Passport Trouble Brewing

Beginning on Jan. 8, 2007, Americans traveling by air or sea will need a passport to enter the United States from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. And on Jan. 1, 2008, that requirement will be extended to those crossing into the U.S. by land.

Those deadlines aside, Scott McCartney’s The Middle Seat column in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) is worthwhile reading for any planner who is considering sending incentive winners to those destinations next year.

Among the more notable points in McCartney’s Sept. 5 column is the fact that this restriction will apply to all children, even infants, and the not very surprising revelation that travel industry experts fear long border delays, and significant trouble for the Canadian travel market and the cruise industry.

One additional recommendation I’d make is that planners who have trips planned to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean next year—or even later this year—warn potential winners to get their passport applications in very early. There will be a rush of applications, and that may well mean processing delays.