Going fishing? Pack your passport

[News]

When the 2008 charter season begins next month, U.S. citizens paying to fish on Lake Erie will have to bring either a passport or two other IDs if they plan to cross the northern border's invisible watery line.

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[GLF]

Citizens returning to America won't need passport until June 2009

American citizens won't need a passport to cross the land borders until the middle of next year, delaying that requirement by more than a year.

New identification document requirements, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State announced Thursday, will take effect June 1, 2009. By that date, travelers will need to present documents that show both identification and U.S. citizenship to cross back from Mexico and Canada. For most travelers, that will mean a passport.

The policy shift is the final step of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which changes document requirements for travelers who were previously exempt — including citizens of the U.S., Canada and Bermuda.

“We are on course to implement and enforce the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which is an important step forward in securing the homeland,†Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. “Limiting and standardizing the types of documents presented will result in a more secure and efficient border. We will continue to encourage cross-border travel and trade while at the same time decreasing identity theft and fraud.â€

Residents of border states who frequently cross the border have specialized ID cards for that purpose, called trusted traveler cards, and they will continue to be honored.

Two months ago, the government stopped allowing returning citizens to simply give an oral declaration of citizenship. Proof is now required, but a broad range of identification is acceptable. The rule set to go into effect in June of 2009 will greatly restrict the forms of acceptable documentation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23834411