. SOURCE: U.S. Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processes and delivers mail to individuals and businesses within the United States. The service seeks to improve its performance through the development of efficient mail-handling systems and operates its own planning and engineering programs. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) Postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union - NPMHU and the American Postal Workers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. Lila Yan has passport applicants Sandra Martinez, left, and Carlos Rivera swear that the information on their applications is correct at the Van Nuys post office Friday afternoon. (2) Crowds line up to apply for passports at the Van Nuys post office Friday afternoon. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer Box: HOW TO GET A PASSPORT (see text) |
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