New Government Deadlines Make U.S. Passport Possession a Travel Priority For 2007 TIA Launches Passport Info Web Site

E. Hartford, CT (PRWeb) December 23, 2006 -- Travel Insured International, the service focused travel protection company, is reminding its current and prospective industry partners that the recently-approved Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), takes effect on Jan. 23, 2007.

Under the new WHTI rules, U.S. citizen air travelers flying to international destinations in the Western Hemisphere will need a passport to return to the U.S. on flights from Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean or Bermuda.

The deadline makes obtaining a U.S. passport an immediate priority for consumers who have 2007 international air travel plans but lack the passports necessary to fulfill them. Pressure is also on sellers of air travel programs to Western Hemisphere destinations to communicate the government deadline publicly or risk losing sales to consumers who lack required passports.

One year from now, on or about Jan. 1, 2008, cruise and ferry passengers are expected to join airline passengers in facing the same passport requirement for their return to the U.S. from any of the same international destinations. Final details of the early 2008 passport deadline for ocean passengers will be determined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In recognition of the passport deadline urgency, the U.S. Travel Industry Association (TIA) on Dec. 11 launched a comprehensive Web site detailing the new WHTI rules and advising citizens on how to obtain the required passports. Travel sellers and their clients are encouraged to visit the site at www.getapassportnow.com where they will find a range of well-organized resources for understanding the requirements and obtaining passports quickly and efficiently.

Travel Insured International also encourages its travel partners to remind their clients that adding a comprehensive Travel Protection plan to their international trip should be on the same travel planning priority list as obtaining their U.S. passport.

Travel Insured's Worldwide Trip Protector, supported by the travel protection industry's best customer care, offers protection from Trip Cancellation and Interruption; Travel Delay; Missed Connection; Loss of Baggage or Personal Effects; Baggage Delay; Emergency Medical or Dental; Medical Evacuation and Repatriation and Accidental Death & Dismemberment. Additionally, every Travel Insured policy comes with our 24-Hour Worldwide Emergency Travel Assistance, a strong reassurance in any international travel plan.

The only exceptions to the new passport rule are for U.S. citizens traveling directly between the U.S. and a U.S. territory. The territorial destinations for which travelers are spared the passport requirement for U.S. re-entry include Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The following are selected notes from www.getapassportnow.com.
Sellers and their clients, however, should visit Online for more details:

•     Citizens applying for their first passport must appear at one of more than 7,000 Passport Acceptance Facilities to apply. The majority of locations are U.S. Post Offices. Those who previously held a U.S. passport can apply by mail. The web site has a facility locator organized by the applicant's Zip Code or street address.
•     Passports fees are $67 per application. A rush order is available for an additional $60. Routine service is six weeks, rush is two weeks.
•     All children, including infants and newborns, must have the passports under the same rules as adults. Be prepared to provide documentation, and possibly to appear in person with a child, to prove its relationship to a parent or guardian.
•     New passport applicants must present an application form - downloadable from the Web site - plus a birth certificate.
•     Those without birth certificates can submit several other documents, starting with a required "Letter of No Record" from their state of residence, to prove citizenship. Several acceptable alternative documents are listed in the Web site.
•     Mailed applications with fees and required documents should be mailed to:
National Passport Processing
P.O. Box 13349
Philadelphia, PA 19101-3349

Travel Insured International, based in E. Hartford, CT, was founded in 1993 by insurance visionary Peter Gehris when he acquired the travel protection division of the Travelers Insurance Company. Backed by the solid underwriting support of the A rated Arch Insurance Group, Travel Insured delivers comprehensive primary protection benefits ranging from trip cancellation and trip interruption to emergency assistance and medical evacuation, default and bankruptcy, accident and sickness medical expense, accidental death and dismemberment, missed connection and baggage delay or loss.

Worldwide Trip Protector has become a leading travel insurance brand by providing comprehensive protection enhanced by the industry's best customer care, the home-office service professionals of Travel Insured International. Travel Insured is the industry innovator in creating customized, private label programs that empower tour operators, cruise sellers and agents to build client loyalty by combining top quality group protection with unexcelled service to each supplier's individual customers.

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